Glósóli
Encyclopedia
"Glósóli" (ˈkl̥ou̯ːˌsou̯lɪ, Icelandic
for "Glowing Sole") is a song by Sigur Rós
, released as part of their 2005 album Takk...
Together with "Sæglópur
" it was the first single released from the album, available as a download only release on iTunes in America and Europe respectively.
The name is a combination of gló- from the verb að glóa meaning "to glow, shine, glitter" and sóli meaning "sole." The second element of the name, sóli, shares its grammatical stem with the word "sól", meaning "sun". In combination "glósóli" can be understood as a childish way of saying "glowing sun" or "let the sun glow".
. The video consists of children dressed in old-fashioned Icelandic clothing, migrating towards an unknown destination somewhere in Iceland. The leader, a boy with a drum, directs the group through a land characterized by open fields and rocky hills, all the while picking up more and more children. The group then fall asleep and the video enters a dream-like state, signified by a change in hue. The song culminates at the end when the children reach a large hill and the leader starts beating his drum rapidly. When the song climaxes, the children start to run full speed up the hill. It is then shown that the hill is in fact a cliff, ending at the ocean. When the children reach the edge, they jump off and swim through the air. The video features a characteristic ambiguous ending, when the last and youngest child is shown jumping off the cliff in a cannon-ball style. The cinematographer Chris Soos has stated that to him the child definitely flies along with the rest, but ambiguity was the intention. The child naturally chose the cannon-ball style after a reluctance to jump whilst filming.
The video is also a direct allusion to J. D. Salinger
's novel "The Catcher in the Rye
". In the novel, character Holden Caulfield says "I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all."
The video was directed by Arni & Kinski. Swedish director Ted Karlsson also directed a few parts and shot the movie.
Icelandic language
Icelandic is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese.Icelandic is an Indo-European language belonging to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Historically, it was the westernmost of the Indo-European languages prior to the...
for "Glowing Sole") is a song by Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós is an Icelandic post-rock band with classicaland minimalist elements. The band is known for its ethereal sound, and frontman Jónsi Birgisson's falsetto vocals and use of bowed guitar. In January 2010, the band announced that they will be on hiatus. Since then, it has since been announced...
, released as part of their 2005 album Takk...
Takk...
Takk... is the fourth full-length studio album by the Icelandic band Sigur Rós. The first singles, "Glósóli" and "Sæglópur", were released on August 15, 2005 and August 16, 2005 respectively, the former worldwide and the latter only in the United States. The single "Hoppípolla" was released in the...
Together with "Sæglópur
Sæglópur
"Sæglópur" is a song by Sigur Rós, released in 2006 as a single from the 2005 album Takk.... Parts of the song are in Icelandic, although a lengthy portion is in Hopelandic, a "language" of nonsense words selected by the band that sound similar to Icelandic.- Music video :The music video for the...
" it was the first single released from the album, available as a download only release on iTunes in America and Europe respectively.
The name is a combination of gló- from the verb að glóa meaning "to glow, shine, glitter" and sóli meaning "sole." The second element of the name, sóli, shares its grammatical stem with the word "sól", meaning "sun". In combination "glósóli" can be understood as a childish way of saying "glowing sun" or "let the sun glow".
Music video
The song is also praised for its artistic and highly cinematographic music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
. The video consists of children dressed in old-fashioned Icelandic clothing, migrating towards an unknown destination somewhere in Iceland. The leader, a boy with a drum, directs the group through a land characterized by open fields and rocky hills, all the while picking up more and more children. The group then fall asleep and the video enters a dream-like state, signified by a change in hue. The song culminates at the end when the children reach a large hill and the leader starts beating his drum rapidly. When the song climaxes, the children start to run full speed up the hill. It is then shown that the hill is in fact a cliff, ending at the ocean. When the children reach the edge, they jump off and swim through the air. The video features a characteristic ambiguous ending, when the last and youngest child is shown jumping off the cliff in a cannon-ball style. The cinematographer Chris Soos has stated that to him the child definitely flies along with the rest, but ambiguity was the intention. The child naturally chose the cannon-ball style after a reluctance to jump whilst filming.
The video is also a direct allusion to J. D. Salinger
J. D. Salinger
Jerome David Salinger was an American author, best known for his 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, as well as his reclusive nature. His last original published work was in 1965; he gave his last interview in 1980....
's novel "The Catcher in the Rye
The Catcher in the Rye
The Catcher in the Rye is a 1951 novel by J. D. Salinger. Originally published for adults, it has since become popular with adolescent readers for its themes of teenage confusion, angst, alienation, language, and rebellion. It has been translated into almost all of the world's major...
". In the novel, character Holden Caulfield says "I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all."
The video was directed by Arni & Kinski. Swedish director Ted Karlsson also directed a few parts and shot the movie.
Personnel
- Jón Þór BirgissonJón Þór BirgissonJón “Jónsi” Þór Birgisson is the guitarist and vocalist for the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós. He is known for his use of a cello bow on guitar and his falsetto voice. He is also blind in his right eye and is openly gay. His boyfriend Alex Somers has done much of the graphic design for...
– vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Kjartan SveinssonKjartan SveinssonKjartan "Kjarri" Sveinsson is a keyboardist of the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós. He joined the band in 1998. Being something of a multi-instrumentalist, he has also played such instruments as the flute, tin whistle, oboe and even the banjo, as well as many of the unorthodox instruments that...
– keyboard - Georg HólmGeorg HólmGeorg "Goggi" Hólm is the bassist of the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós. Holm is the most prominent member of Sigur Rós in the English press, as he does significantly more press than the other members due to his being the most fluent English-speaker in the band; part of Georg's fluency in...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Orri Páll DýrasonOrri Páll DýrasonOrri Páll Dýrason is the drummer for Sigur Rós. He joined the band in 1999, shortly after the recording of the studio album Ágætis byrjun, when the previous drummer, Ágúst Ævar Gunnarsson, left the band. He married Lukka Sigurðardóttir in Hawaii in 2005. They have a son together born in January...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Orchestral version
- BBC Concert OrchestraBBC Concert OrchestraThe BBC Concert Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London, one of the British Broadcasting Corporation's five radio orchestras. With around fifty players, it is the only one of the five which is not a full-scale symphony orchestra....
performed in concerts a version of Glósóli for orchestra and optional chorus arranged by composer Fung Lam as part of their education projects in 2006 and 2009.