Way Down We Go

Album: A/B (2015)
Charted: 54
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Kaleo is an Icelandic rock band that formed at Mosfellsbær in 2012. The group consists of frontman JJ Julius Son, drummer David Antonsson, bassist Daniel Kristjansson and guitarist Rubin Pollock.
  • Originally released on August 7, 2015, the song gradually gained heat after featuring in various TV shows including the season five finale of Suits, the sixth episode of The Vampire Diaries' eighth season and a trailer for the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black. It also played on the FIFA 16 soundtrack, and a television ad for the UK retailer Boots UK. As a result of the ongoing exposure, "Way Down We Go" made its Hot 100 debut in January 2017, more than a year after the track first charted on Hot Rock Songs.
  • Julius Son penned the tune around its central riff. He explained to Chorus FM: "I first wrote the riff, and then added the verse and finally the chorus. It's a very bluesy song, especially if you play it acoustically. It probably all started tapping my feet and messing around on the guitar."
  • The video was recorded inside the dormant Icelandic volcano Thrihnukagigur in July 2015, tying in nicely with the song title. Julius Son told Altwire:

    "We reached out to the people there and they were all for it. It was a bit of a task than I had realized because we had to get everything down there. We did video and audio down there. We had to take all of our equipment down there. There was a very small down there, it takes 10 minutes to get down, 10 minutes to get up. It was a 26 hour day. The Acoustics down there were fantastic though, so we were really happy with the outcome."
  • "Way Down We Go" featured in the season 16 episode 22 of NCIS when it soundtracked the end scene where the team is walking into court. Two years later it set the scene for the climatic reveals in the This Is Us season 5 finale.

Comments: 3

  • Judith Bell from Santa BarbaraEarthy number, definitely tapping my toes.
    Heard it on Icons2020 from Sarge.
  • Bert from WisconsinI first heard this on an Armani commercial. I had to hunt this down. His voice is one I could listen to all day! I need to find more of their music!
  • Michael Liss from Oradell NjIt sounds like a song about going to hell.

    “Way down we go”
see more comments

Editor's Picks

James Bond Theme Songs

James Bond Theme SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know the 007 theme songs?

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)Songwriter Interviews

"Come On Eileen" was a colossal '80s hit, but the band - far more appreciated in their native UK than stateside - released just three albums before their split. Now, Dexys is back.

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")Song Writing

Wes Edwards takes us behind the scenes of videos he shot for Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley and Chase Bryant. The train was real - the airplane was not.

Metallica

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," Kiss

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," KissSong Writing

After cutting his teeth on hardcore punk videos, Paul defined the grunge look with his work on "Hunger Strike" and "Man in the Box."

Spooner Oldham

Spooner OldhamSongwriter Interviews

His keyboard work helped define the Muscle Shoals sound and make him an integral part of many Neil Young recordings. Spooner is also an accomplished songwriter, whose hits include "I'm Your Puppet" and "Cry Like A Baby."