Ágætis byrjun

Album: Agaetis Byrjun (1999)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is an autobiographical account of Sigur Ros' first listen to the finished mix of their debut album, Von, which only sold about 40 copies upon release. Bassist Georg Holm recalled to Uncut:

    "I remember going to our local cafe and asking the guys there if they'd put the record on, and with every song we got more depressed, because we thought it basically sounded like s--t. We hated it! The lyrics to the song 'Agaetis Byrjun' are actually about that day."
  • Sigur Ros first used their made-up Hopelandic language during the last section of this track along with another of the album's songs "Olsen Olsen."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Mike Campbell

Mike CampbellSongwriter Interviews

Mike is lead guitarist with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and co-writer of classic songs like "Boys Of Summer," "Refugee" and "The Heart Of The Matter."

Donny Osmond

Donny OsmondSongwriter Interviews

Donny Osmond talks about his biggest hits, his Vegas show, and the fan who taught him to take "Puppy Love" seriously.

Carl Sturken

Carl SturkenSongwriter Interviews

Hitmaker Carl Sturken on writing and producing for Rihanna, 'N Sync, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Donny Osmond, Shakira and Karyn White.

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?

Mick Jones of Foreigner

Mick Jones of ForeignerSongwriter Interviews

Foreigner's songwriter/guitarist tells the stories behind the songs "Juke Box Hero," "I Want To Know What Love Is," and many more.

The Police

The PoliceFact or Fiction

Do their first three albums have French titles? Is "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" really meaningless? See if you can tell in this Fact or Fiction.