Hoppípolla

"Hoppípolla"
Single by Sigur Rós
from the album Takk...
Released 28 November 2005 (2005-11-28)
Format CD / 12" / 7"
Genre Post-rock, art rock, dream pop, ambient
Length 4:36
Label EMI
CDEM 673 / 0946 3 41757 2 2
(UK, CD, 28 November 2005)
12EM 673 / 0946 3 41757 1 5
(UK, 12", 28 November 2005)
EM 673
(UK, 7", 1 May 2006)
Writer(s) Jón Þór Birgisson, Orri Páll Dýrason, Georg Hólm, Kjartan Sveinsson
Producer(s) Sigur Rós, Ken Thomas
Sigur Rós singles chronology
"Sæglópur"
(2005)		 "Hoppípolla"
(2005)		 "Sæglópur"
(2006)
Takk... track listing
Music video
"Hoppípolla" on YouTube

"Hoppípolla" ([ˈhɔʰpipʰɔtla], "Hopp í polla" is Icelandic for "Hopping into puddles") is a song by Icelandic band Sigur Rós from their 2005 album Takk.... It was released as the album's second single on 28 November 2005. The lyrics are mainly in Icelandic, with some nonsensical phrases, a "language" the band calls Vonlenska ("Hopelandic"). Written with spaces, the song's title would be "Hoppa í polla" (the "—a" in "hoppa" is not pronounced). As with many of the band's songs, it was given a nickname in the early stages of writing. "Hoppípolla" was "The Money Song", as the band was certain they had written a song which would have commercial success.[1] It is the band's most successful single, charting at #24 on the UK Singles Chart in May 2006. It is considered the most well known song within its genre. The single also features "Með blóðnasir", an instrumental coda to "Hoppípolla", which is also featured on Takk...; and a studio remake of "Hafssól", a song previously released on the band's 1997 debut album, Von. The title appears as "Hafsól" on the single.

Track listing

CD (CDEM 673) / 12" (12EM 673)
  1. "Hoppípolla" – 4:36
  2. "Með blóðnasir" – 2:24
  3. "Hafsól" (2005 version) – 9:47
7" (EM 673)
  1. "Hoppípolla" – 4:36
  2. "Heysátan" – 4:09

Music video

A promotional music video for "Hoppípolla" was made in November 2005. It was directed by Arni & Kinski and first aired during the week of 21 November 2005.

It depicts two groups of elderly friends strolling around the suburbs of Reykjavík and, just like children, pulling pranks on other people. Near the end of the video, the two groups meet each other in a graveyard to battle with water balloons and wooden swords. When one of them is injured and gets a bloody nose (which is referenced in the lyrics), the opponents run away in fear, while the others celebrate the victory. The video shows several shots of the friends jumping in puddles of water.

The band members are featured in the video: keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson plays the victim of a Knock, Knock, Ginger trick, guitarist and vocalist Jón Þór Birgisson plays the cashier at a shop where an old man steals and eats some pears, drummer Orri Páll Dýrason can be seen repairing his bicycle, and bassist Georg Hólm can be seen cleaning.[2]

In January 2010, the instrumental was used by CTV British Columbia for a 60-second promotional video to create excitement for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games at Vancouver, Canada in February 2010.

Chart performance

Chart (2005) Peak
position
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[3] 35
Chart (2006) Peak
position
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[3] 24

Chicane cover version - "Poppiholla"

"Poppiholla"
Single by Chicane
from the album The Best of Chicane: 1996–2008 and Giants
Released 13 July 2009
Format Digital download, CD single
Genre Dance, progressive trance
Length 3:43 (radio edit)
4:49 (original mix)
Label Modena, Armada
Writer(s) Jón Þór Birgisson, Orri Páll Dýrason, Georg Hólm, Kjartan Sveinsson
Producer(s) Chicane, Richard Searle
Chicane singles chronology
"Bruised Water"
(2008)		 "Poppiholla"
(2009)		 "Hiding All The Stars"
(2009)

In July 2009 Chicane released an instrumental re-work of the song, titled "Poppiholla" (the 'p' and 'h' were switched to create the word "pop") and released it as a five track single EP on 13 July 2009. "Poppiholla" entered the UK Singles Chart at #7 on 19 July 2009, spending three weeks in the top ten as of 2 August 2009. A video to promote the song was made, and Chicane's The Best of Chicane collection was re-released to include the song. The re-released album reached #11 on the UK Album chart, beating the compilation's previous peak of #16 (without "Poppiholla" on it). The song was used in the UK by Sky Sports for their coverage of the Guinness Premiership in 2009/10. It is also used by League Two side Dagenham & Redbridge F.C. as a build-up song just before the players walk out for home matches.

Critical reception

David Balls of Digital Spy gave the song a positive review stating:

Cast your mind back over the summer dance anthems of the past decade and a not insignificant number of them belong to Chicane. With the likes of 'Saltwater', 'Offshore' and Bryan Adams collaboration 'Don't Give Up' still being pumped out at chill-out bars across Ibiza, it might come as a surprise that Nick Bracegirdle - the man behind the Chicane decks - is still resisting early retirement. In fact, he's got another summer dance anthem up his sleeve.

As its title suggests, 'Poppiholla' is essentially a reswizzled version of Sigur Rós's 'Hoppipolla'. The original is an ambient and ethereal little number popular with nature documentary fans, but Chicane has added trancey beats and the hint of a crescendo to please, if you will, those who like a spoonful of sugar with their coffee. It's a simple but effective reworking, but one that's hard to get too excited about. Still, it should ensure that the name Chicane remains a steadfast fixture on any sun worshipper's playlist. The song was awarded a 3 star.[4]

Release history

Region Date Format Label
United Kingdom 13 July 2009 Digital download, CD Single Modena Records

Charts

Chart (2009) Peak
position
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[5] 7

Year-end charts

Chart (2009) Position
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[6] 136

Use in film and television

"Hoppípolla" was used in 2006 advertisements for the BBC's Planet Earth television series, giving the band exposure to a mainstream audience. A high demand for the single led to it being republished in May 2006, distributed by EMI. This re-release of the single brought critical acclaim for the band in the mainstream music media.

The song has been used as background music in BBC shows, including dramas, documentaries and its 2006 football coverage. It appeared in the trailers for the films Children of Men and Slumdog Millionaire, the soundtrack of the 2006 film Penelope and the 2011 film We Bought a Zoo, and has been used in advertisements for Oxfam and Viasat.

References

  1. ↑ Sigur Rós (2007). Heima (DVD (audio commentary)). Event occurs at 01:16:00.
  2. ↑ YouTube - Hoppipola
  3. 1 2 Chart Stats - Sigur Ros - Hoppipolla
  4. ↑ David Balls (27 July 2009). "Chicane - 'Poppiholla'". Digital Spy. Digital.co.uk.
  5. ↑ Chart Stats - Chicane - Poppiholla
  6. ↑ "Charts Plus Year end 2009" (PDF). Charts Plus. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
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