Hoppípolla
"Hoppípolla" ([ˈhɔʰpipʰɔtla]) is a song by Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós from their 2005 album Takk.... It was released as the album's second single on 28 November 2005. "Hoppa í polla" is Icelandic for "hopping into puddles", and 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 number 24 on the UK Singles Chart in May 2006. It is considered the best-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.
| "Hoppípolla" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Sigur Rós | ||||
| from the album Takk... | ||||
| Released | 28 November 2005 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| 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) | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Sigur Rós singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Takk... track listing | ||||
11 tracks
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Hoppípolla" on YouTube | ||||
Track listing
- CD (CDEM 673) / 12" (12EM 673)
- "Hoppípolla" – 4:36
- "Með blóðnasir" – 2:24
- "Hafsól" (2005 version) – 9:47
- 7" (EM 673)
- "Hoppípolla" – 4:36
- "Heysátan" – 4:09
Music video
A promotional music video for "Hoppípolla," directed by Arni & Kinski, was filmed in November 2005. It depicts two groups of elderly friends strolling around the suburbs of Reykjavík and acting like children; pulling pranks on people and battling with water balloons and wooden swords near a cemetery. When one old man is injured and suffers a nosebleed (as referenced in the lyrics), the opponents run away in fear, while the others celebrate their victory. The video shows several shots of the friends "hopping in puddles" of water along a path.
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]
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 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[4] | Silver | 200,000* |
|
| ||
Chicane cover version – "Poppiholla"
| "Poppiholla" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Chicane | ||||
| from the album The Best of Chicane: 1996–2008 and Giants | ||||
| Released | 13 July 2009 | |||
| Genre |
| |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label |
| |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Chicane singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In July 2009, Chicane released an instrumental re-work of the song, titled "Poppiholla" and released it as a five track single EP on 13 July 2009. "Poppiholla" entered the UK Singles Chart at number seven 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 number 11 on the UK Albums Chart, beating the compilation's previous peak of number 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.
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 13 July 2009 |
| |
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. It was used again in 2016 for Planet Earth II, as well as Blue Planet II the following year.
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 the latter of which was composed by Jónsi, and has been used in advertisements for Thomson Reuters, Oxfam and Viasat. The song has also been used in the film of Italian capital Rome's bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Whilst it does not appear on the Films soundtrack Album, it is also featured in Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga.
References
- Sigur Rós (2007). Heima (DVD (audio commentary)). Event occurs at 01:16:00.
- YouTube - Hoppipola
- Official Charts Company - Sigur Ros - Hoppipolla
- "British single certifications – Sigur Ros – Hoppipolla". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 29 August 2018. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Hoppipolla in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- Official Charts Company - Chicane - Poppiholla
- "Charts Plus Year end 2009" (PDF). Charts Plus. Retrieved 19 July 2010.