"Svefn-g-englar" is a song by the

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

ic post-rock band Sigur Rós, from their second

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

, '' Ágætis byrjun''.

Overview

"Svefn-g-englar" was released as a single in 1999, with two studio recordings — "Svefn-g-englar" (an Icelandic pun mixing " sleepwalkers" and "sleep angels") and " Viðrar vel til loftárása" ("good weather for airstrikes"), both from ''Ágætis byrjun'' — and two songs recorded live at the Icelandic Opera House located in

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

— "Nýja lagið" ("new song"), which was never recorded in studio, and "Syndir Guðs" ("God's sins"), from the group's first LP, ''

Von The term ''von'' () is used in German language surnames either as a nobiliary particle indicating a noble patrilineality, or as a simple preposition used by commoners that means ''of'' or ''from''. Nobility directories like the ''Almanach de ...

''. The single was the first UK release for the band, issued on

Fat Cat Records FatCat Records is an English independent record label based in Brighton. The label's output reaches into many styles including experimental rock, electronica, psychedelic folk, contemporary classical, noise and post-punk. Notable artists that ...

in 1999. On its release, it was named "Single of the Week" in ''

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''. In 2001, it was re-issued, in the United States, on PIAS records. The single is available both on

compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then released in Oc ...

and 12 inch

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...

, with somewhat different selections of tracks. The music video for "Svefn-g-englar" was directed by August Jacobsson. The video features the Perlan special-needs theatre group, an Icelandic acting troupe of men and women with

Down syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...

. Choreography was by Lára Stefánsdóttir, and the angel outfits were made by Binna & Nína.

In media

* "Svefn-g-englar" is used in the '' Vanilla Sky Soundtrack''. * "Svefn-g-englar" is on the DVD release of '' We know where you live'' * It was played over the credits of episode 202 of '' Queer as Folk''. * "Svefn-g-englar" is used in the movie '' Ben X'' (Belgium) (also on the soundtrack CD). * Used in the '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' episode, "Slaves of Las Vegas". * Used in a nature sequence in Leonardo DiCaprio's '' The 11th Hour''. * Portions were used in ABC's ''V'' (2009 TV series) in episode 4 of season 1 during the 'Bliss' scene. * Used in the first series of ''

Rolf on Art ''Rolf on Art'' was a British art television series made by the BBC. It was hosted by Rolf Harris, the Australian television presenter. The series began in 2001, and the most recent episode was made in 2007. It was followed by Harris's other art p ...

'' in the episode about

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (, ; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French Post-Impressionist artist. Unappreciated until after his death, Gauguin is now recognized for his experimental use of colour and Synthetist style that were distinct fr ...

. * Played in the French Canadian film, ''

Café de Flore The Café de Flore () is one of the oldest coffeehouses in Paris, celebrated for its famous clientele, which in the past included high-profile writers and philosophers. It is located at the corner of Boulevard Saint-Germain and Rue Saint-Beno ...

'', released in 2011. * Used in the third series of ''

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'' in the first episode. * Used in the French/Canadian sci-fi romance film '' Upside Down''. * Used in David Firth's animated short "Alan: An Alternative Superhero". * Used in the fourth episode, "Man Down", of

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Channel's military drama series

SIX 6 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 6 or six may also refer to: * AD 6, the sixth year of the AD era * 6 BC, the sixth year before the AD era * The month of June Science * Carbon, the element with atomic number 6 * 6 Hebe, an asteroid People ...

. * Used in the US movie '' Beautiful Boy''. * Used in the US radio program ''

This American Life ''This American Life'' (''TAL'') is an American monthly hour-long radio program produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media and hosted by Ira Glass. It is broadcast on numerous public radio stations in the United States and internatio ...

'' episode "

The Giant Pool of Money "The Giant Pool of Money" is an episode of the radio show ''This American Life'' which originally aired on May 9, 2008. The episode described to a general audience the causes and factors which led to the subprime mortgage crisis. Specifically, the ...

". * Used in the US movie '' Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga''. * Used in the US documentary '' California Typewriter (2016)'' * Used in the second episode, “Pocket Savior”, of the CBS miniseries '' The Stand (2020)''Tunefind entry
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Track listings

CD version

# "Svefn-g-englar" (single edit) – 9:16 # " Viðrar vel til loftárása" – 10:13 # "Nýja lagið" (live at the Icelandic Opera House, June 12, 1999) – 9:28 # "Syndir Guðs" (live at the Icelandic Opera House, June 12, 1999) – 5:46

12" version

# "Svefn-g-englar" (single edit) – 9:16 # "Viðrar vel til loftárása" – 10:13 # "Veröld ný og óð" – 3:29

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Svefn-G-Englar Sigur Rós songs 1999 debut singles Icelandic-language songs 1999 songs PIAS Recordings singles