Gling-Gló

Gling-Gló
Studio album by Björk Guðmundsdóttir & tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar
Released	October 1990
Recorded	September 1990
Genre	Vocal jazz post-bop bossa nova
Length	50:17
Label	Smekkleysa (TPLP61CD) One Little Indian Records Ltd. Mother Records (re-release)
Producer	Tómas Tómasson
Björk chronology
Björk (1977) Gling-Gló (1990) Debut (1993)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
All About Jazz	(Favorable) link

Gling-Gló, released in 1990, is the only album by Björk Guðmundsdóttir & tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar, consisting of Björk Guðmundsdóttir on vocals, Guðmundar Ingólfsson on piano, Guðmundur Steingrímsson on drums, and Þórður Högnason on bass. Gling-Gló is an Icelandic onomatopoeia whose English equivalent is "Ding Dong," or the sound that a bell makes.

This album was recorded on 1 September and 3 September 1990 at Stúdio Sýrland. It was produced by Tómas Magnús Tómasson, the bassist of Stuðmenn, who also did the mix for this album. Whereas, “Ruby Baby” and “I Can't Help Loving that Man” were recorded on August 23, 1990 on Ríkisútvarpið (National Icelandic Broadcasting Service). The recordings were made for Djasskaffi, a radio programme hosted by Ólafur Þórðarsson.

Gling-Gló contains Icelandic themes, and most of the songs are sung in Icelandic. There are also five versions of English language songs by other artists: “Ruby Baby,” by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, and the jazz standard “I Can’t Help Loving That Man”, by Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern; and in Icelandic “Það sést ekki sætari mey”, which means in English “There Is No Sweeter Girl”, and is misattributed in the album notes and on the CD as having been written by "Rogers/Hammerstein", but is in reality a completely reworded cover of "You Can't Get a Man with a Gun" by Irving Berlin from the famous musical Annie Get Your Gun. There is also the Icelandic version of Sway, Í dansi með þér. Additionally, "Bílavísur" is a reworked rendition of "The Blacksmith Blues," first performed by Ella Mae Morse. "Ég veit ei hvað skal segja" is also a reworked rendition of "Ricochet Romance", performed by the likes of June Carter Cash and Teresa Brewer. The title "Pabbi minn" is an Icelandic version of "O Mein Papa".

Track listing

1. "Gling gló" ("Ding Dong") – 2:44
2. "Luktar-Gvendur" ("Lantern-Gvendur") – 4:05
3. "Kata rokkar" ("Kata rocks") – 2:56
4. "Pabbi minn" ("My papa") – 2:44
5. "Brestir og brak" ("Crackle and bang") – 3:23
6. "Ástartöfrar" ("Lovecharm") – 2:43
7. "Bella símamær" ("Bella the operator") – 2:40
8. "Litli tónlistarmaðurinn" ("The little musician") – 3:23
9. "Það sést ekki sætari mey" ("None sweeter than me can be seen") – 4:00
10. "Bílavísur" ("Car song") – 2:38
11. "Tondeleyo" – 3:29
12. "Ég veit ei hvað skal segja" ("I don't know what to say") – 3:03
13. "Í dansi með þér" ("In the dance with you") – 2:26
14. "Börnin við tjörnina" ("The children by the pond") – 2:46
15. "Ruby Baby" – 4:00
16. "I Can't Help Loving That Man" – 3:40

Credits

• Vocals and harmonica: Björk Guðmundsdóttir.
• Piano and tambourine: Guðmundur Ingólfsson.
• Drums, maracas, and Christmas bells: Guðmundur Steingrímsson.
• Bass: Þórður Högnason.

1. Composition: Alfreð Clausen. Lyrics: Kristín Engilbertsdóttir.
2. Composition: Nat Simon. Lyrics: Eiríkur K. Eiríksson.
3. Composition and lyrics: Theodór Einarsson.
4. Composition: Paul Burkhard. Lyrics: Þorsteinn Sveinsson.
5. Composition: Jón Múli Árnason. Lyrics: Jónas Árnason.
6. Composition and lyrics: Valdimar Auðunsson.
7. Composition: Mark Fontenoy. Lyrics: Loftur Guðmundsson.
8. Composition and lyrics: 12. September.
9. Composition: Richard Rodgers and Hammerstein Mistaken attribution on the album itself. In reality: Irving Berlin. Lyrics: Loftur Guðmundsson.
10. Composition: Jack Holmes. Lyrics: Jón Sigurðsson.
11. Composition: Sigfús Halldórsson. Lyrics: Tómas Guðmundsson.
12. Composition: Larry Coleman, Joe Darion, and Norman Gimbel. Lyrics: Loftur Guðmundsson.
13. Composition: Pablo Beltrán Ruiz. Lyrics: Þorsteinn Sveinsson.
14. Composition and lyrics: Jenni Jónsson.
15. Composition and lyrics: Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.
16. Composition and lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern.

Personnel Producer: Tómas Magnús Tómasson.
Technician: Georg Magnússon.
Graphic design: Óskar Jónasson.

External links

• Björk official website
• Lyrics to Gling-Gló album songs
• Gling-Gló at Björkish.net
• Page of Tómas Magnús Tómasson – Producer.
• Björk's Purple Lodge Discography – Complete discography listing, it includes DVDs, VHS, books and her collaborations with other artists.

Note: This article features Icelandic characters. For more information see Icelandic language.