60th Birthday Surprise
March 9, 2014 6:10 PM Subscribe
Woman exits elevator on her 60th birthday and is given a lovely surprise.
The woman is long-time children's choir director Þórunn Björnsdóttir and the people singing are some of her former students. This is inside the Harpa concert hall in Reykjavík.
The woman is long-time children's choir director Þórunn Björnsdóttir and the people singing are some of her former students. This is inside the Harpa concert hall in Reykjavík.
I want to live in Iceland.
posted by (Arsenio) Hall and (Warren) Oates at 6:32 PM on March 9, 2014 [6 favorites]
posted by (Arsenio) Hall and (Warren) Oates at 6:32 PM on March 9, 2014 [6 favorites]
Bravo!
posted by JohnnyGunn at 6:42 PM on March 9, 2014
posted by JohnnyGunn at 6:42 PM on March 9, 2014
Oh god, somebody take that baby off her hands, if you're going to sing another verse!
posted by bicyclefish at 6:49 PM on March 9, 2014 [6 favorites]
posted by bicyclefish at 6:49 PM on March 9, 2014 [6 favorites]
That's not the song I would expect to celebrate someone's birthday -- and career -- with.
posted by The corpse in the library at 8:20 PM on March 9, 2014
posted by The corpse in the library at 8:20 PM on March 9, 2014
I was wondering if it was her favourite song.
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 8:29 PM on March 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 8:29 PM on March 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
I kept hearing "Hello darkness my old friend..."
posted by cashman at 8:32 PM on March 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by cashman at 8:32 PM on March 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
WOW! Very cool. I'll probably just drop dead on my 60th. It's OK, it takes all kinds.
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 8:38 PM on March 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 8:38 PM on March 9, 2014 [2 favorites]
Granting that If They Say It On Metafilter It's So, the video doesn't have any description on YouTube. From whence comes the provenance?
posted by Shmuel510 at 8:59 PM on March 9, 2014
posted by Shmuel510 at 8:59 PM on March 9, 2014
That was beautiful. I love how many of her former students brought their own small children along.
posted by fshgrl at 9:07 PM on March 9, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by fshgrl at 9:07 PM on March 9, 2014 [3 favorites]
I really liked that! Thank you! It made me tear up.
It's especially really nice to see a surprise singing video that's very personal and meaningful instead of just kind of disruptive and pushy. I enjoyed this very much, thank you again for posting it.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 9:11 PM on March 9, 2014 [4 favorites]
It's especially really nice to see a surprise singing video that's very personal and meaningful instead of just kind of disruptive and pushy. I enjoyed this very much, thank you again for posting it.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 9:11 PM on March 9, 2014 [4 favorites]
Beautiful! What an amazing gift to her. Thanks for posting this.
posted by Majorita at 9:21 PM on March 9, 2014
posted by Majorita at 9:21 PM on March 9, 2014
Isn't that just about everyone in Iceland?
posted by dhartung at 12:27 AM on March 10, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by dhartung at 12:27 AM on March 10, 2014 [5 favorites]
By the third verse, I'd be thinking "Oh, for fuck's sake. There had better be alcohol and a designated driver in this deal."
posted by pracowity at 12:38 AM on March 10, 2014
posted by pracowity at 12:38 AM on March 10, 2014
Oh, that was lovely. Watching it before reading the "more inside," my first thought was "this is a choir teacher and this is her choir." And it must be a favorite song or a song she has them all sing. What a wonderful show of love.
Also, Iceland continues to seem like the planet of Impossibly Attractive People.
posted by Joey Michaels at 12:47 AM on March 10, 2014
Also, Iceland continues to seem like the planet of Impossibly Attractive People.
posted by Joey Michaels at 12:47 AM on March 10, 2014
That was really nice. Funny coincidence; I myself am one of her former choir students.
posted by aldurtregi at 1:55 AM on March 10, 2014 [23 favorites]
posted by aldurtregi at 1:55 AM on March 10, 2014 [23 favorites]
Shmuel510: From whence comes the provenance?
People in Iceland where sharing it on Facebook. I don't think there's been anything written about it in English, but there was a report on it on an Icelandic newssite where they link to a slightly different video (I think it's a rough cut of the one I linked to). The Google translation is pretty good (though it "translates" Þórunn Björnsdóttir name into "Anspach" and "Thor" in different places, but not always).
posted by Kattullus at 3:13 AM on March 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
People in Iceland where sharing it on Facebook. I don't think there's been anything written about it in English, but there was a report on it on an Icelandic newssite where they link to a slightly different video (I think it's a rough cut of the one I linked to). The Google translation is pretty good (though it "translates" Þórunn Björnsdóttir name into "Anspach" and "Thor" in different places, but not always).
posted by Kattullus at 3:13 AM on March 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
dhartung: Isn't that just about everyone in Iceland?
If it is, then my whole existence is a lie. I saw only two people that I've met in that crowd.
posted by Kattullus at 4:03 AM on March 10, 2014 [10 favorites]
If it is, then my whole existence is a lie. I saw only two people that I've met in that crowd.
posted by Kattullus at 4:03 AM on March 10, 2014 [10 favorites]
That was sweet. I'd forgotten how much I love that song, too.
posted by Thorzdad at 4:33 AM on March 10, 2014
posted by Thorzdad at 4:33 AM on March 10, 2014
Thorzdad: I'd forgotten how much I love that song, too.
I first met my girlfriend in Harpa. She's currently living in Finland (but only for another six weeks, thank goodness) and to hear a group of people coming together on such a lovely occasion in Harpa to sing a song about missing your significant other had me just about on the verge of blubbing.
Strong men also cry... strong men also cry.
posted by Kattullus at 5:47 AM on March 10, 2014 [3 favorites]
I first met my girlfriend in Harpa. She's currently living in Finland (but only for another six weeks, thank goodness) and to hear a group of people coming together on such a lovely occasion in Harpa to sing a song about missing your significant other had me just about on the verge of blubbing.
Strong men also cry... strong men also cry.
posted by Kattullus at 5:47 AM on March 10, 2014 [3 favorites]
So nice!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:28 AM on March 10, 2014
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:28 AM on March 10, 2014
I saw this before reading the more inside and was thinking if this was a generic flash mob that showed up for me I'd be miserable they weren't people who meant something to me. But knowing they're her former students makes it really sweet. I also like that it isn't some elaborate dance routine. Just a lot of love.
posted by Dragonness at 7:43 AM on March 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Dragonness at 7:43 AM on March 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
Happy tears! So great. Thank you for sharing.
posted by spindrifter at 10:57 AM on March 10, 2014
posted by spindrifter at 10:57 AM on March 10, 2014
What Dragonness said. In fact, kudos to the OP for underselling the front-page post.
posted by chrominance at 4:32 PM on March 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by chrominance at 4:32 PM on March 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
LOL, I cried all through that! I get verklempt too easily! That really was a "lovely surprise".
posted by Grlnxtdr at 6:01 PM on March 10, 2014
posted by Grlnxtdr at 6:01 PM on March 10, 2014
That was just wonderful.
posted by dilettante at 6:40 PM on March 10, 2014
posted by dilettante at 6:40 PM on March 10, 2014
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