Originally from Iceland, Kaleo is a rock band of four grade-school friends from a town near Reykjavik, who in 2015 moved to Austin, Texas and started to gain critical acclaim for their creative style mixing blues and indie and alternative rock.

The single “Way Down We Go” was at top and peak positions of Billboard and international charts when it came out in 2016 and was decorated with platinum in Russia, double platinum in the U.S., and triple platinum in Canada. Its popularity is also reflected in numerous appearances in TV shows such as Grey’s Anatomy and The Vampire Diaries, whose dark atmosphere goes well with the Joe-Cocker-style voice of lead singer JJ Julius Son and the song’s great guitar and drum solos.

Most captivating are its lyrics, likely to trigger many layers of meaning for different people. The words are indeed cryptic. Some feel it is about the soul spiraling down in a tragic descent to hell. It could, however, also be meant to convey a group of people or a whole society waking up as they see the general decline and realizing there is a force at work that “will run you down, down till you fall” … if you will not do your part to turn the tide.

Whatever its meaning to the listener, its captivating style certainly gives you the chills.

Let us know what you think.

Oh, Father tell me, do we get what we deserve?
Whoa, we get what we deserve
And way down we go
Way down we go
Say way down we go
Way down we go

You let your feet run wild
Time has come as we all, oh, go down
Yeah but for the fall, ooh, my
Do you dare to look him right in the eyes? Yeah

Oh, 'cause they will run you down, down 'til the dark
Yes and they will run you down, down 'til you fall
And they will run you down, down 'til you go
Yeah, so you can't crawl no more

And way down we go
Way down we go
Say way down we go
Oh, 'cause they will run you down, down 'til you fall
Way down we go ...

Related:

Kaleo official website

Way Down We Go (Official Music Video) (YouTube)

Kaleo (Wikipedia)

The Meaning Behind The Song: Way Down We Go by Kaleo