Little Talks

---

title: "Little Talks" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["animated-music-videos", "2011-debut-singles", "of-monsters-and-men-songs", "irish-singles-chart-number-one-singles", "number-one-singles-in-iceland", "universal-music-group-singles", "male–female-vocal-duets", "songs-about-death"] description: "2011 single by Of Monsters and Men" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Talks" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary 2011 single by Of Monsters and Men ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox song"]

Field	Value
name	Little Talks
cover	LittleTalkssong.jpg
border	yes
type	single
artist	Of Monsters and Men
album	My Head Is an Animal
released	20 December 2011
* alternative rock{{cite web	url
* {{Duration	m
* {{Duration	m
label	Universal Republic
next_title	Dirty Paws
next_year	2012
misc
::

| name = Little Talks | cover = LittleTalkssong.jpg | alt = | border = yes | type = single | artist = Of Monsters and Men | album = My Head Is an Animal | released = 20 December 2011 | recorded = | studio = | genre =

• Indie folk
• alternative rock | length =
• (album version)
• (radio edit) | label = Universal Republic | writer =
• Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir
• Ragnar Þórhallsson | producer =
• Of Monsters and Men
• Aron Þór Arnarsson | prev_title = | prev_year = | next_title = Dirty Paws | next_year = 2012 | misc =

"Little Talks" is the debut single by Icelandic indie rock band Of Monsters and Men. The song was released as the lead single from their debut studio album, My Head Is an Animal (2011). It was also released on the band's EP Into the Woods. It was written by primary vocalists Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar Þórhallsson, and produced by Aron Þór Arnarsson.

Background and content

According to Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, the song describes two loving people talking past each other and implies one is deceased, saying "maybe one person isn't really hearing the other one." The song was inspired by an old house she moved into.

Critical reception

USA Today described the song as a "monster hit", noting its "galloping chorus" and "reverb-heavy production". PBS Arts described the song's "rolling, infectious energy" and foreboding lyrics.

Commercial performance

In August 2011, Philadelphia's Radio 104.5 began playing "Little Talks" and propelled the band to nationwide popularity in the United States. It had sold over 2 million copies in the US as of March 2013.

"Little Talks" reached number 12 in the UK charts and re-entered the UK Top 40 in 2013. "Little Talks" is also the highest-charting single to date on that chart by an Icelandic artist. On 21 July 2012, it topped the Alternative Songs list and remained for a second week, and ultimately ranked as the third most successful song on the year end list. "Little Talks" was later certified Platinum in the United States, becoming their first song to do so. The song was listed for 48 weeks. In Australia, where the song reached number 7, the song reached number 2 in Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2012 on 26 January 2013. Elsewhere, the single reached the top 10 in New Zealand and several European countries, including Austria, Flemish Belgium, Germany, and Italy.

Music video

The music video was released to the public via YouTube on 2 February 2012.

It starts with five sky-sailors (played by the male members of the band) spotting something falling from the sky. When they investigate, the object splits open to reveal a beautiful female creature (played by the band's lead singer Nanna Bryndis Hilmarsdóttir). She joins the sailors on their sky ship, but they are attacked by an enormous two-headed bird. The lady magically vanquishes the bird, but the ship is wrecked, forcing the sailors and the lady to continue on foot into a cave. When they emerge, they are confronted by another beast, which is once again defeated by the lady. They push onwards, but as they are crossing a frozen body of water, the ice breaks, plunging them into the frigid depths and into the clutches of a sea monster. The lady dispatches the monster, and they use a floating iceberg to ascend into the skies, where they are met by an enormous animal clad in the same colors as the female creature, who smiles and rejoins her people as the song ends.

The video was created by the production firm WeWereMonkeys who also produced the video for the band's 2013 single "King and Lionheart". The music video was nominated in the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards for Best Art Direction in a Video but lost to Katy Perry's "Wide Awake". A lyric video was released in 2014 in the presence of the video. The video features the sailors in their sky ship with the woman following behind them.

Charts

Weekly charts

::data[format=table title="Weekly chart performance for "Little Talks""] | Chart (2011–2014) | Peak position | Europe (Euro Digital Songs) | Hungary (Editors' Choice Top 40) | Iceland (Tónlist) | Luxembourg Digital Songs (Billboard) | Mexico Ingles Airplay (Billboard) | Mexico Airplay (Billboard) | Venezuela Top 200 (Record Report) | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 9 | | | | | | | | | | 19 | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | | | 6 | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | | | 43 | | | | | | | | | | 108 | | | | | | | | | ::

Year-end charts

::data[format=table title="2011 year-end chart performance for "Little Talks""]

Chart (2011)	Position	Iceland (Tónlist)
1
::

::data[format=table title="2012 year-end chart performance for "Little Talks""]

Chart (2012)	Position	Australia (ARIA)	Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)	Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)	Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)	Germany (Official German Charts)	Ireland (IRMA)	Italy (FIMI)	Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)	Netherlands (Single Top 100)	Poland (ZPAV)	Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)	UK Singles (Official Charts Company)	US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)
38
35
11
44
13
17
30
58
46
49
57
109
7
::

::data[format=table title="2013 year-end chart performance for "Little Talks""]

Chart (2013)	Position	Australia (ARIA)	New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)	Spain (PROMUSICAE)	Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)	UK Singles (Official Charts Company)	US Billboard Hot 100	US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)	US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)	US Rock Airplay (Billboard)
53
38
44
74
106
65
24
13
40
::

Decade-end charts

::data[format=table title="2010s-end chart performance for "Little Talks""]

Chart (2010–2019)	Position	US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)	Triple J Hottest 100 of the Decade
38
30
::

Certifications

In popular culture

In 2013, YouTube star Kurt Hugo Schneider and Coca-Cola teamed up to create music videos featuring creative covers of two 2011 hits namely "Little Talks" and Calvin Harris' "Feel So Close" for a campaign called "The Sounds of AHH". "Little Talks" shows Schneider playing only Coca-Cola bottles, glasses and cans. Featured in the version are the vocals of Kevin Olusola. Commercial edits of the video aired on season 13 premiere of American Idol on 14 January 2014 on FOX.

References

References

1. Nattress, Katrina. (22 November 2019). "30 Alternative Rock Songs That Defined the 2010s". [[iHeartMedia]].
2. Mansfield, Brian. (30 March 2012). "On the Verge: Of Monsters and Men". USA Today.
3. "Of Monsters and Men – "Little Talks"". Public Broadcasting System.
4. (April 2012). "Best New Releases, April 3rd, Vol. I – Of Monsters and Men, The Lumineers, Max and the Moon, Lux, Black Mountain, Twin Steps | Best new indie rock music songs, albums, bands, artists and festivals". Indie Rock Cafe.
5. Grein, Paul. (6 March 2013). "Week Ending March 3, 2013. Songs: Is The Right Song #1?". Yahoo Music.
6. Trust, Gary. (26 December 2014). "Hot 100 Chart Moves: Nicki Minaj Passes Madonna, 'Voice' Finalists Debut".
7. (2 February 2012). "Of Monsters and Men — Little Talks".
8. (19 January 2012). "Discovery: Of Monsters and Men — Page". Interview Magazine.
9. "WeWereMonkeys — Of Monsters and Men: Little Talks".
10. "WeWereMonkeys — Of Monsters and Men: King and Lionheart".
11. (2012). "Best Art Direction Winner 2012 MTV Video Music Awards (VMA)". [[MTV]].
12. (September 2025). "Chart Search Results — Euro Digital Songs 2012-09-15 }}{{dead link".
13. "2012/44. heti Editors' Choice Top 40 slágerlista". [[Association of Hungarian Record Companies.
14. "Netlistinn viku 40, 2011". Tonlist.is.
15. (September 2025). "Chart Search Results — Luxembourg Digital Songs 2012-08-04 }}{{dead link".
16. "Mexico Ingles Airplay — December 8, 2012".
17. (September 2025). "Chart Search Results — Mexico Airplay 2012-11-10 }}{{dead link".
18. (13 October 2012). "Nuevas Esta Semana". R.R. Digital C.A.
19. "Árslisti Tónlist.is 2011". [[Tónlist]].
20. "ARIA 2012 Top 100 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).
21. "Jahreshitparade Singles 2012".
22. [http://www.ultratop.be/nl/annual.asp?year=2012 JAAROVERZICHTEN 2012 : Singles] (in Dutch). ultratop.be/nl. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
23. "Rapports Annuels 2012". Ultratop.
24. "Top 100 Singles Jahrescharts 2012". [[VIVA (TV station).
25. "Best of Singles 2012". [[Irish Recorded Music Association.
26. "Classifica annuale 2012 (dal 02.01.2012 al 30.12.2012)". [[Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana.
27. "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 2012". Dutch Top 40.
28. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 2012". MegaCharts.
29. "TOP digital utworów – 2012". [[Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.
30. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2012 – hitparade.ch". Hung Medien.
31. [https://ukchartsplus.co.uk/UKChartsPlusEOY2012.pdf "End of Year Singles Chart 2012"]. UK Charts Plus. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
32. "Best of 2012 – Rock Songs 1–10".
33. "2013 Annual ARIA Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association.
34. "Top Selling Singles of 2013". [[Recorded Music NZ]].
35. "Top 50 Canciones Anual 2013". Promuiscae.es.
36. "Årslista Singlar – År 2013". [[Sverigetopplistan]].
37. [https://ukchartsplus.co.uk/UKChartsPlusEOY2013.pdf "End of Year Singles Chart 2013"]. UK Charts Plus. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
38. "Best of 2013 – Hot 100 Songs".
39. "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2013".
40. "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2013".
41. "Rock Airplay Songs: Year End 2013".
42. "Decade-End Charts: Hot Rock Songs".
43. "Decade-End Charts: Hottest100". TripleJ.
44. "Behind the Bottles: 5 Questions With Kurt Hugo Schneider". The Coca-Cola Company.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::