Gleðibankinn was the debut song for Iceland at the Eurovision Song Contest 1986 in Bergen performed by the group ICY. The song is an up-tempo number about "the bank of joy", which the band sings is where one's happiness is to be found. As they put it, "You don't deposit your empty blues in the Bank of Joy". Further, because happiness is stored in a bank, it can be withdrawn anytime one is feeling depressed.
On the night, it was performed 6th following the United Kingdom and preceding the Netherlands. At the close of voting, it finished in 16th place with 19 points.
Lyrics[]
Tíminn líður hratt á gervihnatta öld
Hraðar sérhvern dag, hraðar sérhvert kvöld
Ertu stundum hugsandi yfir öllum gulu miðunum
Þú tekur kannski of mikið út úr Gleðibankanum
Hertu upp huga þinn, hnýttu allt í hnút
Leggur ekkert inn, tekur bara út
Syndir þínar sem þú aldrei drýgðir sitja í þankanum
Óútleystur tékki í Gleðibankanum
Þú skalt syngja lítið lag
Um lífsgleðina sjálfa í brjósti þér
Og láttu heyra að þú eigir lítið gleðihús
Kósi lítið lag, sem gæti gripið mig og hvern sem er
Þú leggur ekki inn í Gleðibankann tóman blús
Þú skalt syngja lítið lag
Um lífsgleðina sjálfa í brjósti þér
Og láttu heyra að þú eigir lítið gleðihús
Kósi lítið lag, sem gæti gripið mig og hvern sem er
Þú leggur ekki inn í Gleðibankann tóman blús
Hertu upp huga þinn, hnýttu allt í hnút
Leggur ekkert inn, tekur bara út
Syndir þínar sem þú aldrei drýgðir sitja í þankanum
Óútleystur tékki í Gleðibankanum
Þú skalt syngja lítið lag
Um lífsgleðina sjálfa í brjósti þér
Og láttu heyra að þú eigir lítið gleðihús
Kósi lítið lag, sem gæti gripið mig og hvern sem er
Þú leggur ekki inn í Gleðibankann tóman blús
Time flies by in the age of satellites
Faster every day, faster every night
Are you sometimes pondering over the bounced cheques
Perhaps you're withdrawing too much from the Bank of Joy
Cheer up and tie up all loose ends
Never deposit, only withdraw
The sins that you never committed lie dormant
An uncashed cheque from the Bank of Joy
You should sing a little song
About the joy in life that's in your heart
And let the world know that you have a house of joy
A cosy little song that can grab you at any time
You don't deposit your empty blues in the Bank of Joy
You should sing a little song
About the joy in life that's in your heart
And let the world know that you have a house of joy
A cosy little song that can grab you at any time
You don't deposit your empty blues in the Bank of Joy
Cheer up and tie up all loose ends
Never deposit, only withdraw
The sins that you never committed lie dormant
An uncashed cheque from the Bank of Joy
You should sing a little song
About the joy in life that's in your heart
And let the world know that you have a house of joy
A cosy little song that can grab you at any time
You don't deposit your empty blues in the Bank of Joy
| Eurovision Song Contest 1986 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Participants | |||
 Sherisse Laurence •  Doris Dragović •  Cocktail Chic •  Ketil Stokkan •  Ryder •  ICY •  Frizzle Sizzle •  Klips ve Onlar •  Cadillac •  Daniela Simmons •  Moti Giladi & Sarai Tzuriel •  Luv Bug •  Sandra Kim •  Ingrid Peters •  Elpida •  Timna Brauer •  Lasse Holm & Monica Törnell •  Lise Haavik •  Kari Kuivalainen •  Dora
| |||
| Songs | |||
| L'amour de ma vie • Željo Moja • Européennes • Romeo • Runner in the Night • Gleðibankinn • Alles heeft ritme • Halley • Valentino • Pas pour moi • Yavo Yom • You Can Count On Me • J'aime La Vie • Über die Brücke geh'n • Tora Zo • Die Zeit ist einsam • E' de' det här du kallar kärlek? • Du er fuld af løgn • Never The End • Não sejas mau para mim
| |||
Video[]
Gleðibankinn - Iceland 1986 - Eurovision songs with live orchestra