Hans Wärmling
Encyclopedia
Hans Wärmling was a Swedish musician
and songwriter
, and was a founding member and keyboardist
of the British
rock band
, The Stranglers
. His most notable achievement was as co-writer of the 1982 UK Top 40
release "Strange Little Girl
". He drowned in a boating accident in 1995.
band called The Jackie Fountains that formed in 1964 and played in the Gnesta
area of Sweden until 1967. His brother, Peter Wärmling, became their manager and provided rehearsal facilities. In this band he was known by the nickname
of 'Hasse'.
had travelled to Lund
in Sweden and took up a position in the local university hospital whilst studying for a PhD
in biochemistry
. Cornwell became friends with Hans Wärmling who happened to be working at the same hospital as a nurse.
Wärmling suggested that Hugh Cornwell could provide English lyrics to some of the 500 songs that he had recorded on a reel to reel
tape recorder and they quickly became close friends. Other musicians (Jan Knutsson, Gyrth Godwin and 'Chicago Mike') were recruited to form the band 'Johnny Sox'. In 1973 Cornwell decided to end his academic studies in Sweden and moved back to London, persuading the other members of 'Johnny Sox' to move with him although Wärmling chose to remain in his home country.
'Johnny Sox' continued to play in London pubs and clubs until mid-1974 with Jet Black
joining the band to replace the original drummer 'Chicago Mike'. Jean-Jacques Burnel
had also joined the band line-up after being given a lift
by Gyrth Godwin. Relations within the band deteriorated and both Godwin and Knutsson decided to return to Sweden. Cornwell convinced both Black and Burnel that they needed Hans Wärmling to fill the gap who, once contacted, came to London immediately.
.jpg)
With the line-up of Black, Burnel, Cornwell and Wärmling the band renamed themselves 'The Guildford Stranglers' and began playing gigs again in pubs and clubs, mainly playing cover version
s of MOR pop tunes. Wärmling was far from happy with this musical direction; in particular, he objected to having to learn and play "Tie a Yellow Ribbon
" and he suddenly left the band in 1975, leaving the bus while they were travelling to a gig at a bar mitzvah in North London. Wärmling and Cornwell did not meet again until 1994.
His position as keyboard player was soon filled by Dave Greenfield
who had answered an advert placed in the Melody Maker
newspaper.
". These tracks with Wärmling playing keyboards can be heard on the compilation album The Early Years '74 '75 '76 Rare Live and Unreleased
. Most notably "Strange Little Girl", re-released with revised lyrics and Greenfield on keyboards reached number seven in the UK Top 40 in 1982. "Strange Little Girl" was later released as a cover version by Tori Amos
.
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, and was a founding member and keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
, The Stranglers
The Stranglers
The Stranglers are an English punk/rock music group.Scoring some 23 UK top 40 singles and 17 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are the longest-surviving and most "continuously successful" band to have originated in the UK punk scene of the mid to late 1970s...
. His most notable achievement was as co-writer of the 1982 UK Top 40
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
release "Strange Little Girl
Strange Little Girl
"Strange Little Girl" by The Stranglers was released in the UK in 1982 as their last single while signed to Liberty Records . By the time of release, the band had already decided to leave the label for Epic Records, and this last single was part of the severance deal, along with the compilation...
". He drowned in a boating accident in 1995.
The Jackie Fountains
Little is known of Hans Wärmling's childhood or teenage years. It is known that he was the guitar player in a rhythm and bluesRhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
band called The Jackie Fountains that formed in 1964 and played in the Gnesta
Gnesta
Gnesta is a bimunicipal locality and the seat of Gnesta Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 10,318 inhabitants in December 31, 2009.It is on the border to Stockholm County, and a minor part of Gnesta is in Södertälje Municipality...
area of Sweden until 1967. His brother, Peter Wärmling, became their manager and provided rehearsal facilities. In this band he was known by the nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
of 'Hasse'.
Johnny Sox
In 1972 a young Hugh CornwellHugh Cornwell
Hugh Alan Cornwell is an English musician and songwriter, best known for being the vocalist and guitarist for the punk/new wave group, The Stranglers, from 1974 to 1990.-Career:...
had travelled to Lund
Lund
-Main sights:During the 12th and 13th centuries, when the town was the seat of the archbishop, many churches and monasteries were built. At its peak, Lund had 27 churches, but most of them were demolished as result of the Reformation in 1536. Several medieval buildings remain, including Lund...
in Sweden and took up a position in the local university hospital whilst studying for a PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
. Cornwell became friends with Hans Wärmling who happened to be working at the same hospital as a nurse.
Wärmling suggested that Hugh Cornwell could provide English lyrics to some of the 500 songs that he had recorded on a reel to reel
Reel to Reel
* For the audio technology, see "Reel-to-reel audio tape recording"Reel to Reel is the debut album by Grand Puba. It was Puba's first solo venture, following group projects with the likes of the short lived group Masters of Ceremony and Brand Nubian. Both of the group’s albums were critically...
tape recorder and they quickly became close friends. Other musicians (Jan Knutsson, Gyrth Godwin and 'Chicago Mike') were recruited to form the band 'Johnny Sox'. In 1973 Cornwell decided to end his academic studies in Sweden and moved back to London, persuading the other members of 'Johnny Sox' to move with him although Wärmling chose to remain in his home country.
'Johnny Sox' continued to play in London pubs and clubs until mid-1974 with Jet Black
Jet Black
Jet Black is an English drummer and founder member of punk rock / new wave band The Stranglers.-Early years:...
joining the band to replace the original drummer 'Chicago Mike'. Jean-Jacques Burnel
Jean-Jacques Burnel
J. J. Burnel , is a Franco-English musician producer and songwriter, best known as the bass guitarist with the British rock band The Stranglers.-Life and career:...
had also joined the band line-up after being given a lift
Hitchhiking
Hitchhiking is a means of transportation that is gained by asking people, usually strangers, for a ride in their automobile or other road vehicle to travel a distance that may either be short or long...
by Gyrth Godwin. Relations within the band deteriorated and both Godwin and Knutsson decided to return to Sweden. Cornwell convinced both Black and Burnel that they needed Hans Wärmling to fill the gap who, once contacted, came to London immediately.
The Stranglers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s of MOR pop tunes. Wärmling was far from happy with this musical direction; in particular, he objected to having to learn and play "Tie a Yellow Ribbon
Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree
"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" is a song by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando, written by Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown and produced by Hank Medress and Dave Appell. It was a worldwide hit for the group in 1973....
" and he suddenly left the band in 1975, leaving the bus while they were travelling to a gig at a bar mitzvah in North London. Wärmling and Cornwell did not meet again until 1994.
His position as keyboard player was soon filled by Dave Greenfield
Dave Greenfield
Dave Greenfield is the keyboard player with English rock band, The Stranglers.-Biography:He is noted for his trademark style of playing rapid arpeggios...
who had answered an advert placed in the Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
newspaper.
Song writing credits and discography
Hans Wärmling is co-credited with writing the music for three early (1974) Stranglers tracks: "Wasted", "My Young Dreams", and "Strange Little GirlStrange Little Girl
"Strange Little Girl" by The Stranglers was released in the UK in 1982 as their last single while signed to Liberty Records . By the time of release, the band had already decided to leave the label for Epic Records, and this last single was part of the severance deal, along with the compilation...
". These tracks with Wärmling playing keyboards can be heard on the compilation album The Early Years '74 '75 '76 Rare Live and Unreleased
The Early Years '74 '75 '76 Rare Live and Unreleased
The Early Years '74 '75 '76 Rare Live and Unreleased is a mish-mash of early live and demo recordings by The Stranglers. As can be imagined, given the age of these recordings and that the best recording equipment was probably not available, the sound quality is fairly poor; however, this material...
. Most notably "Strange Little Girl", re-released with revised lyrics and Greenfield on keyboards reached number seven in the UK Top 40 in 1982. "Strange Little Girl" was later released as a cover version by Tori Amos
Tori Amos
Tori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
.