Jahn Teigen
Encyclopedia
Jahn Teigen is a Norwegian
singer and musician. Jahn received a knighthood from H.M. King Harald V. He represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest
three times, in 1978
, 1982
and 1983
. His given name was Jan, he added the silent H later. Since October 2006 he has been living in Sweden
. In May 2011, he was knighted.
. He started his career in the late 1960s, when he released a few singles and one album with Enemies. However, his commercial break-through did not come until the early 1970s as the lead singer of the six member rock band
Popol Vuh
. They released three successful albums, the first self-titled in 1973. Their most popular album was released in 1976, called Stolen From Time, but this time under their new name Popol Ace
, to avoid confusion with the German rock band
with the same name that also was popular in the 1970s. Popol Vuh is actually a Maya Indian word in the Quiché language, meaning book of the community. Popol Vuh/Popol Ace was actually a refinement of the even older eight member group Arman Sumpe den eldre. During 1971 and first half of 1972, Arman Sumpe d.e. was on an ever-lasting concert tour throughout Norway playing more than 140 concerts. Jahn performed at one of Europe's two largest music festivals, the Roskilde Festival
, already in 1969 with the band Red Squares, but it was first in 1972 he became one of the major attractions as part of Popol Vuh.
, with Herodes Falsk
http://www.herodesfalsk.no and Tom Mathisen
, who released seven albums between 1977 and 1983. Most of their reportoire consists of popular hits with the most ridiculous lyrics. (This struck a chord with the Norwegian audience, since, at the time, to ensure airplay, English-language songs often were re-recorded with Norwegian lyrics.) Their breakthrough album, 1978s Brakara, went to number 1 in the charts and sold more than 100,000 copies, and includes Teigen's spirited mock-Russian rendition of Mil Etter Mil
, Zagra Znja Zagra. This 30-second version is the only available recording of the original arrangement; whether in English or Norwegian, Jahn Teigen's serious recordings of the song feature more electric guitar. The serious version was also a huge hit, making Teigen one of the few performers ever to have success with both a serious version and a parody of the same song simultaneously. Prima Vera had a number of hits, including such classics as Så lykkelig i Sverige ('So happy in Sweden', a version of The Turtles
' So happy together) Det er Norge som er bra and De gærne har det godt.
in Paris
Jahn Teigen debuted on the Eurovision stage, performing the song Mil etter mil (Mile after mile), which became famous for not receiving a single point from any of the participating nations. This was the first occurrence of zero points with the new, and current, voting system of the Eurovision Song Contest. Despite the obvious lack of international recognition, the song gained a huge audience back in Norway where his countrymen embraced it. The single dominated the national single chart for more than four months, being among the ten most bought singles for no less than 19 consecutive weeks, for five of those peaking the chart being the most popular international hit of the nation. Still, having been in the nation's spotlight for more than 30 years now, this remains his most successful hit. Teigen's runner up single was called Jeg gi'kke opp, meaning I don't give up, and his first album release the same year was just as self-ironic, as it was entitled This Year's Loser.
Jahn Teigen returned to the Eurovision
stage in 1982
in Harrogate
, United Kingdom
, where he sang Adieu in duet with Anita Skorgan
(to whom he was married for some years and with whom he has a daughter) ending up at 12th place. In 1983
, in Munich
, Germany
, he went solo again, with Anita Skorgan and three other women as backing vocals, with the melody Do re mi, composed together with Anita Skorgan, which rendered him his finest position, a respectable 9th place. Jahn has taken part in the Norwegian national Eurovision final, called the Melodi Grand Prix
, the most times, more precisely fourteen; 1974, 1975, 1976 (Voodoo), 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1988 (Glasnost), 1989 (Optimist), 1990 (Smil), 1993, 1994, 1996 and once again as late as in 2005 with My Heart Is My Home.
In addition to this, Teigen has been the host of Melodi Grand Prix and provided the interval act of the Melodi Grand Prix on a number of occasions. He has also acted as commentator for Norwegian television in 1991 in Rome, together with Jon Andreassen.
.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
singer and musician. Jahn received a knighthood from H.M. King Harald V. He represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
three times, in 1978
Eurovision Song Contest 1978
The Eurovision Song Contest 1978 was the 23rd of its kind, and was held on 22 April 1978 in Paris. With Denise Fabre and Léon Zitrone as the presenters - the first time more than one presenter hosted the contest - the contest was won by Izhar Cohen & the Alphabeta who represented Israel, with their...
, 1982
Eurovision Song Contest 1982
The Eurovision Song Contest 1982 was the 27th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 24 April 1982 in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom. The presenter was Jan Leeming. The opening of the contest showed a map of Europe, with the translation "Where is Harrogate?" popping up on-screen from...
and 1983
Eurovision Song Contest 1983
The Eurovision Song Contest 1983, the 28th in the series, was held in Munich, then West Germany, on 23 April 1983. The presenter was Marlene Charell. Corinne Hermes was the winner of this Eurovision with the song, "Si la vie est cadeau". This was Luxembourg's fifth victory in the contest which...
. His given name was Jan, he added the silent H later. Since October 2006 he has been living in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. In May 2011, he was knighted.
Popol Vuh
Jahn Teigen was born in TønsbergTønsberg
is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, southern Norway, located around north-east of Sandefjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tønsberg....
. He started his career in the late 1960s, when he released a few singles and one album with Enemies. However, his commercial break-through did not come until the early 1970s as the lead singer of the six member 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...
Popol Vuh
Popol Vuh (Norwegian band)
Popol Vuh, later known as Popol Ace, was a 1970s Norwegian progressive rock band, that became popular in the 1970s Norwegian rock scene with such songs as "All We Have Is the Past", "Queen of all Queens" and "Music Box"....
. They released three successful albums, the first self-titled in 1973. Their most popular album was released in 1976, called Stolen From Time, but this time under their new name Popol Ace
Popol Vuh (Norwegian band)
Popol Vuh, later known as Popol Ace, was a 1970s Norwegian progressive rock band, that became popular in the 1970s Norwegian rock scene with such songs as "All We Have Is the Past", "Queen of all Queens" and "Music Box"....
, to avoid confusion with the German rock band
Popol Vuh (German band)
Popol Vuh was a German electronic avantgarde band, in the mainstream-media so called Krautrock, founded by pianist and keyboardist Florian Fricke in 1969 together with Holger Trülzsch and Frank Fiedler...
with the same name that also was popular in the 1970s. Popol Vuh is actually a Maya Indian word in the Quiché language, meaning book of the community. Popol Vuh/Popol Ace was actually a refinement of the even older eight member group Arman Sumpe den eldre. During 1971 and first half of 1972, Arman Sumpe d.e. was on an ever-lasting concert tour throughout Norway playing more than 140 concerts. Jahn performed at one of Europe's two largest music festivals, the Roskilde Festival
Roskilde Festival
Roskilde Festival is a festival held south of Roskilde in Denmark and is one of the six biggest annual music festivals in Europe . It was created in 1971 by two high school students, Mogens Sandfær and Jesper Switzer Møller, and promoter Carl Fischer...
, already in 1969 with the band Red Squares, but it was first in 1972 he became one of the major attractions as part of Popol Vuh.
Prima Vera
Jahn Teigen also were a part of the Norwegian humour trio Prima VeraPrima Vera (band)
Prima Vera was a Norwegian comedy group existing from 1976 to 1984. For the most part, their music was humorous songs, often Norwegian versions of well-known international hits with totally unrelated, funny or sarcastic lyrics. The group ended in 1984 when one of the members, Jahn Teigen, left the...
, with Herodes Falsk
Herodes Falsk
Kim Bård Hansen , better known by his stage name Herodes Falsk, is a Norwegian comedian, actor and songwriter. Falsk is probably best known for his work with the musical comedy trio Prima Vera alongside Jahn Teigen and Tom Mathisen, and for his longtime collaboration with Mathisen after Prima...
http://www.herodesfalsk.no and Tom Mathisen
Tom Mathisen
Tom Mathisen is a Norwegian comedian, actor, screenwriter and musician. He usually handles bass, guitar and vocals. He was in the comedy group Prima Vera from 1976 to 1983 along with Jahn Teigen and Herodes Falsk. Later he continued to work with Herodes Falsk on many tv/scene shows and records...
, who released seven albums between 1977 and 1983. Most of their reportoire consists of popular hits with the most ridiculous lyrics. (This struck a chord with the Norwegian audience, since, at the time, to ensure airplay, English-language songs often were re-recorded with Norwegian lyrics.) Their breakthrough album, 1978s Brakara, went to number 1 in the charts and sold more than 100,000 copies, and includes Teigen's spirited mock-Russian rendition of Mil Etter Mil
Mil Etter Mil
"Mil etter mil" was the Norwegian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978, performed in Norwegian by Jahn Teigen.The song is a ballad, with Teigen describing his long journey to find someone and telling this person that he simply cannot walk any further - having walked "mile after mile"...
, Zagra Znja Zagra. This 30-second version is the only available recording of the original arrangement; whether in English or Norwegian, Jahn Teigen's serious recordings of the song feature more electric guitar. The serious version was also a huge hit, making Teigen one of the few performers ever to have success with both a serious version and a parody of the same song simultaneously. Prima Vera had a number of hits, including such classics as Så lykkelig i Sverige ('So happy in Sweden', a version of The Turtles
The Turtles
The Turtles are an American rock group led by vocalists Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman. The band became notable for several Top 40 hits beginning with its cover version of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe" in 1965...
' So happy together) Det er Norge som er bra and De gærne har det godt.
Eurovision
In 1978Eurovision Song Contest 1978
The Eurovision Song Contest 1978 was the 23rd of its kind, and was held on 22 April 1978 in Paris. With Denise Fabre and Léon Zitrone as the presenters - the first time more than one presenter hosted the contest - the contest was won by Izhar Cohen & the Alphabeta who represented Israel, with their...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
Jahn Teigen debuted on the Eurovision stage, performing the song Mil etter mil (Mile after mile), which became famous for not receiving a single point from any of the participating nations. This was the first occurrence of zero points with the new, and current, voting system of the Eurovision Song Contest. Despite the obvious lack of international recognition, the song gained a huge audience back in Norway where his countrymen embraced it. The single dominated the national single chart for more than four months, being among the ten most bought singles for no less than 19 consecutive weeks, for five of those peaking the chart being the most popular international hit of the nation. Still, having been in the nation's spotlight for more than 30 years now, this remains his most successful hit. Teigen's runner up single was called Jeg gi'kke opp, meaning I don't give up, and his first album release the same year was just as self-ironic, as it was entitled This Year's Loser.
Jahn Teigen returned to the Eurovision
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
stage in 1982
Eurovision Song Contest 1982
The Eurovision Song Contest 1982 was the 27th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 24 April 1982 in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom. The presenter was Jan Leeming. The opening of the contest showed a map of Europe, with the translation "Where is Harrogate?" popping up on-screen from...
in Harrogate
Harrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...
, United Kingdom
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...
, where he sang Adieu in duet with Anita Skorgan
Anita Skorgan
Anita Skorgan is a Norwegian singer-songwriter. She was once married to Jahn Teigen, another successful Norwegian singer-songwriter...
(to whom he was married for some years and with whom he has a daughter) ending up at 12th place. In 1983
Eurovision Song Contest 1983
The Eurovision Song Contest 1983, the 28th in the series, was held in Munich, then West Germany, on 23 April 1983. The presenter was Marlene Charell. Corinne Hermes was the winner of this Eurovision with the song, "Si la vie est cadeau". This was Luxembourg's fifth victory in the contest which...
, in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, he went solo again, with Anita Skorgan and three other women as backing vocals, with the melody Do re mi, composed together with Anita Skorgan, which rendered him his finest position, a respectable 9th place. Jahn has taken part in the Norwegian national Eurovision final, called the Melodi Grand Prix
Melodi Grand Prix
Melodi Grand Prix is an annual music competition organised by Norwegian public broadcaster Norsk Rikskringkasting . It determines the country's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest, and has been staged almost every year since 1960.The festival has produced three Eurovision winners and...
, the most times, more precisely fourteen; 1974, 1975, 1976 (Voodoo), 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1988 (Glasnost), 1989 (Optimist), 1990 (Smil), 1993, 1994, 1996 and once again as late as in 2005 with My Heart Is My Home.
In addition to this, Teigen has been the host of Melodi Grand Prix and provided the interval act of the Melodi Grand Prix on a number of occasions. He has also acted as commentator for Norwegian television in 1991 in Rome, together with Jon Andreassen.
Extensive recording material
Teigen has released 17 albums as a soloist as of 1 January 2006. Six of these were best of collections, the last two being Jahn Teigens beste in 1994 and Fra null til gull (From nul till gold or From zero to hero as Teigen stated he would call an English release) in 2004, celebrating his 35+ years as popular artist. His most successful albums to date were En dags pause (One day's break) released in 1979, Mentalkrem (Mental cream) in 1980 and Klovn uten scene (Clown without stage) in 1988.Stage work
In 1992 he took the part of the Executioner in the London run of the heavily-panned Norwegian opera-musical Which WitchWhich Witch
Which Witch is a musical written by Norwegian singers/composers Benedicte Adrian and Ingrid Bjørnov.The storyline for Which Witch was derived from the witch finder's manual Malleus Maleficarum, and the original script was written by Adrian and Bjørnov's manager Ole A. Sørli...
.
Memorable hits
- Voodoo (remembered mostly for his skeleton costume on stage in the Eurovision Song Contest)
- Mil etter mil
- Adieu
- Glasnost
- Optimist
- Smil
- Det vakreste som fins
- Min første kjærlighet
- My Heart Is My Home
Album
- Stolen From Time (1974)
- Curly Sounds (1978)
- Popoloddities (2003) Popol Ace Live!
Singles
- Mil etter mil (1978)
- Jeg gi'kke opp (1978)
- Har du lyst på litt mer (1979)
- Ja (1980)
- Bli bra igjen (1982)
- Do re mi (1983)
- Glasnost (1988)
- Slå på ring (1988)
- Optimist (1989)
- I skyggen av en drøm (1990)
- Gi meg fri (1992)
- Ensom natt (1993)
Albums
- Teigens tivoli (1977)
- This Year's Loser (1978)
- En dags pause (1979)
- Mentalkrem (1980)
- Klar dag/Instamatik (1982)
- Klovn uten scene (1988)
- Esilio paradiso (1992)
- Rondo (1993)
- Lys (1996)
- Magnet (2000)
- Utkledd som meg selv (2004)
Collection albums
- 67-76 (1976)
- All We Have Is The Past (1980)
- Hopp 78–83 (1983)
- Jahn Teigen (1989)
- Jahn Teigens beste: Litt av historien (1994)
- Fra null til gull (2004)
Albums
- Prima Vera (1978)
- Brakara (1978)
- Salmer og sanger vi gjerne hiver (1979)
- Den 5te (1981)
- Fisle Narrepanne i Tyrol (1981)
- Ha ha he he ho de gærne har'e godt (1982)
- Her kommer Olavs menn (1983)
- The Prima Vera Show (1999)