Ulf Lundell
Encyclopedia
Ulf Lundell is a Swedish
writer
, poet
, songwriter
, composer
, musician
and artist
.
He made his debut in 1975 with the LP Vargmåne
and was immediately hailed as "Sweden's Bob Dylan
". In 1976 his first novel, the partly autobiographical Jack was published by Wahlström & Widstrand
. Lundell was influenced by musicians such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen
, Neil Young
and writers such as Jack Kerouac
, Allen Ginsberg
and other beat
s. Ulf Lundell is one of the central figures in Swedish rock music
and almost since his debut he has been one of the most important influences on rock musicians writing and singing in Swedish. Lundell is also somewhat controversial and has argued with everyone from neo-nazis, feminists and communists to colleagues and music journalists.
Lundell was known as a heavy drinker in the 1980s, but pulled out of overdrinking after serious bouts with alcoholism in 1985-87; he gave a vivid report of this time, his recovery and his struggle with the rocker myth in the autobiographical novel En varg söker sin flock (1989; "A Wolf in Search of his Pack")
"Öppna landskap" (Open landscapes) from 1982, one of his most famous songs, has been playfully proposed as Sweden's new national anthem
.
1958 but moved to Saltsjö-Boo, east of Stockholm. At the age of ten he got his first guitar. Lundell has an older sister named Inger, whose boyfriend taught him his first chords. During the years 1967-1975 had Ulf Lundell many miscellaneous jobs, including as a postman. During these years he wrote songs and poems which he sent to both record labels and publishers.
He sent a demo to MNW
that refused it, telling him "the material was not strong enough". Later he sent two demos to Silence
, which also did not give him any happiness. When he sent a demo to EMI
in October 1974 they quickly wanted to make an LP with him. In 1975 he made his debut with the album Vargmåne
(Wolf Moon). The following year, 1976, came his first novel, Jack, by which he made his breakthrough. The novel is about rebellion against "medelsvensson" (Average Joe
s) circumscribed life in the aftermath of the political uprising at the end of the 1960s. The book was printed in 2000 copies and sold in 200000 copies. Meanwhile, when his first work was released, he had already started recording the sequel to Vargmåne. The second album would be called Törst (Thirst) and released just three months after Jack. After that floated on the writing of books and two more were released during the 1970s. Törst was followed by the live album Natten hade varit mild och öm (The night was mild and tender) with Nature as backing band for years. The album Nådens år (Year of Grace) in 1978 year would become his third studio album including a duet with Agnetha Fältskog
, "Snön faller och vi med den" ("Snow Falls And We With It"). In 1979 Lundell released his fourth studio album Ripp rapp with songs like "Rom i regnet" and "(Oh la la) Jag vill ha dej". Ripp rapp was more rock than his previous albums.
" (In love and crazy) that contained his most famous work, the song "Öppna landskap" ("Open landscapes"). It made him one of the biggest artists, and sold four times platinum. Other songs that became popular from Kär och galen was the title track "Kär och galen" and "När jag kysser havet" ("When I kiss the sea").
While waiting for a proper sequel to Kär och galen Lundell released two records, one in which he interpreted the English songs with Swedish lyrics (Sweethearts
) and a completely acoustic album (12 sånger). Ulf wrestled with severe alcohol problems during this time, which among other things, led to the postponing of his upcoming album several times. During the summer tour in 1985, he did a real disastrous gig in Borgholm drunk, which put him on some headlines in the newspapers. In the fall Lundell released Den vassa eggen (The Sharp Edge), an album heavily influenced by the divorce Lundell went through at the time of recording. Den vassa eggen was very critically acclaimed and was followed by yet another scandal tour in the fall of that year. In 1987 Lundell released the only book Lundell acknowledged writing intoxicated, Tårpilen and also the album Det ljuva livet (The Good Life).
Lundell alcohol abuse got so bad that he joined Alcoholics Anonymous
at this time. 1988 he stated that he had met God and was baptized shortly thereafter in the Ebeneser Church. His newfound Christian faith came to color in the album Evangeline, which was released the same year. 1989 he released his autobiography En varg söker sin flock ("A Wolf in Search of his Pack") and the album Utanför murarna (Outside the Walls). He has also been active as a visual artist from 1989.
In 1995 Lundell celebrated 20 years as an artist. The following year he released double album På andra sidan drömmarna and the live album Bosnia. At this time one can notice that he was inspired more by Neil Young
than before Springsteen and Dylan. Especially with the album Fanzine (1999), which is a disc that is partially recorded in a studio and partly live. 1999 he released his first book in seven years, the sequel to the novel Saknaden, called Friheten.
The album I ett vinterland (2000) became his second best-selling album. The album was followed two years later with the double album Club Zebra, an album that was number one in Sweden October 17, 2002. Then followed four studio albums until 2005, the acoustic En eld ikväll and album trilogy Ok Ok Baby, Högtryck and Lazarus. 2005 was a very productive year for Lundell with two albums and the novel Värmen, the last part of a trilogy with Saknaden and Friheten. This was the year he celebrated 30 years as an artist.
In the autumn of 2008, Lundell toured for the first time in over two years and also released his first studio album in three years. During the tour premiere of Gävle Lundell told the newspapers he was about to stop touring. The tour continued in 2009 with one in the spring and one in the summer. In connection with these he admits that he lied and will not stop touring. He explains that he is about to take farewell from his artistic career, but it's a long farewell. 2010 Lundell released a new book, En öppen vinter, also containing a CD with 11 new songs.
In the summer of 2010, Lundell another new tour in which he broke the audience record for a Swedish artist at Gröna Lund July 30. Audience numbers were 22 827 people and with that figure, he is only beaten by Bob Marley
(32 000) and Lady Gaga
(23 000).
A concert tour that would have been implemented in the spring of 2011 was completely cancelled.
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....
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, 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...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, musician
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 artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
.
He made his debut in 1975 with the LP Vargmåne
Vargmåne
Vargmåne is the debut album by the Swedish rock artist Ulf Lundell. It was released in September 1975 on Harvest . It was recorded in EMI Studio, Stockholm and produced by Björn Boström. Vargmåne was released in 1992 on CD and released again in 2000 in a remastered edition with two bonus tracks...
and was immediately hailed as "Sweden's Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
". In 1976 his first novel, the partly autobiographical Jack was published by Wahlström & Widstrand
Wahlström & Widstrand
Wahlström & Widstrand is a Swedish book publishing company.Wahlström & Widstrand was established in 1885 by two book sellers in Stockholm, Per Karl Wahlström and Wilhelm Widstrand. The company started publishing fiction in the 1890s...
. Lundell was influenced by musicians such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
and writers such as Jack Kerouac
Jack Kerouac
Jean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic...
, Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
and other beat
Beat generation
The Beat Generation refers to a group of American post-WWII writers who came to prominence in the 1950s, as well as the cultural phenomena that they both documented and inspired...
s. Ulf Lundell is one of the central figures in Swedish rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and almost since his debut he has been one of the most important influences on rock musicians writing and singing in Swedish. Lundell is also somewhat controversial and has argued with everyone from neo-nazis, feminists and communists to colleagues and music journalists.
Lundell was known as a heavy drinker in the 1980s, but pulled out of overdrinking after serious bouts with alcoholism in 1985-87; he gave a vivid report of this time, his recovery and his struggle with the rocker myth in the autobiographical novel En varg söker sin flock (1989; "A Wolf in Search of his Pack")
"Öppna landskap" (Open landscapes) from 1982, one of his most famous songs, has been playfully proposed as Sweden's new national anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
.
Origins and musical beginnings
Ulf Lundell's father was Gerhard Lundell a blacksmith worker and mother Ingrid (née Lindström) worked among other things, that beging school meal assistance and seamstress. The family first lived in StockholmStockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
1958 but moved to Saltsjö-Boo, east of Stockholm. At the age of ten he got his first guitar. Lundell has an older sister named Inger, whose boyfriend taught him his first chords. During the years 1967-1975 had Ulf Lundell many miscellaneous jobs, including as a postman. During these years he wrote songs and poems which he sent to both record labels and publishers.
He sent a demo to MNW
MNW
MNW is a Swedish record company. MNW originally stood for Musiknätet Waxholm, but was later changed to Music Network Records Group and is now MNW Music.- Current:*Blå Tåget*Tore Berger*Bosson*Fläskkvartetten*Toni Holgersson*Masayah...
that refused it, telling him "the material was not strong enough". Later he sent two demos to Silence
Silence
Silence is the relative or total lack of audible sound. By analogy, the word silence may also refer to any absence of communication, even in media other than speech....
, which also did not give him any happiness. When he sent a demo to EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
in October 1974 they quickly wanted to make an LP with him. In 1975 he made his debut with the album Vargmåne
Vargmåne
Vargmåne is the debut album by the Swedish rock artist Ulf Lundell. It was released in September 1975 on Harvest . It was recorded in EMI Studio, Stockholm and produced by Björn Boström. Vargmåne was released in 1992 on CD and released again in 2000 in a remastered edition with two bonus tracks...
(Wolf Moon). The following year, 1976, came his first novel, Jack, by which he made his breakthrough. The novel is about rebellion against "medelsvensson" (Average Joe
Average Joe
Average Joe is an American reality television show broadcast on the NBC beginning in 2003. There were a total of four seasons, the first two following the original show premise, and the last two bringing back contestants from prior seasons.-Show Premise:...
s) circumscribed life in the aftermath of the political uprising at the end of the 1960s. The book was printed in 2000 copies and sold in 200000 copies. Meanwhile, when his first work was released, he had already started recording the sequel to Vargmåne. The second album would be called Törst (Thirst) and released just three months after Jack. After that floated on the writing of books and two more were released during the 1970s. Törst was followed by the live album Natten hade varit mild och öm (The night was mild and tender) with Nature as backing band for years. The album Nådens år (Year of Grace) in 1978 year would become his third studio album including a duet with Agnetha Fältskog
Agnetha Fältskog
Agnetha Åse Fältskog is a Swedish recording artist. She achieved success in Sweden after the release of her début album Agnetha Fältskog in 1968, and reached international stardom as a member of the pop group ABBA, which to date has sold over 375 million records worldwide, making it the fourth...
, "Snön faller och vi med den" ("Snow Falls And We With It"). In 1979 Lundell released his fourth studio album Ripp rapp with songs like "Rom i regnet" and "(Oh la la) Jag vill ha dej". Ripp rapp was more rock than his previous albums.
1980s
In the fall of 1980 Lundell released the album Längre inåt landet, which was recorded in England. The album includes songs like "Glad igen" ("Happy Again") and "Stackars Jack" ("Poor Jack"). The latter was a comment on the criticism Lundell got from his debut novel Jack. Two years later, in 1982, he released the album "Kär och galenKär och galen
-Personnel:* Ulf Lundell - vocals, guitar* Hasse Olsson - Hammond-orgel* Janne Bark - guitar* Pelle Alsing - drums, marimba* Martin Cerha - bass* Olle Nyberg - piano, marimba* Lasse Lindbom - vocals, guitar...
" (In love and crazy) that contained his most famous work, the song "Öppna landskap" ("Open landscapes"). It made him one of the biggest artists, and sold four times platinum. Other songs that became popular from Kär och galen was the title track "Kär och galen" and "När jag kysser havet" ("When I kiss the sea").
While waiting for a proper sequel to Kär och galen Lundell released two records, one in which he interpreted the English songs with Swedish lyrics (Sweethearts
Sweethearts
Sweethearts may be:*Sweethearts :*Sweethearts , a two-act comedy by W.S. Gilbert*Sweethearts , a 1938 MGM film starring Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy*Sweethearts , a book...
) and a completely acoustic album (12 sånger). Ulf wrestled with severe alcohol problems during this time, which among other things, led to the postponing of his upcoming album several times. During the summer tour in 1985, he did a real disastrous gig in Borgholm drunk, which put him on some headlines in the newspapers. In the fall Lundell released Den vassa eggen (The Sharp Edge), an album heavily influenced by the divorce Lundell went through at the time of recording. Den vassa eggen was very critically acclaimed and was followed by yet another scandal tour in the fall of that year. In 1987 Lundell released the only book Lundell acknowledged writing intoxicated, Tårpilen and also the album Det ljuva livet (The Good Life).
Lundell alcohol abuse got so bad that he joined Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
at this time. 1988 he stated that he had met God and was baptized shortly thereafter in the Ebeneser Church. His newfound Christian faith came to color in the album Evangeline, which was released the same year. 1989 he released his autobiography En varg söker sin flock ("A Wolf in Search of his Pack") and the album Utanför murarna (Outside the Walls). He has also been active as a visual artist from 1989.
1990s-present
It took until 1992 for Lundell to release a new book or album with the novel Saknaden. The book came to be the first installment of a trilogy. 1993 he released the album Måne över Haväng, which contains songs that include Rött and Isabella. This was the first album that Lundell produced entirely by himself. 1994 he formed his own production company Rockhead Studios AB and its subsidiaries Rockhead Productions and Rockhead Art and secondary name Rockhead Music. That same year he released the acoustic album Xavante. At this time Lundell invested more in music than on writing.In 1995 Lundell celebrated 20 years as an artist. The following year he released double album På andra sidan drömmarna and the live album Bosnia. At this time one can notice that he was inspired more by Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
than before Springsteen and Dylan. Especially with the album Fanzine (1999), which is a disc that is partially recorded in a studio and partly live. 1999 he released his first book in seven years, the sequel to the novel Saknaden, called Friheten.
The album I ett vinterland (2000) became his second best-selling album. The album was followed two years later with the double album Club Zebra, an album that was number one in Sweden October 17, 2002. Then followed four studio albums until 2005, the acoustic En eld ikväll and album trilogy Ok Ok Baby, Högtryck and Lazarus. 2005 was a very productive year for Lundell with two albums and the novel Värmen, the last part of a trilogy with Saknaden and Friheten. This was the year he celebrated 30 years as an artist.
In the autumn of 2008, Lundell toured for the first time in over two years and also released his first studio album in three years. During the tour premiere of Gävle Lundell told the newspapers he was about to stop touring. The tour continued in 2009 with one in the spring and one in the summer. In connection with these he admits that he lied and will not stop touring. He explains that he is about to take farewell from his artistic career, but it's a long farewell. 2010 Lundell released a new book, En öppen vinter, also containing a CD with 11 new songs.
In the summer of 2010, Lundell another new tour in which he broke the audience record for a Swedish artist at Gröna Lund July 30. Audience numbers were 22 827 people and with that figure, he is only beaten by Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
(32 000) and Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
(23 000).
A concert tour that would have been implemented in the spring of 2011 was completely cancelled.
Personal life
Lundell were married the first time in 1977 with Barbro Zackrisson. They broke up in 1988. The year later, 1989, Lundell married Fredrika Stjärne, they broke up in 1991. He has three children from his first marriage, including the journalist Sanna Lundell, and one from the other. During the mid-1990s, he was dating the poet Isabella Nerman (whom he also wrote a song about, simply called "Isabella"). During a period in the 2000s he was living with Ulrika Rickfors.Studio albums
- VargmåneVargmåneVargmåne is the debut album by the Swedish rock artist Ulf Lundell. It was released in September 1975 on Harvest . It was recorded in EMI Studio, Stockholm and produced by Björn Boström. Vargmåne was released in 1992 on CD and released again in 2000 in a remastered edition with two bonus tracks...
(1975) - TörstTörst (album)Törst is the second album by the Swedish rock artist Ulf Lundell. It was released in June 1976 on Harvest and EMI Svenska . It was recorded in EMI Studio, Stockholm and produced by Björn Boström...
(1976) - Nådens årNådens årNådens år is the third studio album by the Swedish rock artist Ulf Lundell. It was released in April 1978 on EMI and Parlophone . It was recorded in EMI Studio, Stockholm and produced by Kjell Andersson & Ulf Lundell. It includes "Snön faller och vi med den" , one of his more famous songs...
(1978) - Ripp rapp (1979)
- Längre inåt landet (1980)
- Kär och galenKär och galen-Personnel:* Ulf Lundell - vocals, guitar* Hasse Olsson - Hammond-orgel* Janne Bark - guitar* Pelle Alsing - drums, marimba* Martin Cerha - bass* Olle Nyberg - piano, marimba* Lasse Lindbom - vocals, guitar...
(1982) - Sweethearts (1984)
- 12 sånger (1984)
- Den vassa eggen (1985)
- Det goda livet (1987)
- Evangeline (1988)
- Utanför murarna (1989)
- Måne över Haväng (1993)
- Xavante (1994)
- På andra sidan drömmarna (1996)
- Män utan kvinnor (1997)
- Slugger (1998)
- Fanzine (1999)
- I ett vinterland (2000)
- Club Zebra (2002)
- En eld ikväll (2003)
- Ok Baby Ok (2004)
- Högtryck (2005)
- Lazarus (2005)
- Omaha (2008)
- En öppen vinter (2010)
Compilation albums
- Innan jag anfölls av indianerna (1981)
- Livslinjen 1975-91 (1991)
- Preskriberade romanser 1978-1988 (1992)
- Rebeller (1995)
- Öppna landskap 75-95 (1995)
- Slutna rum 75-95 (1995)
- Når jeg kysser havet (1999)
- När jag kysser havet - Det bästa 1: 75-84 (2006)
- Danielas hus - Det bästa 2: 84-94 (2006)
- Venus & Jupiter - Det bästa 3: 95-05 (2006)
- Under vulkanen, 1972-2007 (2007)
Live albums
- Natten hade varit mild och öm (1977)
- Maria kom tillbaka (1993)
- Bosnia (1996)
- Roskilde Orange Stage 2 juli 1999 (2011)
- Unplugged Solo (2011)