Finn Kalvik
Encyclopedia
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 composer.
Early career
He was born in FåvangFåvang
Fåvang is a village and parish in the municipality of Ringebu, in Oppland county, Norway.-History:Fåvang is located in south of the valley and traditional district of Gudbrandsdalen, 51 kilometers north of Lillehammer...
, but his family moved to the working class district of Grorud
Grorud
Grorud is a borough of the city of Oslo, Norway.The borough contains the Ammerud, Grorud, Kalbakken, Rødtvet, Nordtvet and Romsås areas. Traditionally a borough inhabited by the working class, Grorud has in the last few decades had a great influx of immigrants. 40% of the population are first or...
, Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
in 1952. Early in his career Kalvik found success putting music to the poetry of popular Norwegian writers André Bjerke
André Bjerke
Jarl André Bjerke was a Norwegian writer and poet. His debut was in 1940 with a collection of poems, Syngende Jord . He has written a wide range of material: poems , mystery novels , essays, and articles...
and Inger Hagerup
Inger Hagerup
Inger Hagerup was a Norwegian author, playwright and poet. She is considered one of the greatest Norwegian poets of the 20th century.-Biography:...
. He made his breakthrough in 1969 with the song Finne meg sjæl, and he also had major hits in 1971 with En tur rundt i byen (based on Ralph McTell
Ralph McTell
Ralph McTell is an English singer-songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been an influential figure on the UK folk music scene since the 1960s....
's Streets Of London
Streets of London (song)
"Streets of London" is a song written by Ralph McTell. It was first recorded for McTell's 1969 album Spiral Staircase but was not released in the United Kingdom as a single until 1974...
) and in 1975 with Ride ranke (based on Harry Chapin
Harry Chapin
Harry Forster Chapin was an American singer-songwriter best known in particular for his folk rock songs including "Taxi", "W*O*L*D", and the number-one hit "Cat's in the Cradle". Chapin was also a dedicated humanitarian who fought to end world hunger; he was a key player in the creation of the...
's Cat's in the Cradle
Cat's in the Cradle
"Cat's in the Cradle" is a 1974 folk rock song by Harry Chapin from the album Verities & Balderdash. The single topped the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1974...
).
His first four albums reached top 15 on the Norwegian record charts: Tusenfryd og grå hverdag (1971), Finn (1972), Nøkkelen ligger under matta (1974) and Fyll mine seil (1976). The 1979 album Kom ut kom fram (1979) was produced by ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
member/composer Benny Andersson
Benny Andersson
Göran Bror "Benny" Andersson is a Swedish musician, composer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...
; so was the 1981 album Natt og dag. The 1982 album Tenn dine vakre øyne reached top 20 on the charts.
Eurovision and later years
One of the songs on Natt og dag was "Aldri i livetAldri I Livet
"Aldri i livet" was the Norwegian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981, performed in Norwegian by Finn Kalvik.The song is a ballad, with Kalvik telling his lover that "Never in my life have I thought of leaving you", and asking whether she thinks of him when he is not with her.The song was...
" (Never in my life), with which Kalvik won the Norwegian 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...
in 1981
Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981
Norway was represented by Finn Kalvik, with the song '"Aldri i livet", at the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 4 April in Dublin. "Aldri i livet" was chosen as the Norwegian entry at the Melodi Grand Prix on 7 March.-Final:...
. However his performance in the European finals
Eurovision Song Contest 1981
The Eurovision Song Contest 1981 was the 26th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 4 April 1981 at the Simmonscourt Pavilion of the Royal Dublin Society in Dublin. The presenter was Doireann Ní Bhriain...
ended with an infamous zero points. The song was still a big success in Norway, and was even recorded in English as "Here in My Heart" with lyrics by Ralph McTell and backing vocals by ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
's 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...
and Annifrid Lyngstad. He returned to Melodi Grand Prix once more in 1987
Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 1987
Norway was represented by Kate Gulbrandsen, with the song '"Mitt liv", at the 1987 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 9 April in Brussels. "Mitt liv" was chosen as the Norwegian entry at the Melodi Grand Prix on 28 February.-Final:...
when he sang his song "Malene" to a fourth place in the Norwegian selection. The song was dedicated to his daughter.
Later albums include Det søte liv (1984), Livets lyse side (1988), Innsida ut (1991), I egne hender (1995), Imellom to evigheter (2000), Klassisk Kalvik (2002), Dagdrivernotater (2004) and Klassisk Kalvik II (2005). The two "Klassisk Kalvik" albums were re-recordings of old songs with a symphony orchestra. In 2000 Kalvik also scored a hit with a version of Andersson's song Tröstevisa, performed as a duet with Swedish singer CajsaStina Åkerström.
Kalvik is also an avid painter.
In 1998 the comedy program Åpen post
Åpen Post
Åpen Post was a Norwegian sketch comedy television program that ran on the Norwegian state channel NRK from 1998 till 2002. It was created and hosted by Harald Eia and Bård Tufte Johansen. The show started in a talk show format with interviews and guests but later leaned more towards being a pure...
featured a segment called "Finn Kalvik-nyhetene", Finn Kalvik news, where jokes were made about Kalvik. The segment caused mental distress for Kalvik, and the jokesters Harald Eia and Bård Tufte Johansen had to apologize publicly (via the show's producer, Lars Hognestad).