Min soldat
Encyclopedia
"Min soldat" is a Swedish
song written by Nils Perne (Jokern). It was recorded by Ulla Billquist in 1940 and became one of the most popular Swedish songs during World War II
.
Carroll Loveday wrote new English
lyrics for the song, which became "The Shrine of St. Cecilia". It was recorded by numerous artists.
in Gosta Jonsson’s revue
Det kommer en vår at the Folkan theatre in Stockholm
. In the song, a woman is thinking of her fiance who is a soldier "somewhere in Sweden" ("någonstans i Sverige"). She recalls how fashionable he was in comparison to the photograph of him in an ill-fitting uniform. He has told her that they cannot afford to get married this year, and when he arrived yesterday on leave and took her to a dance, he was so tired that he fell asleep at the table. She says she does not mind because he is her "soldier somewhere in Sweden".
Translated to English:
on 8 May 1940. The recording was Billquist's first for Sonora after she was lured from Sonora's competitor Columbia
for a monthly salary of US$700 . Sven Arefeldt was the arranger and led the orchestra. The song became Billquist's most popular recording in Sweden.
Several recordings was made with other female singers for other record companies. Among them were Karin Juel and Siv Ericks
.
("Jolo") used a line form the song as title for his TV-series Någonstans i Sverige about World War II. Billquist's recording was used as theme song.
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....
song written by Nils Perne (Jokern). It was recorded by Ulla Billquist in 1940 and became one of the most popular Swedish songs during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Carroll Loveday wrote new English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
lyrics for the song, which became "The Shrine of St. Cecilia". It was recorded by numerous artists.
Origins
The song was written for and first performed by Naemi BrieseNaemi Briese
Naemi Briese was a Swedish film actress.-Selected filmography:The following films were directed by Ingmar Bergman:* A Ship to India - Selma...
in Gosta Jonsson’s revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
Det kommer en vår at the Folkan theatre in Stockholm
Stockholm
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...
. In the song, a woman is thinking of her fiance who is a soldier "somewhere in Sweden" ("någonstans i Sverige"). She recalls how fashionable he was in comparison to the photograph of him in an ill-fitting uniform. He has told her that they cannot afford to get married this year, and when he arrived yesterday on leave and took her to a dance, he was so tired that he fell asleep at the table. She says she does not mind because he is her "soldier somewhere in Sweden".
Translated to English:
Ulla Billquist version
Ulla Billquist recorded the song for Swedish record company SonoraSonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
on 8 May 1940. The recording was Billquist's first for Sonora after she was lured from Sonora's competitor Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
for a monthly salary of US$700 . Sven Arefeldt was the arranger and led the orchestra. The song became Billquist's most popular recording in Sweden.
Several recordings was made with other female singers for other record companies. Among them were Karin Juel and Siv Ericks
Siv Ericks
Siv Ericks , born in Oxelösund, Sörmland, was a Swedish actress who performed in 66 Swedish films over a 53-year career.She began her film career with a leading role in the 1939 film Rosor varje kväll...
.
Revival
The song was revived again in 1973 when the author Jan Olof OlssonJan Olof Olsson
Jan Olof Lennart Olsson was a popular Swedish writer and a journalist for the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter where he elevated the short sketch to an art...
("Jolo") used a line form the song as title for his TV-series Någonstans i Sverige about World War II. Billquist's recording was used as theme song.
Other versions
- Carroll Loveday wrote new EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
lyrics for the song, which became "The Shrine of St. Cecilia" in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was recorded by The Andrews SistersThe Andrews SistersThe Andrews Sisters were a highly successful close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews , soprano Maxene Angelyn Andrews , and mezzo-soprano Patricia Marie "Patty" Andrews...
with Vic SchoenVic SchoenVictor "Vic" Schoen was an American bandleader, arranger, and composer whose career spanned from the 1930s until his death in 2000...
& His Orchestra on 15 November 1941 and reached #3 in January 1942. . Its lyrics describe a hillside shrine which is miraculously spared the ravages of a storm that destroys a nearby town. This was later recorded by a number of American close harmonyClose harmonyClose harmony is an arrangement of the notes of chords within a narrow range. It is different from open harmony or voicing in that it uses each part on the closest harmonizing note , while the open voicing uses a broader pitch array expanding the harmonic range past the octave...
and doo-wopDoo-wopThe name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
groups during the 20th century such as Willie Winfield, Faron YoungFaron YoungFaron Young was an American country music singer and songwriter from the early 1950s into the mid-1980s and one of its most successful and colorful stars...
, The HarptonesThe HarptonesThe Harptones are an American doo-wop group, which formed in Manhattan in 1953.The group never had a top forty pop hit, or even a record on the national R&B charts, yet they are still considered one of the most influential doo-wop groups, both for their lead singer, Willie Winfield and their...
, The RoyalsThe RoyalsThe Royals can refer to:*The British Royal Family the British royal family.*The Royals a Jamaican reggae vocal group*Reading F.C., an association football club nicknamed the Royals, due to their location in the Royal County of Berkshire...
and The Bon Aires.
- The song was performed in the film JazzgossenJazzgossenJazzgossen is a 1958 Swedish musical film directed by Hasse Ekman. The film was an attempt to make a nostalgical cavalcade of the Swedish entertainment scene of the 1920s and 1930s, and featured many songs from that era.- Cast :...
(1958) by Maj-Britt NilssonMaj-Britt NilssonMaj-Britt Nilsson was a Swedish movie actress of the 1940s and 1950s.Nilsson was born in Stockholm and trained at the drama school of the Royal Dramatic Theater there...
. - Former ABBAABBAABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
member Anni-Frid LyngstadAnni-Frid LyngstadAnni-Frid Prinzessin Reuss von Plauen , is a Norwegian-born Swedish pop singer...
recorded the song in 1970 for the TV show "När stenkakan slog", a program made to honour the hits off the old gramophone records. A video was also made for the song, with her sitting in a train compartment. - "Min soldat" was recorded by DanishDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
singer Birthe KjærBirthe KjærBirthe Kjær is a Danish singer who began her career in the late 1960s. Kjær had made previous bids to represent Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1980, 1986 and 1987, before being chosen in 1989 with the cabaret-style song "Vi maler byen rød"...
and Helmer Olesens orkester on the record Det var en yndig tid. The Danish lyrics was written by Knud Feiffer.