Still waiting for your first reaction on Alice Babs, Sweden's greatest female singer the last century. React to "Swing It, Magistern", which she did when she was only 16 years old - and already here you can hear her marvellous juggling with her voice. She later become the leading jazz singer, but was also singing popular music. She had a close cooperation with Duke Ellington, and was the only white person ever that was a singer in his band. Ellington's 2nd and 3rd Sacred Concerts were built around her extraordinarie singing span. She could sing 3½ octaves.
"Mig" is the formal way of saying "mej". It comes from old Norse "mik" and in the younger runic futhark the hard "g" and "k" are spelled with the same rune. However if I am not misstaken the forms sej, dej, mej etc is known in Swedish from 1500s or 1600s so they are old as well. However when Swedish got standardised in the late 1700s through the 1800s the forms sig, dig, mig was favoured and considered "correct". The softer versions still tagged along though in spoken language and dialects and in the 70s (I think) they became recognised and since the late 80s those forms was not just acceptable but taught as alternative forms in school. Still many (including me) uses the form "mig" when writing and "mej" when talking. In the early 1900s though all formal talking used "mig", which becomes aparent if one watch an old video/film from that time (check out "öppna arkivet" on svt) or listen to an old radio show. People were also thaught to articulate much more with harder sounds the most people talk today. That is not how most ordinary people talked though (which one can hear in old dilect recordings).
I'm originally from Finspång and I'm both pleased and surprised that you mentioned this. This isn't well known and sometimes people don't even belive my when I tell them about Risingevisan as it is called. The melody however originates from the Netherlands and probably came to Finspång with the Walloons working in the steel industry there in the 1600s.
"Mig och dig" sade man ganska långt in på 1900 talet början... Vad roligt att höra den fina melodin, det var länge sedan. Värmland ÄR vackert. Hela Sverige har många vackra ställen. Hoppas du har möjlighet att få se detta vackra land🇸🇪
I continue to lobby for the ultimate Christmas song: Alex F Rönnblom - Det är inte snön som faller. Christmas isn't complete until you see the video at least once.
One song that you can listen to is "O store gud". It's a Swedish song that Elvis had in his repertoire as a gospel. It's called "How great thou art". If you haven't heard that song, I think you'll like it.
You've really got this Jonathan. Your description about is song is on point. And yes, it's an anthem. Great reaction! It's common in older Swedish to pronunce words like mig, sig, dig e.t.c. as it's spelled.
Oooh this song + Jussi (the greatest tenor ever, even according to Pavarotti) =deep. I had pickled eggs in the UK, not bad, guess that's where they cone from.
Jag uppskattar din entusiasm och din goda musiksmak. Nästa gång som du väljer en sång som Jussi sjungit, lyssna då på "Nämner du Sverige". Den är så vacker och patriotisk och gör mig så rörd och glad. Glada hälsningar från Staffan i Nacka😊👍
Jussi himself came from Dalarna, the landscape north of Värmland. Both landscapes are often described in the Swedish literature. The poets Gustaf Fröding (Värmland) and Dan Andersson (Dalarna) have catch the beauty and mystery in the nature of those landscapes. I think it's high time for a listening to Dan Anderssons "Omkring tiggarn från Luossa" interpreted by Björn Ulveus and Hootenanny Singers. It's a "nirvana-poem", and takes place in the Finnforests in Dalarna. About Jussis name. His real name was Johan. Jussi was his nickname. In turn a nickname of the Finnish Juhani (Johannes, Johan).
In Jussis case you might well accept some of his renditions of composers outside of sweden. Many are concidered unbeaten versions of all times. For example: The Pearlfishers Duet. But, Till Havs! Is the best Jussimoment of all times!
Till Havs, O, Helga Natt and Jungfrun under Lind is at the top of my Jussi list. But Jussi and Robert Merrill singing the Pearl Fishers Duet - it's beyond words.
It really is an anthem for Värmland. Some wanted to change the Swedish national anthem to this song. I agree it would be a better one if it wasn't for the fact that it's only about one specific place in Sweden.
Jo det stämmer mig uttalades som det stavades förr, du kan säga det så än i dag, men det låter ålderdomligt och lite pretentiöst, typ om du är adel eller en konservativ präst eller något sådant skulle det nog fortfarande låta korrekt, 1936 så skulle jag säga att det var betydligt vanligare att säga Mig ordagrant, än vad det är i dag.
I sångsammanhang används det fortfarande. Dels naturligtvis om det finns ett rim på "stig" t.ex. och då får det ju bli läsuttal över hela linjen, annars blir det konstigt. Men det finns också de som väljer uttal efter när sången är skriven eller av andra skäl. Jag sjunger i kör och ibland är det ett litet elände att komma ihåg i vilka sånger det ska vara vilket.
Jonathan, har du funderat på tema reaktioner, låtar från olika delar av Sverige? Jämtlandssången (med sång) En lite gåsapåg från Skåne Köp mej en korv(köppebe visan eller hur det stavas)
Ja men uppland då?? Det enda jag kommer på är Owe Thörnqvists alla låtar om olika delar i Uppsala. För om det ska sjungas om Uppland ska det sjungas om Uppsala inte de norra delarna av Stockholm. Vi tröttar ändå ut oss med Stockholm i mitt hjärta varje sommar. Varmkorv Boogie (så klart) Första rap låten typ..... en text om en underdog som polisen slår ner på och Owes upprepning av varmkorv boogie, typ rap.
Hi, Jonathan! I really appreciate your channel, with your warm and amusing comments. About “mig” and “dig”. I don’t know how long we have been saying mej and dej. But I know that choirs still often use the mig/dig ( especially when there’s a rime to “stig”)😉
Ack Värmland har även blivit en jazzklassiker, "Dear Old Stockholm". Bl.a. framförts av Stan Getz, Chet Baker & Miles Davis. Rufus Wainright sjöng Ack Värmland nu i år på Nobelfesten.
Det är dags för Ted Gärdestad igen! En av hans bästa är ”Come give me love” (som har svensk text - trots titeln!). Där får man verkligen höra vad hans röst är kapabel till
Older pronunciations of the words mig and dig are exactly as Jussi pronounces them with the G-sound. Nowadays, they are both pronounced as mej and dej in everyday common spoken language.
Fasen, jag har fastnat på din kanal, härligt! :-) Kom att tänka på en artist jag inte kan se att du reagerat på, Stefan Sundström. Och då kan det kanske vara vettigt att börja lyssna på t.ex "Amors pilar" "Näktergal" eller varför inte "Har någon sett Sabina?"
Pickled eggs are delicious and I (Without tooting my own horn too loudly) make the best ones this side of the Antlantic! Got a batch going right now, and if you want some just say the word! Not before friday though! They need a bit more bathtime before they´re ready!
Fun Fact: A version of this song was sung by Britta Borg in the Swedish-American horror movie "Space Invasion In Lappland/Terror In The Midnight Sun". As the movie doesn't take place in Värmland, the title has been changed to "Land of The Midnight Sun".
Värmländskan Monica Zetterlund har såklart gjort den bästa varianten på Ack Värmland. Hon spelade in den när hon var i New York som ny sångerska på 50-talet och den är helt underbart jazzig.
React to "Roger Pontare - När vindarna viskar mitt namn". Pick the swedish album version due to the bad quality of the sound of old melodifestivalen. It will not dissappoint you nor the viewers! :D
Have you tried Swedish candy, salty liquorish among others?Jussi Björling is a wonderful singer. His rendition of Holy night in Swedish O Helga Natt is the best!
Ack Värmeland du sköna is best known in the English-speaking world as Dear Old Stockholm for versions by jazz artists such as Stan Getz (in 1951), Miles Davis (in 1952 for Blue Note and 1956 for the album 'Round About Midnight), Paul Chambers (in 1957) and John Coltrane (in 1963). Äntligen "Jag tycker inte om dig (sympati)"! 🥳
"Dear Old Stockholm"!?! I find it strange that a song about the beauties of Värmland is renamed to something about Stockholm- It would be like renaming a song about Vermont to something about New York City. I have never been to Stockholm but I've been through Värmland several times (on bicycle trips)- I even was in Stora Tuna (suburb of Borlänge) (where Jussi B. was born)
My great granny said "mig"(meeg) and dig (deeg) to me as a kid. Kind of old , but clear,. Ack, is the same as Och, in Irish english. Check out the movie " Utvandrarna" if you would like to know how swedes transformed their way of speaking into american english. Take care! Greetings from Gothenburg Sweden. Best wishes and sh.
Great voice, but i`l raise you Cyndee Peters- greater voice you will struggle to find. She did mostly gospels but she also sang our most popular christmassongs, so now is the time to check her out. I think she is from your part of the world to, at least she retired back to the states and lives somewhere in florida.
Another classic is the psalm by L.Laurinus 1622 but modernized by J.Åström 1816 and then covered by Triakel (who also has the well known music group Garmarna) Triakel - I Himmelen
I believe the literal pronunciation of "mig" is either a result of how the pronunciation has changed since the spelling had settled, or it might be an example of hypercorrection. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypercorrection
Thank you for a good and funny reacton, with you trying to sing opera! I don't really get what Finspång has to do with this, but maybe the writer of this song just lived there and still loved Värmland? I hope you'll do a stop in Värmland someday, if you're on a tour. Then I might get the chance to se one of your comedy shows! 😃
A Swedish classic is also this one: Jag har hört om en stad över molnen - here with Roffe Wikström: It has an interesting history. Many Swedish artists have recorded, pick the one that you think might suit you best!
There's so much one could tell... about Jussi, about Värmland, about Swedish classics. So a few points that I want to underline: - of course you cannot call a gem like this a "banger" it is not the right category. Almost everything Jussi recorded is a a "gem" and nothing could be higher... - Värmland kind of represents any place in Sweden, and so it is very much loved by all Swedish speakers, and others, too... - many tunes that are folksongs (not clearly attributed to a specific composer) might have been "wandering" around Europe, being reused, before they became widely known with a Swedish text. Anyways the famous classic Czech composer Bedric Smetana, who worked for sometime in Gothenburg picked up the melody and worked it into his symphonic poem Ma Vlast (My homeland) which describes the river Vltava (Moldau). Then it was picked up by Eisler to accompany a poem by Berthold Brecht... All important places have their Swedish names! And when it turned back to Sweden, it could sound like this as a very popular anti-war song ( I djupet utav Moldau stenarna vandra, tre kejsare ligger begravda i Prag...) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-MWyWI6NHPJA.html - Jussi is a popular Finnish name. Many Finns have lived in Värmland, Dalarna, and other places with huge forests within Sweden, before Sweden lost what is now Finland to Russia. Jussi (Johan Jonatan ”Jussi” Björling, född 5 februari 1911) got his nickname from a grandmother. All named Johan, Johannes, Jon, Jonatans etc could be nicknamed Jussi if there was a little Finnish cultural influence mixed in. And Jussi Björling sure looks a little Finnish, but he is Swedish. So you could claim Jussi for you, too! - Swedish spelling is a mixture of influences from different ways to speak and write Swedish in different regions and social classes during many centuries when there was not yet an established ortography, which has developed even into the 20th C. Now "mig, dig" sound very much like stiff written prose, as do "är, icke, ej, skall, vore, bedja, giv" and many more examples - but then again they can be used in poetry for rhythm or rhyme, or in speech for stress in certain contexts. Do use the casual speech forms! Because it is almost Xmas, why not listen and react to "Giv mig ej glans, ej guld, ej prakt, i signad juletid" - it's beautiful and performed every Xmas in various arrangements. There are many recordings to choose from - pick one you like, this is high quality, IMHO ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IU3mF3-XZZk.html Merry Xmas - God Jul och gott nytt år!
I wrote with a little lively lapdog on my lap, competing for the space with my laptop, so I had to revise a lot - same content, though! It was very inspiring, Jonathan, that you chose to react to this classic song!
A very popular tune: Håll mitt hjärta - have you heard it? Here with Malena Ernman, full mature soprano voice! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-x-bCRd0MPdA.html
Might not be something to react to due 2 it being in english but if you want to hear a strong performance from Jussi I strongly suggest this one. One of the best male duets of all time if you ask me. Always moves me. Pearl fishers duet ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5PYt2HlBuyI.html
Lyssnade på Niklas Strömstedt med ”oslagbara” i bilen idag och undrade direkt om du hade reagerat på den, om inte så är den helt klart en klassiker enligt mig🤗 Och måste fortsätta tjata om ABBA… T ex Cassandra, Me and I, King Kong song, why did it have to be me…. Några andra förslag; -Elin Lanto - I won’t cry -The Boppers - Jeannie’s coming back -Robert Broberg - Jag tror på kärleken -Galenskaparna & After Shave - Grisen i säcken -Ulf Lundell - Kärleken förde oss samman Och såklart Sommarkort med Cornelis Vreeswijk!! Tror inte du har reagerat på den?! Eller?!😊
Others have mentioned it, but until maybe the 50s or so, actors and singers were taught a "Correct" stage Swedish, that you can often hear in old songs and movies. Jussi very much sings that way. Anyway, I think you have asked for patriotic songs a few times. There are a whole bunch of them, most of them written during the 1800s, and nearly all of them are almost impossible to sing well. You'll never hear anyone sing them today and I believe Jussi is the main reason. He sang them all and his versions are untouchable. Nämner du Sverige, Land du välsignade and Sverige, and maybe a few others, are now basically Jussi songs. I think I like Nämner du Sverige best. But you can't really go wrong with Jussi. And yes, you heard right. The song ends with the singer saying that when his life is over, he wants to be buried in Värmland.
Fler tips på klassiker: Jussi Björling - Nämner du Sverige Jussi Björling - Land du välsignade Jussi Björling - Sverige Alla tre skulle lätt kunna vara vår nationalsång.
Many old songs use the rhyme "mig, sig, dig" and "stig". If you sing one of those old songs, the lyrics get wrong when you sing "mej". When I grew up - in the seventies - we were taught that we should use "mig, dig, sig" in all hymns. "Mej" was something you only used in pop- and rock songs.
DÅ måste du även testa "Jämtlandssången" en fin visa för det jämtländska och tidigare norska arvet... Wilhelm Peterson-Bergers körversion.. Mycket fin!
Jussi Björling är bra men ingen sjunger denna sång som Freddie Wadling i sin tolkning på albumet "Skillingtryck och Mordballader": Låten i hans version bygger på den första versionen av texten (finns två) och heter i Freddies version, "Värmlandsvisan".
Fun fact, eller vad man nu ska kalla det. För mig har mig en annan betydelse också. Om en ko mig, då ska man inte stå för nära bakom för då blir man blöt... Då alltså uttalat som Jussi gjorde här.
Andreas Johnson - glorious Arja Saijonmaa - Högt över havet One more time - Den vilda Nick Borgen - We are all the winners Roger Pontare - När vindarna viskar mitt namn Ceasars - Jerk it out The Hives - Hate to say i told you so Johnossi - Whats the point
Det är juletid. Flera har föreslagit Anders F Rönnbloms "Det är inte snön som faller" och jag håller verkligen med. Men glöm inte B-sidan på den singeln. Ebba Gröns version av "Nu tändas tusen juleljus" - det vill säga "Nu släckas tusen människoliv". E P I S K
If you like Swedish opera singers, realize that Jussi will always be number two to Jenny Lind, the Swedish Nightingale. The opera Aida was specifically written for her. A true world star.
