Jahn Teigen | |
|---|---|
 Jahn Teigen in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jan Teigen |
| Born | (1949-09-27)27 September 1949 Tønsberg,Norway |
| Died | 24 February 2020(2020-02-24) (aged 70) Ystad,Sweden |
| Genres | Pop,rock,comedy rock,progressive rock |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals,guitar,bass,percussion |
| Years active | 1967–2020 |
Jahn Teigen (bornJan Teigen; 27 September 1949 – 24 February 2020[1]) was aNorwegian singer, musician and comedian. He represented Norway in theEurovision Song Contest three times, in1978,[2]1982[3] and1983,[4] From October 2006 until his death in February 2020, he lived inSweden.
Jahn Teigen was born inTønsberg. He started his career in the late 1960s when he released a few singles and one album with Enemies. However, his commercial breakthrough did not come until the early 1970s as thelead singer of the 6-memberrock bandPopol Vuh. They released three successful albums, the first self-titled in 1973. Their most popular album was released in 1976, calledStolen From Time, but this time under their new namePopol Ace, to avoid confusion with theGerman 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, meaningbook of the community. Popol Vuh/Popol Ace was actually a refinement of the even-older 8-member group Arman Sumpe Dur Express. During 1971 and the first half of 1972, Arman Sumpe D.E. was on a long-lasting concert tour throughout Norway playing more than 140 concerts. Jahn performed at one of Europe's two largest music festivals, theRoskilde Festival, in 1972, becoming one of the major attractions as part of Popol Vuh (credited as Arman Sumpe[5]). He had previously performed in Roskilde at the Fjordvilla Club[6][7] in 1968 with the band Red Squares.[8]
Jahn Teigen was a member of the Norwegian humour trioPrima Vera, withHerodes Falsk[9] andTom Mathisen, who released seven albums between 1977 and 1984. Most of their repertoire 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, 1978sBrakara, went to number 1 in the charts and sold more than 100,000 copies, and includes Teigen's spirited mock-Russian rendition ofMil 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 asSå lykkelig i Sverige ('So happy in Sweden', a version ofThe Turtles'Happy Together),Det er Norge som er bra andDe gærne har det godt.
Teigen decided to leave Prima Vera in 1984, and did not speak with his former bandmates for 15 years, until they reconciled in 1999 at the funeral of their mutual friendMarius Müller. Prima Vera then had a brief reunion in the early 2000s.
In1978 inParis Jahn Teigen made his first appearance on the Eurovision stage, performing the songMil etter mil (Mile after mile), which received no points from any of the participating nations. This was thefirst occurrence of zero points with the new, and current, voting system of the Eurovision Song Contest.[10] The song gained a huge audience in Norway;[10] The single dominated the national singles chart for more than four months, being among the 10 most-bought singles for no less than 19 consecutive weeks, for five of those also topping the chart for the nation's most popular international hit. It remains Teigen's most successful hit. His runner-up single was calledJeg gi'kke opp, meaningI don't give up, and his first album release the same year wasThis Year's Loser.
Jahn Teigen returned to theEurovision stage in1982 inHarrogate,United Kingdom, where he sangAdieu in duet withAnita Skorgan (to whom he was married 1984-1988 and with whom he has a daughter) ending up at 12th place.[10] In1983, inMunich,Germany, he went solo again, with Anita Skorgan and three other women as backing vocalists, with the melodyDo re mi, composed together with Anita Skorgan, which gave him his best position, a respectable 9th place.[10] Teigen took part in the Norwegian national Eurovision final, called theMelodi Grand Prix, a record fourteen times between1974 and2005 with a total of 16 songs.[1] Besides winning the Melodi Grand Prix four times, Teigen also finished as the runner-up on four occasions. In addition to this, Teigen was the host of Melodi Grand Prix and provided the interval act of the Melodi Grand Prix on a number of occasions. He also acted as commentator for Norwegian television in 1991 in Rome, together withJohn Andreassen.
| Year | Song | Place | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | "Hvor er du?" | 1 | Performed with a small orchestra.Anne-Karine Strøm sang the song atEurovision. |
| 1975 | "Kjærlighetens under" | 2 | Performed with a small orchestra. |
| 1976 | "Hastverk" | 3 | Performed with a small orchestra. |
| "Alltid en vind" | 4 | Performed with a small orchestra together with Gudny Aspaas. | |
| "Voodoo" | 2 | Together with Gudny Aspaas with a small orchestra andInger Lise Rypdal with a large orchestra. | |
| 1978 | "Mil etter mil" | 1 | Finished 20th atEurovison with 0 points. |
| 1980 | "Ja" | 9 | |
| 1982 | "Adieu" | 1 | Together withAnita Skorgan. Finished 12th atEurovison with 40 points. |
| 1983 | "Do Re Mi" | 1 | Finished 9th atEurovison with 53 points. |
| 1988 | "Glasnost" | 2 | |
| 1989 | "Optimist" | – | One of the finalists, but did not advance to the Superfinal. |
| 1990 | "Smil" | 2 | With Anita Skorgan andCarola Häggkvist as Backing vocalists. |
| 1993 | "Jackpot" | 8 | |
| 1994 | "Gi alt vi har" | 5 | |
| 1996 | "Ariel" | 4 | Together withØystein Wiik. The duo called themselves To tenorer. |
| 2005 | "My Heart Is My Home" | 4 | |
Source:[11] | |||
Teigen has released 17 albums as a soloist as of 1 January 2006. Six of these were best of collections, the last two beingJahn Teigens beste in 1994 andFra null til gull (From nul till gold orFrom 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 wereEn dags pause (One day's break) released in 1979,Mentalkrem (Mental cream) in 1980 andKlovn uten scene (Clown without stage) in 1988.
In 1992 he took the part of the Executioner in the London run of the heavily-panned Norwegian opera-musicalWhich Witch.
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 1982 (withAnita Skorgan) | Succeeded by Jahn Teigen with"Do Re Mi" |
| Preceded by | Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 1983 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
