Her first record, Until Death Comes, was recorded at Stockholm's Atlantis Studios and co-produced with Jari Haapalainen of The Bear Quartet. The record was released in the EU in 2005 on The Concretes record label Licking Fingers, in the United States in 2006 on Secretly Canadian and in Australia in 2007 on Chapter Music. Hyvönen received the 2005 Stockholmspriset ("The Stockholm Prize") by the Swedish publication Nöjesguiden for her debut album.[1] Her first single, "I Drive My Friend", climbed the hit-list in Sweden for a few weeks.
Frida has been touring Scandinavia, Europe and the US with her piano since 2004. She also played in Shanghai. In the spring of 2006 she toured the United Kingdom with José González, and in the summer of 2006, she toured the US with fellow Swedish artist Jens Lekman. In the fall of 2005 Frida wrote music for dance performance PUDEL, by choreographer Dorte Olesen. She also performed the music live on stage. The music was recorded in 2006 and released in January 2007.
In the fall of 2007 Frida recorded a cover of the R.E.M. song "Everybody Hurts", released in digital form by Stereogum She also covered the song "Sista dan tillsammans" together with Mattias Alkberg on "Dubbel Trubbel", a tribute to Olle Adolphson.
Hyvönen's next album, "Silence is Wild", was released October 29, 2008 in Scandinavia and November 4, 2008 in North America and Australia.
She is also working on a collaboration with photographer Elin Berge, in a project that will be out in 2009.
Discography
Albums
2005 Until Death Comes
First studio album
Released: April 6, 2005
Label: Licking Fingers
Format: CD, LP, Digital download
2007 Frida Hyvönen Gives You:
Music from the Dance Performance PUDEL
Second studio album
Released: January 24, 2007
Label: Licking Fingers
Format: CD, LP, Digital download
2008 Silence Is Wild
Third studio album
Released: October 29, 2008
Label: Licking Fingers
Format: CD, LP, Digital download
2005: "I Drive My Friend" (single)
2008: "Traveling Companion" (single) (Marit Bergman featuring Frida Hyvönen)
References
Hopper, Jessica. "Frida Hyvonen unafraid of mixing music, feminism". Chicago Tribune March 9, 2007. Accessed August 12, 2007.
Loebenstein, Ghita. "Until Death Comes - Music - CD Reviews". The Age (Melbourne, Australia) March 30, 2007. Accessed August 12, 2007.
Reed, James. "An introduction to Nordic tracks – MFA to present a triple bill of Scandinavian rockers". Boston Globe February 25, 2007. Accessed August 12, 2007.
Oh Shanghai
Frida Hyvönen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cigarettes in boxes with roses in crates
I write your short name on my wrist in China
Ink so black that night you're renamed
Ooooh… and trouble in the name
Oh Shanghai, who do you belong to?
Who do you care for and who do you forget?
What to care for and what to forget?
Came another night and, slow, the wind rolled through Shanghai
Purple and green, the light under bridges and in the park
It's not like in my Russian days when my brain shot with wit and style
But the bars are ours, and my heart is yours
And our love is a flower and a running horse
Ooooh… oh, stallion with your shiny polished black hooves
Oh Shanghai, who do you belong to?
Who do you care for and who do you forget?
Admit I got lost in your embrace
What to care for and what to forget?
The sparks outshine the stars when windmill scrapers in the sky
Fake of night and their burning clouds dark with their torch
It's on the ground, underground, can you feel the underground
It's really not here, it's a little below to cover the holes, to cover the holes
Oooh… to say farewell to you
And to mean it too
Oh Shanghai, who do you belong to?
Who do you care for and who do you forget?
Admit I got lost in your embrace
What to care for and what to forget?
The song "Oh Shanghai" by Frida Hyvönen is a romantic ballad about a love that blossoms like a flower in China. The lyrics paint vivid imagery of cigarettes in boxes with roses in crates and the singer writing her lover's short name on her wrist with ink so black that he is renamed in the darkness. The song has a melancholic tone, as if the singer is grappling with the complexities of love and its uncertain future. She questions the ownership of the city, asking "Oh Shanghai, who do you belong to?", and wonders who the city cares for and who it forgets.
As the song progresses, the singer describes the wind rolling through the city slowly and the purple and green light under the bridges and in the park. She reminisces about her past in Russia and how her brain used to be shot with wit and style, but now the bars are hers and her heart belongs to her lover. The love between the singer and her lover is compared to a flower and a running horse, symbolizing its beauty and vitality. The song ends with the singer contemplating saying farewell to her lover and truly meaning it.
Overall, "Oh Shanghai" is a hauntingly beautiful song that captures the intensity and complexities of love. It's a song about longing, confusion, and the almost unbearable sweetness of being in love.
Line by Line Meaning
Our love is a flower that blossoms in China
Our love is something beautiful and delicate that grows and develops like a flower in this foreign land.
Cigarettes in boxes with roses in crates
Even ordinary things like cigarette boxes are adorned with beautiful floral imagery, highlighting the beauty found in this place.
I write your short name on my wrist in China
I am so enamored with you that I mark myself with your name, and it is in this foreign place that I choose to do so, as if to make our love even more special and unique.
Ink so black that night you're renamed
The ink I use to mark myself with your name is so dark that it seems to change you in some way, making you more mysterious and intriguing.
Ooooh… and trouble in the name
Despite the beauty and romance of our love, there may be some obstacles and difficulties that come with it.
Oh Shanghai, who do you belong to?
As a city that has seen so many people come and go, it's unclear who truly 'owns' Shanghai and who it truly cares for.
Who do you care for and who do you forget?
In this city, there are surely people who are cherished and revered, but there are also those who are overlooked or forgotten in the fray.
Admit I got lost in your embrace
I am so swept up in the energy and allure of this city that I feel as though I have been enveloped and captivated by it - leaving me a bit disoriented.
What to care for and what to forget?
Amidst all the excitement and stimulation, it becomes difficult to know what really matters and what can or should be left behind and forgotten.
Came another night and, slow, the wind rolled through Shanghai
As time passes and the city continues to move forward, the winds of change roll through slowly and steadily.
Purple and green, the light under bridges and in the park
Even the city's architectural and natural elements are colored in the lush hues of purple and green, demonstrating the beauty and vitality found throughout the city.
It's not like in my Russian days when my brain shot with wit and style
Although there was a time when I felt sharp and clever, my experiences in Shanghai have shifted my perspective and made me feel more introspective and romantic, rather than cerebral.
But the bars are ours, and my heart is yours
While many things may change, there are certain parts of the city that feel like ours and certain feelings in my heart that remain constant and devoted to you.
And our love is a flower and a running horse
Our love is vibrant and strong like a galloping horse, yet remains delicate and lovely like a blossoming flower.
Ooooh… oh, stallion with your shiny polished black hooves
The imagery of a beautiful, powerful horse - complete with its sleek, polished hooves - conveys the strength and grace of our love.
The sparks outshine the stars when windmill scrapers in the sky
The energy and excitement of the city itself can seem to outshine anything else, even the stars themselves.
Fake of night and their burning clouds dark with their torch
Even the illusions of the night - with all their dark and dangerous imagery - can be dazzling and captivating when experienced within the context of this city.
It's on the ground, underground, can you feel the underground
There is a sense that there is something beneath the surface of the city - namely, an underground world that remains hidden and mysterious to many.
It's really not here, it's a little below to cover the holes, to cover the holes
Perhaps this underground world is meant to fill in the gaps and cover over the broken and neglected parts of the city itself.
Oooh… to say farewell to you
Even though our love has been vibrant and meaningful here in Shanghai, it may be time to say goodbye and move on to the next chapter.
And to mean it too
Saying goodbye may be difficult, but it is important that it is done with sincerity and authenticity.
Contributed by Kayla M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.