Harpo started his career in the late 1960s as an actor in children's theatre. While touring around Sweden, he started to write songs. In 1972, he signed a recording contract with Stig Anderson at Polar Music. Anderson assigned him to in-house record producers, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus.
The plan was that Andersson and Ulvaeus would work with Harpo on an album of his children's songs in Swedish. The collaboration did not work out and Anderson released Harpo from his contract. Harpo then signed with EMI and formed a successful creative partnership with producer Bengt Palmers.
Harpo released his first two singles in 1973 - "Honolulu" and "Sayonara". Both were hits and reached the Top Ten on the Tio-i-topp chart. "Sayonara" held the number one spot for five consecutive weeks between January and February 1974.
On 27 February 1975, Harpo recorded the song for which he would become most famous - "Moviestar". One of the backing vocalists on that day was Anni-Frid Lyngstad (Frida) from ABBA. It has sometimes been reported that Agnetha Fältskog also sang on the song but this is incorrect. The second female singer is Lena Ericsson. Frida also provided backing vocals on the song "Pin Up Girl" on Harpo's second album, Harpo & Bananaband.
"Moviestar" went on to become a huge hit. It reached number 1 in Sweden and Germany, number 2 in Australia and number 24 in the UK. A Swedish language version was also released in Sweden which went to number 1 on the Svensktoppen radio chart. He made many radio and TV appearances around Europe.
Harpo released a number of follow up singles, notably "Motorcycle Mama" (number 9 in Germany) and "Horoscope" (number 1 in Denmark).
In 1977, Harpo travelled to Los Angeles, U.S. with his wife and producer Bengt Palmers. The result was the album The Hollywood Tapes which spawned the hit single "Television". Also, in 1977, Harpo made the news when he refused to take part in the Swedish Military Service. As a result, he went to prison for one month.
In 1978, Harpo revisited the songs he was originally going to work on with Andersson and Ulvaeus in 1972. The result was the children's album Jan Banan och hans flygande matta. He followed this with an album of his favourite rock and roll songs. Both these projects were in the Swedish language.
In 1980, Harpo was ready to get back into mainstream pop music. He signed to Mickie Most's label, RAK and released one single, "She Loves It Too". In fact, Harpo had the chance to be on RAK as far back as 1973. He met with Most in London, but decided not to move to London at that time.
Harpo had an accident in August 1980. As well as being a musician, he is also a horse trainer and one of his horses, Starter, suddenly lashed out and kicked Harpo in the face several times. The injuries were so severe that Harpo lost his sense of smell and the sight in one eye. To show there were no hard feelings, Harpo dedicated his next album to his horse, Starter.
Harpo continued to record throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s. During 1985, he produced several Swedish groups including Shanghai, Suzzies Orkester and +1. In 1987, he set up his own record company, Igloo Records.
After his 1992 album, things were quiet on the recording front. He released a single, "Sounds Like Love", in Germany only in 1994. In 1997, Harpo contributed two new songs to a greatest hits compilation album, Harpo Hits!
Harpo released his latest album of new material, Jan Harpo Svensson 05 in April 2005. He had an extensive tour of Germany in 2007.
2) Harpo US AOR band, was formed in 1974 by founding members Bill Kerstetter and John “Lloyd” Kistner.
Members: Bill Kerstetter, Brian Perry, Chris Silvagni, George Zerbe, Jack Pyers, Jeff Johnson, John Hahn, John Lloyd Kistner, Rich Smith, Shmoulik Avigal.
In The Zum-Zum-Zummernight
Harpo Lyrics
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hey girl, won't you stay at home today;
we don't know what you are doin',
we don't know where you are goin',
but they should know that you are growin';
In the zum-zum-zummernight
In the zum-zum-zummernight
In the zum-zum-zummernight
I'm gonna play on my romantic guitar,
as we lie under the twinkling stars;
let's have a rendezvous, just me and you;
In the zum-zum-zummernight
In the zum-zum-zummernight
In the zum-zum-zummernight
Ev'rything's alright.
The only one watchin' us is the moon in the sky;
come on girl, you just got to try,
forget about the winter, forget about the cold;
when summer is here and there is someone to hold;
Like the Beatles in " Strawberry Fields"
we're gonna harvest our thoughts of loveforever
and everthe stars and we'll be together;
In the zum-zum-zummernight
In the zum-zum-zummernight
In the zum-zum-zummernight
Ev'rything's alright.
Harpo's "In The Zum-Zum-Zummernight" is a catchy, upbeat song about the joys of summer and young love. The lyrics begin with a reference to the concern shown by parents regarding the whereabouts of their daughter in the midst of summer school break. The song suggests that instead of staying indoors, it's time to go out and experience everything the season has to offer. The phrase "zum-zum-zummernight" is a fun and playful way to describe a night out, and the repetition of the phrase in the chorus lends the song an infectious energy.
The lyrics go on to describe the romantic possibilities of a summer night spent outdoors, with the singer playing a guitar and gazing up at the stars with their love interest. The imagery evoked is of carefree days and warm nights, with the moon overhead and the promise of love in the air. The song is a celebration of youth, freedom, and the joy of experiencing life to the fullest.
Overall, "In The Zum-Zum-Zummernight" is a simple, upbeat song with a positive message about enjoying life and finding love. The lyrics are playful and evocative, with a focus on the magic of summer nights and the pleasures of falling in love.
Line by Line Meaning
As your mama and papa may say
As your parents may say
hey girl, won't you stay at home today;
Hey girl, would you stay home today?
we don't know what you are doin',
We don't know what you are doing
we don't know where you are goin',
We don't know where you are going
but they should know that you are growin';
But they should know that you are growing
In the zum-zum-zummernight
In the buzzing night
In the zum-zum-zummernight
In the buzzing night
In the zum-zum-zummernight
In the buzzing night
Ev'rything's alright.
Everything is alright.
I'm gonna play on my romantic guitar,
I am going to play my romantic guitar
as we lie under the twinkling stars;
As we lie under the sparkling stars
let's have a rendezvous, just me and you;
Let's have a meeting, just you and me
In the zum-zum-zummernight
In the buzzing night
In the zum-zum-zummernight
In the buzzing night
In the zum-zum-zummernight
In the buzzing night
Ev'rything's alright.
Everything is alright.
The only one watchin' us is the moon in the sky;
The only one watching us is the moon in the sky
come on girl, you just got to try,
Come on, girl, you just have to try
forget about the winter, forget about the cold;
Forget about winter, forget about the cold
when summer is here and there is someone to hold;
When summer is here and there is someone to hold
Like the Beatles in " Strawberry Fields"
Like the Beatles in "Strawberry Fields"
we're gonna harvest our thoughts of love forever
We are going to harvest our thoughts of love forever
and everthe stars and we'll be together;
And ever the stars, and we will be together
In the zum-zum-zummernight
In the buzzing night
In the zum-zum-zummernight
In the buzzing night
In the zum-zum-zummernight
In the buzzing night
Ev'rything's alright.
Everything is alright.
Contributed by Leah H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Robin Nash
Tolle Musik !! Zeitlos !! So etwa kommt nie wieder !!! Wir hatten eine tolle Jugendzeit !!!
doparminos
Was ein cooler alter Song! 👍👍👍 !!! Genial!!! What a cool old Song! Thank you for sharing!!! 👍
Peter S.
Das Lied war der Hit auf jeder Dorfkirmes der späten 70 Jahre beim Raupenfahren😁
Hallson
Carola "I en sommarnatt" brought me here
claus stimpfig
das war wunderbar