Lekman recorded and released much of his material privately from 2000 to 2003 on CD-R. Because one of his songs during this time was entitled "Rocky Dennis' Farewell Song to the Blind Girl", Lekman was mistakenly referred to as Rocky Dennis for a while (the song was actually written from the perspective of the main character of the 1985 film Mask). Lekman says that it was a "mistake": "someone thought that was my real name cause I had a song about him, and then radio picked up on it, and I never had a chance to change it". He put the confusion to rest with his Rocky Dennis in Heaven EP (2004).
His self-released 7" vinyl EP Maple Leaves caused a big stir in 2003, mainly due to sound files circulating on file sharing networks. When the same EP was released on CD by the Swedish independent label Service Records in the autumn, he was already a well-known name. The songs Maple Leaves and Black Cab were heavily played on Swedish national radio. He soon signed a contract with the American label Secretly Canadian for releases outside of Sweden. Heavy touring and his debut album soon followed.
His first album When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog was released in 2004, and consisted of recordings made between 2000 and 2004 (some tracks had been previously released independently by Lekman). The album attracted attention among the alternative music press in both Europe and the US. The song You Are The Light was a successful radio hit, and a video received some rotation in the Nordic MTV and ZTV. In Sweden the album reached #6 in the national chart. Lekman was nominated for three Swedish Grammies, three P3 Guld and three Manifest awards, as well as dubbed album of the year by Nöjesguiden.
A concert film shot from Lekman's sold-out show with José González at Göteborg's concert hall in December 2003 was broadcast by Swedish national television two times in 2005. In June 2005, a compilation CD of Jens' first three EPs, with extra tracks, was released as Oh You're So Silent Jens. Lekman also had a track on Secretly Canadian's SC100 compilation, released in April 2007.
His latest album, Night Falls Over Kortedala, was released in October 2007, and appeared on many lists for the best albums of said year.
Live performances by Lekman differs in style. Sometimes he performs alone with only a guitar and a CD player, or doing a capella versions of his songs. Other times, he is accompanied by a choir and string quartet, and he was recently seen on tour with a full band (including horns etc) consisting of all women musicians, dressed in white 60s dresses.
Official: [http://www.jenslekman.com]
Fan-site/Forum: [http://www.mapleleaves.se]
Sky Phenomenon
Jens Lekman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the sky some kind of strange sky phenomenon
Feel strange to have you as a friend
But I'd rather be your friend
Then to never see you again
I'd rather be your friend
You stare at the sky, colours reflecting in your eye
But here and at this time of year
It's like someone spilled a beer
All over the atmosphere
It's like someone spilled a beer
And I called out your name
Like the name of a coming hurricane
I called out your name
Like you call out when you're in hurt and pain
I called out your name
But you were caught in a heavenly silver rain
You and I are not the same
We're divided by the smoke of an aeroplane
Of an aeroplane
Flock of birds in the sky
Flying south, they know this place will die
And I wish they could take me with them
But I would not be accepted
'Cause I can't dance the funky chicken
I can't dance the funky chicken
I'm standing here waiting for you to come
In the sky some kind of strange
Sky phenomenon
In Jens Lekman's song "Sky Phenomenon," the singer waits for someone to come as they observe a strange sky phenomenon. The singer is unsure of their relationship with this person, describing it as strange but acknowledging that they would rather be friends than never see them again. The phenomenon in the sky is likely the northern lights or aurora borealis, which the singer describes as if someone spilled beer all over the atmosphere. The singer calls out the person's name like a coming hurricane, but they are caught in a heavenly silver rain, dividing them from the singer who is grounded on the earth divided by an airplane’s smoke.
The song conveys a sense of longing and ambiguity as the singer waits for someone who may or may not show up. The unusual sky phenomenon adds a surreal and dreamlike quality to the song, possibly reflecting the singer's uncertainty about their relationship with the other person. The inclusion of the birds flying south and the references to the funky chicken dance further emphasize the singer's isolation and desire to escape. Overall, the song creates a poignant sense of yearning and an uncertain future.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm standing here waiting for you to come
He is standing and waiting for someone to come.
In the sky some kind of strange sky phenomenon
There is an unusual occurrence happening in the sky.
Feel strange to have you as a friend
He feels a bit strange having the person as their friend.
But I'd rather be your friend
He would rather be friends with this person than not see them again.
Then to never see you again
It's better to be friends than to never see this person again.
I'd rather be your friend
Reiteration of the previous statement.
You stare at the sky, colours reflecting in your eye
The person is looking at the sky and seeing the colors reflected in their eyes.
Could it be what they call the northern light?
He wonders if what they are seeing is the northern lights.
But here and at this time of year
It's surprising to see the northern lights at this location during this time of year.
It's like someone spilled a beer
The colors in the sky look like spilled beer.
All over the atmosphere
The beer-like colors are all over the sky.
And I called out your name
He called out the person's name.
Like the name of a coming hurricane
He says the person's name as if he is warning of an impending disaster.
Like you call out when you're in hurt and pain
He called out the person's name like you call out when you're hurting or in pain.
But you were caught in a heavenly silver rain
The person he called out to was caught in a heavenly silver rain.
You and I are not the same
He and the person he called out to are different.
We're divided by the smoke of an aeroplane
The smoke of an airplane is dividing them from each other.
Flock of birds in the sky
There is a group of birds flying in the sky.
Flying south, they know this place will die
The birds are flying south because they know this place is dying.
And I wish they could take me with them
He wishes that the birds could take him with them.
But I would not be accepted
He thinks the birds would not accept him.
'Cause I can't dance the funky chicken
He can't dance the funky chicken, which is why he thinks the birds would not accept him.
I'm standing here waiting for you to come
He is still standing and waiting for someone to come.
In the sky some kind of strange
There is still something strange happening in the sky.
Sky phenomenon
The phenomenon in the sky is what is being referred to.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Jens Martin Lekman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind