The band was founded by Janove Ottesen and Geir Zahl, two childhood friends from the small town of Bryne, Rogaland, Norway. The two had earlier played in several bands together, including Blod, snått & juling, and gnom. The musical and lyrical style of Kaizers Orchestra was in part conceptualized during the active period of latter group. Despite the release of a studio album, Mys, any recognition eluded gnom. However, one song written during gnom's active period, called "Hemmelig beskjed", featuring a musical style the group themselves labeled "ompa" music, which elicited significant response from live audiences. This inspired Ottesen to compose a new song, "Bastard"; the song's dissonant sound and absurd storytelling lyrics, clearly inspired by Tom Waits, as well as the unusual inclusion of oil barrels as percussion, inspired them to reinvent their sound, image and name. Kaizers Orchestra was officially founded on 1 January 2000; it was initially a five-piece group that naturally evolved from gnom, with Ottesen as primary vocalist, Zahl as guitarist and secondary vocalist, drummer Rune Solheim, organist Helge Risa, and Jon Sjøen, an educated musician who had become a member of gnom after their previous bassist quit.
Throughout 2000, Kaizers Orchestra held sporadic performances at various small venues in Norway, having received little to no publicity at the time. In July of that year, Ottesen and Zahl performed acoustic shows at Det Beste Stedet in Sandnes, their sets consisting of partly Blod, snått & juling, gnom and newly-written Kaizers Orchestra material. A 14-track demo was recorded, but Ottesen and Zahl grew frustrated at finding it hard to bring their vision for the band to tape. They recorded an unnamed EP in 2000, known as Gul EP (Yellow EP), featuring a recording of "Bastard" (which had not been recorded while gnom was active). After months of struggling, they finally signed a deal with the independent label BroilerFarm. In 2001, Terje Vinterstø (later Terje Winterstø Røthing) joined the band as their first guitarist. In the studio, co-producers Jørgen Træen and Stian Carstensen succesfully aided the group in capturing Ottesen and Zahl's vision for the band's sound, and the album was recorded in six days, "leaving the last day for partying."
Their debut album, Ompa til du dør, was released on 1 September 2001, receiving high praise from critics and launching them into the national spotlight. The album would go on to win a Spellemannspris (the Norwegian equivalent of the Grammy Awards) and become the best-selling Norwegian rock album of all time. Subsequently, as bookings became more and more frequent, Kaizers Orchestra performed in nearly every part of Norway until the end of the year. Early 2002 saw the release of their second EP, Død manns tango. In the summer, they released another EP, Mann mot mann, and performed their first international live concert at the prestigious Roskilde Festival in Denmark, to much critical praise. In early 2003, they performed as part of the Eurosonic festival in the Netherlands, where they made a huge impression on both festival-goers and music business executives.
On 3 February 2003, their second studio album, Evig pint, was released. This album was cited as having a darker atmosphere, and notably included only one song featuring oil barrels, which had become a trademark for the band by then. The album did not receive the same level of critical acclaim their debut album did, nor did it sell as well. Despite this, the band went on a highly successful tour, now often including shows outside of Norway as well, helping to build an international fan base. Later in 2003, Ottesen and Zahl released a remastered version of Mys, the only official release by gnom, including a recording of "Bastard", despite the fact that the track had been recorded only after the band's dissolution. In the same year, Jon Sjøen would leave the group for personal reasons, with the group promptly making Øyvind Storesund, who had served as substitute for Sjøen at concerts he was unable to attend, their new bassist.
In 2004, they signed a recording contract with Universal Germany, and a majority of their backlog was re-released in European countries. By this time, the band had performed in nearly all major countries in Europe. In 2005, they released their third studio album, Maestro, which was released in certain European countries as well as Norway. The album received a majority of positive reviews, however, some were disappointed (the album received the lowest marks given from a Swedish magazine in some time) and the album failed to sell as well as the record company planned, something which the band blamed on little support and promotion from Universal Germany. Nevertheless, the Kaizers embarked on the "Maestro Tour", spanning over ten countries, which perpetuated into 2006.
After the release of their first live album, Live at Vega (as well as a live DVD, Viva La Vega) in 2006, Kaizers announced that they were embarking on a one-year hiatus from performing in 2007. The "Grand Finale Tour" commenced in the fall of 2006, spanning more than 10 countries, culminating in four consecutive shows at Vega, Copenhagen, Denmark; the same venue in which Live at Vega and Viva La Vega were recorded. Concurrently, Kontroll på kontinentet, a book about Kaizers Orchestra and their past, present and future, chronicling their rise from obscure guitar duo to one of the biggest Norwegian music exports in some time, was released. It was written by Geir Zahl's brother Jan Zahl, and featured photos taken by their staff photographer Paal Audestad.
Despite their previously announced hiatus from live performances, the band played three shows in 2007; One at their old favorite, the club Folken in Stavanger, at the Documenta 12 art expo in Germany, and the Sziget Festival in Hungary. Shortly after the Sziget concert, information was released pertaining to their next album. Their fourth studio album, Maskineri, was released on 18 February 2008. It received favorable reviews in Scandaniavian press. The supporting tour received great response and was followed up with a summer tour, with the band performing at various festivals throughout Europe. In the fall of 2008, the band released 250 Prosent, a live compilation album featuring recordings from the Maskineri Tour. Shortly thereafter, the band embarked on the 250 Prosent Tour, during which they played rare songs that they had dropped from setlists long time ago or had never really played much in the first place. Notably, very few songs from Maskineri were played at these concerts.
Early in 2009, Kaizers Orchestra released information concerning a new studio album called Våre demoner; a compilation of re-recordings of songs that had not been released for various reasons. This selection of songs spanned the band's entire career up to that point, and some songs which ultimately appeared on Våre demoner had been bootlegged by the fan community or otherwise leaked, among them the titular song "Våre demoner", of which a demo version was leaked. The album was released in limited quantities on 27 April 2009, followed by a subsequent mini-tour of small venues in Norway. The events of the week of the tour was captured on film by Geir Zahl, as were the recording sessions for the album.
In 2007, Ottesen composed two to three songs a day for the duration of ten days as part of a massive creative outpouring he was experiencing at that time. In the fall of 2009, basic information regarding the upcoming studio album was released, citing a 2011 release date. The band announced a Studio Tour of venues across Norway; the proceedings from these concerts were to finance the next studio album. Attendees were to be given a special edition of the new album at a later point in time. On 10 February 2010, the album's title and format were revealed; it would be a series of three albums, each a part of a trilogy known as Violeta Violeta, to be released gradually throughout 2011 and 2012.
One of the singles from Violeta Violeta Volume I, "Hjerteknuser", became the most successful single of the band's career, and was also the subject of a contest that allowed unsigned talent to cover the song; the prize was an opportunity to perform as a support act for the band, and have their version officially released. Volume I was released on 31 January 2011, and received a varying reception, although critics accentuated positives more than negatives. Concerts for the supporting tour incorporated abstract storytelling visuals projected onto a screen on-stage. The final concert of the tour, to be held at Oslo Spektrum on 9 April 2011, served as the band's tenth anniversary celebration. The entire performance was recorded and released as Live i Oslo Spektrum on 11 November 2011 on CD as well as home video formats.
Violeta Violeta Volume II was released on 11 November 2011; the album's first single, "Tusen dråper regn", was released on 31 May 2011. Around the same time, the many remixed versions of "En for orgelet, en for meg", a song from Volume I, were released as the En for orgelet, en for meg digital EP. On 11 August 2011, Violeta Violeta Volume II was performed, in its entirety, for the very first time at the Øya Festival in Oslo, Norway. Notably, the album features Zahl's return to the position of lead vocalist on the songs he has composed for the album; this has not occurred since the release of Evig pint ("Stormfull vals", featured on Våre demoner, was originally written before the release of their first album, and as such do not meet the specifics).
The promotion for the final installment of the Violeta Violeta trilogy began with "The Kaizervirus", an enigmatic viral marketing campaign. The first single from the album, "Aldri vodka, Violeta", was released in September 2012, and Violeta Violeta Volume III was released on November 2, 2012. Following several tour dates in 2013 (including their first ever concert in the UK), they have announced an indefinite hiatus from performing as a group after an extended series of concerts at the DNB Arena in Stavanger, situated in Ottesen and Zahl's home county of Rogaland. The final concert performance for the foreseeable future took place on 15 September 2013. While the group has cited that a reunion is more or less inevitable, when this will occur is unknown for now.
Den andre er meg
Kaizers Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Den eine er alle de andre og den andre er meg
Jorda spinner rundt seg og tar alle med seg
Men eg spinner bare rundt meg
Om eg går med håve høgt
Går med håve lågt
Går ingen med meg
Elsker hverandre men
Ingen ser meg
Og eg fant ingen svar I bånn av et rødvinsglass
Det er ingen som har verken tid eller plass
Med meg går det ner
Ner til Fanden med sjumilssteg
Det fins to typer folk
Den eine er alle de andre og den andre er meg
Jorda spinner rundt seg og tar alle med seg
Men eg spinner bare rundt meg
Det var to som ville ha meg
Den eine han fekk meg og den andre er deg
Men om der var en eg sko ha gitt meg hen te
Då vett eg kem
Ingen andre enn deg
Eg har hørt Herren gir, hørt Herren tar
Men det angår ikkje meg
All den tid eg har levd, all den tid eg har bedt
Har Han aldri latt høre fra seg
Men eg fant ingen svar sjøl om eg leste det svart på kvitt
Ingen kommentar på det eneste spørsmålet mitt
Med meg går det ner
Ner til Fanden med sjumilssteg
Det fins to typer folk
Den eine er alle de andre og den andre er meg
Jorda spinner rundt seg og tar alle med seg
Men eg spinner bare rundt meg
The lyrics to Kaizers Orchestra's song Den andre er meg describe the feeling of being an outsider, of not fitting in with the crowd. The singer says that there are two types of people in the world - those who are part of the group and those who are like him. He feels like he is spinning around in his own world while everyone else is moving along with the Earth. He talks about how he walks with his head held high or low, but no one walks with him. Everyone loves each other but nobody sees him.
The singer cannot find any answers at the bottom of a red wine glass, and he feels like he is alone and lost. He talks about how there were two people who wanted him, but he ended up with one while the other person became the listener. He has heard stories about how God gives and takes, but he feels like it does not apply to him since he has never heard from God. He reads everything he can find, but he cannot find any answers. In the end, he feels like he is walking down the path to hell with seven-league boots.
Overall, the lyrics paint a picture of loneliness and isolation, of feeling like an outsider who is not part of the group. The singer is looking for answers to his questions, but he cannot find them, and he feels like he is spiraling out of control.
Line by Line Meaning
Det fins to typer folk
There are two types of people
Den eine er alle de andre og den andre er meg
The first type are all the others and the second type is me
Jorda spinner rundt seg og tar alle med seg
The earth spins around itself and takes everyone with it
Men eg spinner bare rundt meg
But I only spin around myself
Om eg går med håve høgt
If I walk with my head held high
Går med håve lågt
Or walk with my head held low
Går ingen med meg
No one walks with me
Alle ser på kverandre og
Everyone looks at each other and
Elsker hverandre men
Loves each other but
Ingen ser meg
No one sees me
Og eg fant ingen svar I bånn av et rødvinsglass
And I found no answers at the bottom of a red wine glass
Det er ingen som har verken tid eller plass
There is no one who has either time or space
Med meg går det ner
With me it goes down
Ner til Fanden med sjumilssteg
Down to hell with seven-league steps
Det var to som ville ha meg
There were two who wanted me
Den eine han fekk meg og den andre er deg
The first one got me and the other is you
Men om der var en eg sko ha gitt meg hen te
But if there was one I should have given myself to
Då vett eg kem
Then I know who
Ingen andre enn deg
No one else but you
Eg har hørt Herren gir, hørt Herren tar
I have heard the Lord gives, heard the Lord takes
Men det angår ikkje meg
But it doesn't concern me
All den tid eg har levd, all den tid eg har bedt
All the time I have lived, all the time I have prayed
Har Han aldri latt høre fra seg
He has never let himself be heard
Men eg fant ingen svar sjøl om eg leste det svart på kvitt
But I found no answers even though I read it in black and white
Ingen kommentar på det eneste spørsmålet mitt
No comment on my only question
Med meg går det ner
With me it goes down
Ner til Fanden med sjumilssteg
Down to hell with seven-league steps
Det fins to typer folk
There are two types of people
Den eine er alle de andre og den andre er meg
The first type are all the others and the second type is me
Jorda spinner rundt seg og tar alle med seg
The earth spins around itself and takes everyone with it
Men eg spinner bare rundt meg
But I only spin around myself
Contributed by Hudson O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
TheGuyWhoPlaysCod
(Im Norwegian) I always listen to this song whenever I become depressed. I dont know why... it brings me down even more, but the lyrics are a masterpiece. And hands down, The lady singing here (sorry i dont know your name) You make my shiver and get goosebumps.
Jon - 25
Aleksander Agvald Telhaug
Im guessing the lady is Ragnhild Winterstø Røthing. She was at least singing something on the album Maskineri. Loving these lyrics <3
Littleen TN
Av en eller annen grunn får jeg alltid hjelp til å puste bedre fra å synge denne sangen (long covid pusteproblemer!). Kaizers <3 skulle ønske de lagde musikk ennå!
PSYCHOTRONICbrdcst
Fantastisk nummer! Tak for teksterne (dialekten kan godt være lidt svær, LOL).
hafunnynot
eg elske denne sangen :3
Kroneexe
bra sang.
J Kierkegaard
tak...