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.
Señor Torpedo
Kaizers Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Familiebedriften dør
Sjå på meg den som tør
å sette seg i stolen
Og alle kjenner Sonny sitt navn
Og alle sammen føler hans savn
Han er så Helgen som en Helgen kan bli
Og rekk opp hånda hvis du kjenner nogen
En som eg kan ha inni armkroken
En som er komfortalbel i sjefsstolen
En som alltid har ei hånd på pistolen
Det var for han eg måtte sy sju sting
Det var for han eg måtte bli halvt blind
Og du var alltid velkommen inn
Måtte eg gått i døden for han ville eg gått rett inn
For han er min far
Herren gir og Herren tar
Så lenge du er lojal
Er du velkommen i vår hage
Det fins ingen vei tilbake
Ett feil ord ett sjeivt skritt så er dine dager talte
La meg presentere Señor Torpedo
Av han får du meir enn du ber om
Han legger ingenting i mellom
Guds gave til oss er Señor Torpedo
Og snart kjenner alle hans navn
Når han forsvinner kjenner alle hans savn
Han blir så Helgen som en Helgen kan bli
Men han blir ingen ny Sonny
The opening lines of Kaizers Orchestra's Señor Torpedo express a sentiment that has been said before – the family business is dying. The singer of this song is daring anyone to try and take his place at the head of the business. He sings about how everyone knows Sonny's name, while feeling his absence, knowing that no one can ever replace him. Sonny is portrayed as a saint-like figure who is irreplaceable in the world of the family business.
He then asks if anyone knows someone who can be in his arms or that can sit comfortably in the chief seat. He wants someone who can always have a hand on their pistol when needed, like Sonny. The next verse is talking about how he had to sew up his wound for Sonny and that he was willing to die for him. The singer claims that as long as loyalty is granted, everyone is welcome in their garden. However, the road only goes in one direction, meaning that one mistake or misstep from loyalty and your days are numbered.
The song goes on to introduce Señor Torpedo, who is similar to Sonny but better. The singer claims that Torpedo is more than one bargained for, and he doesn't hold back. But in the end, even Señor Torpedo, despite being so great, could never be Sonny, who is known and missed by all.
Overall, the song portrays the idea that no one can ever be truly replaced or compared to another, even if someone else comes and seemingly does the same job better.
Line by Line Meaning
Eg kan sei det igjen men eg har sagt det før
I have said it before and I will say it again
Familiebedriften dør
The family business is dying
Sjå på meg den som tør
Look at me, who dares
å sette seg i stolen
to sit in the chair
Og alle kjenner Sonny sitt navn
Everyone knows Sonny's name
Og alle sammen føler hans savn
Everyone feels his absence
Han er så Helgen som en Helgen kan bli
He is as saintly as can be
Det fins ingen ny Sonny
There is no new Sonny
Og rekk opp hånda hvis du kjenner nogen
Raise your hand if you know anyone
En som eg kan ha inni armkroken
Someone I can have in my arms
En som er komfortalbel i sjefsstolen
Someone who is comfortable in the boss's chair
En som alltid har ei hånd på pistolen
Someone who always has a hand on the pistol
Det var for han eg måtte sy sju sting
I had to sew seven stitches for him
Det var for han eg måtte bli halvt blind
I had to become half-blind for him
Og du var alltid velkommen inn
And you were always welcome
Måtte eg gått i døden for han ville eg gått rett inn
If I had to die for him, I would have gone straight in
For han er min far
Because he is my father
Herren gir og Herren tar
The Lord gives and the Lord takes away
Så lenge du er lojal
As long as you are loyal
Er du velkommen i vår hage
You are welcome in our garden
Det fins ingen vei tilbake
There is no way back
Ett feil ord ett sjeivt skritt så er dine dager talte
One wrong word, one crooked step, and your days are numbered
La meg presentere Señor Torpedo
Let me introduce you to Señor Torpedo
Av han får du meir enn du ber om
With him, you get more than you ask for
Han legger ingenting i mellom
He holds nothing back
Guds gave til oss er Señor Torpedo
God's gift to us is Señor Torpedo
Og snart kjenner alle hans navn
Soon, everyone will know his name
Når han forsvinner kjenner alle hans savn
When he disappears, everyone feels his absence
Han blir så Helgen som en Helgen kan bli
He becomes as saintly as can be
Men han blir ingen ny Sonny
But he will not be a new Sonny
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
SilverGamerDude
Elsker rytmen!
Kim Nyhammer Photography
Fantastisk!
EgLikarBERGEN
Denne sangen er relevant selv i 2021, nesten 2022
zakosist
Er det Sonny som er Senor Torpedo? bare lurer, jeg er ikke så god på å tolke sangtekster