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.
Sekskløver
Kaizers Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Danste du med feil steg i den valsen
Og det svir med en klump i brystet
Det sko ha vært meir tunga i det kysset
Og du kan skylde alt på meg, det har du lov til
Eg kan sei at eg angrer for alltid
Men uten meg, ingen mor-datter-silhuetter
Uten meg, ingen drøm om Violeta
Eg er din forlover
Eg lover meir enn eg holder
Nå får me sjå kva eg tåler
Du kommer mens eg sover
Eg kan gi deg mitt ærlige svar
Eg trudde faktisk at me to var bra
Men du var for stor for meg, det var ting som du sa
Nå må eg angre for alltid for at eg stakk av
Om eg fekk gjort noe om igjen
Fått ønsket mitt oppfyllt av Kongen
Sko eg aldri gitt slepp på ballongen
Heller svevt over skyene sammen
Eg er din forlover (Sju bøtter tårer er nok, Beatrice)
Eg lover meir enn eg holder (Sju bøtter tårer er nok)
Ja, nå får me sjå kva eg tåler (Sju bøtter tårer er nok, Beatrice)
Du kommer mens eg sover (Sju bøtter tårer er nok)
Me delte på en hemmelighet
Drømmene dine som me grov ner
De vokste opp av bakken når det regner ner
Nå trenger det aldri å regna meir
Eg såg det for meg i frå mi seng
Drømmer som vokser som ei blomstereng
Nå er det heilt spesiell og vakker dag
Reisen kan begynne nå som me er i lag
For eg er din forlover (Ååå, du heiste meg til skyene og enda lenger opp)
Eg lover meir enn eg holder
Ja, nå får me sjå kva eg tåler (Eg var din akrobat og eg dalte alltid rett inn i armene dine)
Du kommer mens eg sover
Eg er din forlover (Sju bøtter tårer er nok, Beatrice) (Me måtte vært sommerfugler om me sko ha følt oss friere)
Eg lover meir enn eg holder (Sju bøtter tårer er nok)
Ja, nå får me sjå kva eg tåler (Sju bøtter tårer er nok, Beatrice) (Og far stod og smilte og vinkte ner på bakken og såg)
Du kommer mens eg sover (Sju bøtter tårer er nok)
Eg er din forlover (Sju bøtter tårer er nok, Beatrice) (Ååå, du heiste meg til skyene og enda lenger opp)
Eg lover meir enn eg holder (Sju bøtter tårer er nok)
Ja, nå får me sjå kva eg tåler (Sju bøtter tårer er nok, Beatrice) (Eg var din akrobat og eg dalte alltid rett inn i armene dine)
Du kommer mens eg sover (Sju bøtter tårer er nok)
Ja, for eg er din forlover (Sju bøtter tårer er nok, Beatrice) (Me måtte vært sommerfugler om me sko ha følt oss friere)
Eg lover meir enn eg holder (Sju bøtter tårer er nok)
Ja, nå får me sjå kva eg tåler (Sju bøtter tårer er nok, Beatrice) (Og far stod og smilte og vinkte ner på bakken og såg)
Du kommer mens eg sover (Sju bøtter tårer er nok)
The lyrics of "Sekskløver" by Kaizers Orchestra speak of a failed relationship where the singer is filled with regret and heartache. The opening lines set the tone with the image of the singer having ten knives at their throat and dancing the wrong steps in the waltz, indicating a sense of danger and confusion in the relationship. The lines "Og det svir med en klump i brystet / Det sko ha vært meir tunga i det kysset" express a sense of disappointment and pain, as the singer feels that the kiss could have been better.
The second stanza seems to express the singer's sense of guilt and responsibility for the failure of the relationship, stating "Eg kan sei at eg angrer for alltid / Men uten meg, ingen mor-datter-silhuetter / Uten meg, ingen drøm om Violeta". The use of the phrase "mor-datter-silhuetter" creates a poignant image of the relationship between a mother and daughter, suggesting that the singer was a central figure in the other person's life. The lines "Uten meg, ingen drøm om Violeta" refer to the song's title which means a six-leaved clover, a symbol of luck and divine protection.
The chorus speaks of the singer as the other person's best man (forlover) and their attempts to withstand the pain of the break-up. The lines "Eg lover meir enn eg holder" indicate a sense of inadequacy and the fear of not being able to live up to promises made. The final stanza speaks of shared secrets and dreams that have now come true, indicating a sense of hope and renewal.
Line by Line Meaning
Med hånd på hjerta og ti kniver i halsen
You danced with the wrong step in the waltz while being vulnerable
Danste du med feil steg i den valsen
You made a mistake in dancing the waltz
Og det svir med en klump i brystet
You feel pain and regret in your heart
Det sko ha vært meir tunga i det kysset
You wish there was more passion in the kiss
Og du kan skylde alt på meg, det har du lov til
You can blame everything on me if you want to
Eg kan sei at eg angrer for alltid
I can say that I regret it forever
Men uten meg, ingen mor-datter-silhuetter
But without me, there would be no mother-daughter silhouettes
Uten meg, ingen drøm om Violeta
Without me, there would be no dream of Violeta
Eg er din forlover
I am your witness
Eg lover meir enn eg holder
I promise more than I can keep
Nå får me sjå kva eg tåler
Now we will see what I am capable of handling
Du kommer mens eg sover
You come while I am sleeping
Eg kan gi deg mitt ærlige svar
I can give you my honest answer
Eg trudde faktisk at me to var bra
I actually thought we were good together
Men du var for stor for meg, det var ting som du sa
But you were too big for me, there were things you said
Nå må eg angre for alltid for at eg stakk av
Now I have to regret forever for running away
Om eg fekk gjort noe om igjen
If I could do something over again
Fått ønsket mitt oppfyllt av Kongen
Had my wish granted by the King
Sko eg aldri gitt slepp på ballongen
I would never have let go of the balloon
Heller svevt over skyene sammen
Instead, we would have floated over the clouds together
Me delte på en hemmelighet
We shared a secret
Drømmene dine som me grov ner
Your dreams that we buried
De vokste opp av bakken når det regner ner
They grew out of the ground when it rained down
Nå trenger det aldri å regna meir
Now it never has to rain anymore
Eg såg det for meg i frå mi seng
I saw it from my bed
Drømmer som vokser som ei blomstereng
Dreams that grow like a flower field
Nå er det heilt spesiell og vakker dag
Now it's a very special and beautiful day
Reisen kan begynne nå som me er i lag
The journey can begin now that we are together
Ååå, du heiste meg til skyene og enda lenger opp
Oh, you lifted me up to the clouds and even higher
Eg var din akrobat og eg dalte alltid rett inn i armene dine
I was your acrobat and I always fell right into your arms
Sju bøtter tårer er nok, Beatrice
Seven buckets of tears are enough, Beatrice
Me måtte vært sommerfugler om me sko ha følt oss friere
We would have to be butterflies to feel freer
Og far stod og smilte og vinkte ner på bakken og såg
And father stood and smiled and waved down from the ground and watched
Contributed by Riley I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
André Melhus
kaizer will be forever the best band ever sant norge!!!!
Tony Li
Da er det bare å vente 10 år til neste gang! Siste dans er danset, den fete damen har sunget, og sju bøtter tårer ble grått..
Kaftann
How come I don't speak the language, yet manage to understand most of the song just by listening.
Good thing.
VetRa16
+Kaftann The magic of Kaizers :-) Their music speaks it's own language!
LeonB
Trist at triologien er over, men den ble avsluttet med en utrolig sang! Tusen takk Kaizers Orchestra!
Aknarb97
Magnificient!
Hanna Kaizer
Elsker innslagene fra Drøm Videre Violeta! <3
VetRa16
No they're having a break to breathe a little and to produce a theatre show of the Violeta history. They want to have it in more than one country as well like England, germany, denmark etc. Their break could be permanent (they've said that), but I personally think they will come back in a few years :)
DontRobMe13
8 years later and ... nothing has happened even through the current medical crisis there were no rumours that the have locked themselves up in a studio in order to record a new lp. :(
ee ff
Helt utrolig hva Kaizers får til... På 3:45 spiller de 4 kaizer-sanger samtidig! Sekskløver, forloveren, sju bøtter tårer er nok Beatrice og Drøm videre violeta ! Fantastisk slutt på triologien, takk for all den vakre musikken dere har brakt inn i min hverdag :)