She appeared in more than 20 films and television series, including The Emigrants (1971) with Liv Ullman and Max von Sydow.
She was above all an outstanding singer, particularly noted for her jazz songs. In 1964 she recorded the jazz album Waltz for Debby with Bill Evans. She was regarded as a role model by many younger Swedish singers. Her long career also included En gång i Stockholm (Once Upon a Time in Stockholm) with which she represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1963. She finished last and scored the infamous null points, but still managed to remain successful in Sweden.
She was known to suffer from scoliosis, and as a result was forced to retire from performing in 1999.
On May 12, 2005, she died in an accidental fire in her apartment in Stockholm.
Yesterdays
Monica Zetterlund Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now it looks as though they're here to stay
Oh, I believe in yesterday.
Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be,
There's a shadow hanging over me.
Oh, yesterday came suddenly.
Why she had to go I don't know she wouldn't say.
Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play.
Now I need a place to hide away.
Oh, I believe in yesterday.
Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm
The lyrics of Monica Zetterlund's "Yesterdays" express a longing for days gone by, specifically the days of happy and carefree youth, when love and romance were celebrated with the reckless abandon of youth. The song is an ode to the past and a lament for the present, with the singer regretting the passage of time and the loss of those golden days that will never come again.
The use of the word "yesterday" is significant in the song, as it conjures up a sense of nostalgia and melancholy that is central to the lyrics. The repetition of the word throughout the song has the effect of underscoring the singer's desire to return to a time when life was more innocent and pure. The phrase "sweet sequester days" is especially poignant, as it suggests a time of seclusion and safety that is now lost forever.
Line by Line Meaning
Yesterdays, yesterdays
The days that have passed and will never come back again
Days I knew as happy
Days when I was truly happy and content with myself
Sweet sequester days
Days of beautiful isolation and seclusion, where I felt at peace
Olden days, golden days
Days of the past, when everything seemed better and brighter
Days of mad romance and love
Days filled with intense feelings of love and passion
Then gay youth was mine, truth was mine
In the past, I had happiness and truth on my side
Joyous free and flaming life
My life was full of joy, freedom, and passion
Forsooth, was mine
In truth, I had it all
Sad am I, glad am I
I am sad because those days are gone, but glad because I have memories of them
For today I’m dreaming of yesterdays
I am living in the past, dreaming of those beautiful days that are long gone
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JEROME KERN, OTTO HARBACH, RONEN SHMUELI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind