With his smoking, hard-hitting "Funk Unit", the man with the Red Horn has b… Read Full Bio ↴With his smoking, hard-hitting "Funk Unit", the man with the Red Horn has been responsible for a bunch of successful CDs over the past years. His concerts from Stockholm to Beijing have been met with ecstatic acclamation. In duo with pianist Esbjörn Svensson, he has elevated Swedish folk music to the level of subdued works of art. As the artistic director of the 2001 Berlin Jazz Festival, designed a state of the art presentation of Scandinavian trends and moods. In May 2002 Nils was honored with the "Tore Ehrling prize" by the Swedish Society Of Popular Composers for "His outstanding contribution to spread swedish jazz music around the globe".
He is a world-class soloist and artist with heart and soul: Nils Landgren.
Jazz and church music shaped his childhood. As cornetist, Nils Landgren's father brought US jazz into the house. The traditional Swedish chorales and songs came from his grandfather, who was a preacher. Nils Landgren was born in 1956. He began playing drums at the age of six. At 13 he layed his hands and lips on the trombone and was hooked for life.
Between 1972 and 1978 Nils studied classical trombone at the music college in Karlstad with David Maytan and at the university in Arvika with Ingemar Roos. During this time he also met the legendary Swedish Folk-Jazz pioneer Bengt-Arne Wallin and the fantastic tromboneplayer and proffessor of the Graz Conservatory in Austria, Eje Thelin. These two men completely changed the way for Nils to go; from a strict classical player to an improviser with his own idea of what to play and why. After his graduation Nils moved to Stockholm to work as a professional tromboneplayer. First the life of a struggling jazz musician, making no money but gaining loads of experience. Then the call that totally changed his life: an offer to go on tour with Sweden's most successful pop star of that time Björn Skifs who at that time was at #1 in the US pop charts with "Hooked on a feeling". The money was ok, the vibes were cool and the band was simply great! Ever since that time Nils Landgren has been involved in a variety of music styles and projects. These include jazz, rock, soul, hip hop, big band’s, studio sessions, and by his own reckoning, at least 500 albums. Mostly, for natural reasons with Swedish artists but also with such internationals stars as ABBA, The Crusaders, Eddie Harris, Bernard "Pretty" Purdie and Herbie Hancock. Nils even plays on the first Wyclef Jean solo album, titled "Carnival".
In 1981 Thad Jones invited the Swede into his new Bigband project "Ball of Fire", to take the lead-trombone chair. The band was built up around such great musicians as Jerome Richardson, Jerry Dodgion, Tim Hagans, Bobby Burgess, Roger Kellaway, Sahib Shihab, Dusko Goykovich, and Benny. "A fantastic band, sad that it did not work out in the end", Nils says about that expreience. Two years later Nils debut album "Planet Rock" was released, followed by "Streetfighter" in 1984, "You are my Nr 1" in 1985, "Miles from Duke" with Bengt-Arne Wallin in 1987, "Chapter Two 1", in 1987, "Chapter Two 2" and "Follow your heart" in 1989. Between 1985 and 1987 Nils also performed as actor, singer, trombonist, and dancer in over 360 performances of the Swedish "play of the year", SKAEL, as well as appearing in several TV-films as an actor.
1992 saw the first performances and recording of the Nils Landgren Unit; the recording was called "Red Horn", and was mixed by the legendary sound engineer Bruce Swedien. (re-release 2001 as "The First Unit", ACT 9292-2). That same summer the band performed at the "Playboy Jazzfestival" in Los Angeles, hosted by the great Bill Cosby. The final breakthrough outside of Scandinavia came first in 1994: it was at the Jazz Baltica Festival in Germany that the "Unit" became the "Funk Unit". The album "Live in Stockholm" (ACT 9223-2) with guest star Maceo Parker was released that year and was the foundation for the collaboration with Siegfried Loch and his young ACT label.

Ghost in This House
Nils Landgren Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I don't pick up the mail
I don't pick up the phone
I don't answer the door
I'd just as soon be alone
I don't keep this place up
I just keep the lights down
I don't live in these rooms
I just rattle around

I'm just a ghost in this house
I'm just a shadow upon these walls
As quietly as a mouse I haunt these halls
I'm just a whisper of smoke
I'm all that's left of two hearts on fire
That once burned out of control
You took my body and soul
I'm just a ghost in this house

I don't care if it rains
I don't care if it's clear
I don't mind staying in
There's another ghost here
He sits down in your chair
And he shines with your light
And he lays down his head
On your pillow at night

I'm just a ghost in this house
I'm just a shadow upon these walls
I'm living proof of the damage
Heartbreak does
I'm just a whisper of smoke
I'm all that's left of two hearts on fire
That once burned out of control
And took my body and soul

I'm just a ghost in this house
Oh, I'm just a ghost in this house

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Nils Landgren's "Ghost In This House" are about someone who is haunted by the memories of a past relationship. The singer doesn't engage with the outside world and is instead consumed by their sadness and loneliness. They describe themselves as a "ghost," a "shadow," and a "whisper of smoke," emphasizing their intangibility and disconnection from reality. The metaphor of a haunted house is used to show how the singer's memories of their past love are all-consuming and leave them feeling like they are simply existing in a space, rather than living in it.

The second verse introduces another "ghost" in the house, likely referring to the ghost of the person the singer was in a relationship with. The other ghost sits in the person's chair and shines with their light, showing how the memories of the past relationship are constantly present, even when the other person is physically absent. The repeated statement "I'm just a ghost in this house" further emphasizes the emptiness and hollowness the singer feels, and how their past relationship has left them feeling like a shell of a person.

Overall, "Ghost In This House" is a poignant and melancholic reflection on the lingering pain of lost love and the way it can haunt a person long after the relationship has ended.

Line by Line Meaning

I don't pick up the mail
I don't bother to check my mail, as I am emotionally isolated.

I don't pick up the phone
I don't answer calls, as I don't want to speak to anyone.

I don't answer the door
I don't want to socialize, so I don't respond to any visitors.

I'd just as soon be alone
I prefer to be alone and not be bothered by anyone.

I don't keep this place up
I don't maintain this house, as I don't care to invest any effort into it.

I just keep the lights down
I keep the lights low, as I don't want to face the emptiness of my existence.

I don't live in these rooms
I don't feel alive or present in this house or any space around me.

I just rattle around
I wander aimlessly, not really having a purpose or direction for my life.

I'm just a ghost in this house
I feel like a mere apparition, a haunting presence with no real substance or meaning.

I'm just a shadow upon these walls
I am a mere image on the walls, a faint trace of my former self.

As quietly as a mouse I haunt these halls
I am like a timid mouse wandering the halls, making no sound or impact.

I'm just a whisper of smoke
I am like evaporating smoke, a trace of what used to be.

I'm all that's left of two hearts on fire
I am the remaining essence of the passion and love that once consumed two people.

That once burned out of control
The love and passion that fueled the relationship between two people was all-consuming and wild.

You took my body and soul
The other person took everything of worth that I had, leaving me feeling like a ghost or shadow.

I don't care if it rains
The weather has no impact on my emotional state or mood.

I don't care if it's clear
The clarity of my surroundings has no bearing on my overall demeanor or attitude.

I don't mind staying in
I have no desire or motivation to leave this house or any space I currently occupy.

There's another ghost here
There is the ghost or essence of another person who used to live or be with me in this house.

He sits down in your chair
The other ghost seems to take on the form or persona of my former partner, occupying their chair.

And he shines with your light
The essence of my former partner still illuminates this house and reminds me of their presence.

And he lays down his head on your pillow at night
The other ghost even sleeps on my former partner's side of the bed, keeping their presence close.

Writer(s): HUGH PRESTWOOD

Contributed by Wyatt Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Comments from YouTube:

Gary DeMichele.

3y↑2

Nils does a great job on this, great musician, good taste , taste in songs... , unique voice..nice guy too I met him in Copenhagen..not to mention . ..amazing trombonist..