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.
Oh You Crazy Moon
Nils Landgren Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, you crazy moon, what did you do?
And when they kissed
They tried to say that it was just in fun
Oh, you crazy moon, look what you've done
Once you promised me, you know, that it would never end
You should be ashamed to show your funny face, my friend
There they are, they fell in love
I guess you think that you're smart
Oh, you crazy moon, you broke my heart
Once you promised me, you know, that it would never end
You should be ashamed to show your funny face, my friend
And there they are, they fell in love
I guess you think that you're smart
Oh, you crazy moon, you broke my heart
The lyrics to Nils Landgren's "Oh, You Crazy Moon" are about the emotional impact of love and its ability to change one's perspective. The singer observes a couple who are clearly in love and realizes that his own chance at romance is over. The moon is pointed to as the catalyst that has brought about this change, hence the repeated use of the phrase "you crazy moon". The singer initially feels betrayed by the moon, as it had promised him that his own relationship would never end, however when he sees this newfound love, he is forced to confront the end of his own romance.
The refrain of "Oh, you crazy moon, what did you do?" highlights the singer's disbelief at how powerful love can be. Even though he might have been promised eternity with his own "crazy moon", the reality of love is that things change and people sometimes fall out of love. The moon symbolizes the natural cycles of love in people's lives, and how it can wax and wane like the phases of the moon. The lyrics build to a sense of frustration and bitterness as the singer realizes that he has been left behind.
Overall, the song is a beautiful example of the emotional impact of love, and how it can transform and uproot people's lives unexpectedly. The moon is presented as a witness and a driving force behind love, and the lyrics convey the sense of unpredictability and wonder that comes with the territory.
Line by Line Meaning
When they met, the way they smiled, I saw that I was through
As soon as I saw the way they smiled at each other when they met, I knew that it was over between us.
Oh, you crazy moon, what did you do?
I am blaming the moon for bringing them together and breaking my heart.
And when they kissed
They tried to say that it was just in fun
Even though they tried to pass it off as just a casual kiss, it was clearly filled with love.
Oh, you crazy moon, look what you've done
Once again, I am holding the moon responsible for their falling in love and breaking my heart.
Once you promised me, you know, that it would never end
You should be ashamed to show your funny face, my friend
I am addressing the moon directly, reminding it that it promised me that this love affair wouldn't happen and telling it that it should be embarrassed for showing its face tonight.
There they are, they fell in love
I guess you think that you're smart
I am acknowledging that they have indeed fallen in love and directing my anger at the moon for what I perceive as its smugness in making it happen.
Oh, you crazy moon, you broke my heart
Once again, I am blaming the moon for the heartbreak caused by bringing these two together.
Writer(s): J. VAN HEUSEN, JOHN BURKE
Contributed by Dominic E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.