Nergaard's musical journey began early. At age 16, she stepped on stage joining a jam session at Moldejazz, Norway’s international jazz festival, with a band comprised of musicians from the band of the late jazz bass virtuoso Jaco Pastorius. The country's jazz journalists applauded the young talent. Since that day, she has steadily developed as a composer and become popular for her unique voice and talent for songwriting.
Since her 1990 inaugural jazz album, Tell Me Where You're Going, produced by jazz guitar maestro Pat Metheny, Nergaard has become one among very few Norwegian artists to have had commercial releases in major music markets around the globe - including Brazil, Germany, the U.S., and the United Kingdom - and doing so with great success.
Her later albums, Port of Call (2000), At First Light (2001), and Nightwatch (2003), have all proved resounding commercial successes and received rapturous critical praise. With Nightwatch she also made history: no other jazz artist before her had shot straight into the Norwegian sales charts twice to reach #1 within the first week of release. In 2004 she received a Norwegian music award for Musician of the Year.
With the 2007 release of her critically-acclaimed Darkness Out of Blue, Nergaard finally realized her dream of working with Grammy Award winner and renowned arranger Vince Mendoza, (Elvis Costello, Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock), who contributed string arrangements to two songs in the album, Paper Boats and Let Me Be Troubled, with his beautiful sound and touch.
A year or two earlier, Nergaard had already decided to make a change in her music, which meant having to change some of her musicians, who had been touring with her for the past several years. As much as the style and 'voice' they had developed together were important to her, she came to realize that "you come to a point where you know you need to have a new challenge."
On October 4, 2007, it was officially announced in the Netherlands that Darkness Out of Blue had garnered Nergaard the Edison Award, the Dutch equivalent of the Grammy. The prize was presented to her by the Norwegian ambassador to the Netherlands at the Edison Music Awards Gala on November 6 in Eindhoven, during which Nergaard also performed the two songs from the album that Mendoza had arranged, backed by The Metropole Orchestra.
The new and promising musical collaboration between them in Darkness led inevitably to Mendoza's involvement once again in Nergaard's latest studio project, A Thousand True Stories, which was released in Norway on February 9, 2009, and will be available internationally in the autumn. The songs from the album were written the previous year and recorded in August 2008 with The Metropole Orchestra from the Netherlands, and arranged by its conductor Mendoza.
Here's a press kit video of A Thousand True Stories, with all interviews in English.
Watch the making of Nergaard's latest project, A Thousand True Stories:
video clip 1 (9:34) | video clip 2 (9:54)
Official website: http://www.siljenergaard.com
Silje on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/siljenergaard
Silje on Facebook: click here
Christmas Time Is Here
Silje Nergaard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Happiness and cheer
Fun for all that children call
Their favorite time of the year
Snowflakes in the air
Carols everywhere
Olden times and ancient rhymes
Of love and dreams to share
Beauty everywhere
Yuletide by the fireside
And joyful memories there
Christmas time is here
We'll be drawing near
Oh, that we could always see
Such spirit through the year
Oh, that we could always see
Such spirit through the year...
Silje Nergaard's song "Christmas Time Is Here" captures the essence of the holiday season. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the joy and excitement that surrounds this time of year. The opening line "Christmas time is here" sets the tone for the rest of the song. It's a simple statement, but one that carries so much meaning. The singer is acknowledging the fact that Christmas is upon us, and with it comes a sense of happiness and cheer.
The second and third lines, "Happiness and cheer, fun for all that children call" tell us that Christmas is a time of joy and celebration, especially for children. The fourth line, "their favorite time of the year," drives home the point that this season is all about children and their enjoyment.
As the song progresses, we are transported to a winter wonderland with "snowflakes in the air" and "carols everywhere." The fifth line, "olden times and ancient rhymes," reminds us of the traditions of Christmas that have been passed down through generations.
The chorus, "Christmas time is here, we'll be drawing near" indicates the proximity of the holiday season and that we are getting ready to celebrate. However, the final lines "oh, that we could always see such spirit through the year" are a poignant reminder that the joy, happiness, and love that the Christmas season brings should be present in our lives, not just during the holiday season, but throughout the year.
Line by Line Meaning
Christmas time is here
It is currently the period of Christmas
Happiness and cheer
People are experiencing joy and excitement
Fun for all that children call
This is an enjoyable time for children
Their favorite time of the year
Children look forward to the Christmas season the most
Snowflakes in the air
There are currently visible snowflakes falling from the sky
Carols everywhere
Songs of Christmas are heard everywhere
Olden times and ancient rhymes
There are references to past traditions and songs
Of love and dreams to share
These traditions and songs speak of love and aspirations to be shared
Sleigh bells in the air
The sounds of bells, typically on a sleigh, can be heard outside
Beauty everywhere
The surroundings are visually pleasing
Yuletide by the fireside
Celebrations of the Christmas season are taking place by the fireplace indoors
And joyful memories there
People are creating happy memories in this setting
Christmas time is here
It is once again the period of Christmas
We'll be drawing near
We will be coming closer to the day of Christmas
Oh, that we could always see
I wish we could constantly witness
Such spirit through the year
This same joyful and loving attitude throughout the entire year
Oh, that we could always see
I wish we could constantly witness
Such spirit through the year...
This same joyful and loving attitude throughout the entire year.
Writer(s): VINCE GUARALDI, LEE MAURICE MENDELSON
Contributed by Tyler G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.