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
Paper Boats
Silje Nergaard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How come the words I weighed were forced back down my throat
There was no room for honesty
No quarter that was mine
No noble cause
I tried fake a life
To fool those snapping jaws
I shove each gently from the shore but guard it where it floats
They must not drift too far from me
I still sense danger and
They are too frail
In time they'll catch the wind
And fly with billowed sail
In Silje Nergaard's song "Paper Boats," the lyrics convey a sense of insecurity and vulnerability in expressing oneself honestly. The "precious things" referred to in the first line might represent the singer's true feelings, which have been pushed away from public view by societal pressures to conform. The phrase "words I weighed," suggests that the singer has thought carefully about what to say but is unable to express it. The lines "There was no room for honesty/No quarter that was mine" imply that the singer is surrounded by people who don't value or understand their honesty, leaving no space for authenticity.
In the next lines, the singer admits to trying to "fake a life" and "fool those snapping jaws," indicating that they've been pretending to be someone they're not to fit in with society's expectations. However, despite the fear and self-doubt that have held the singer back, they bravely decide to launch their "flimsy paper boats" out into the water, symbolizing their willingness to take a risk and express themselves. In this final section of the song, the singer notes that the paper boats must be guarded and watched from afar, as they are still fragile and might drift too far away. Nevertheless, as time goes on, the boats will become stronger and be able to catch the wind, carrying their message further and wider.
Overall, "Paper Boats" is a poignant reminder of the necessity of honesty and authenticity in our lives. The lyrics suggest that while it may be difficult to express ourselves in a world that often values conformity, it's essential to let our "paper boats" sail out into the world and show our true selves.
Line by Line Meaning
How come these precious things were made to seem remote
I wonder why the things I value most felt distant and unattainable.
How come the words I weighed were forced back down my throat
I wonder why I couldn't speak the truth or be honest with myself and others.
There was no room for honesty
I had a hard time being truthful and sincere with the people around me.
No quarter that was mine
I didn't have a safe space to be myself or express my true feelings.
No noble cause
I had no grand purpose or noble mission to guide me in life.
I tried fake a life
I attempted to create an image of myself that didn't reflect who I truly was.
To fool those snapping jaws
I did this to protect myself from others' critical judgment and harsh words.
From here I dare to launch my flimsy paper boats
Despite this, I'm taking a risk and putting myself out there by trying something new.
I shove each gently from the shore but guard it where it floats
I'm starting slowly and cautiously, protecting my new endeavors from harm.
They must not drift too far from me
I'm apprehensive about losing control over what I've started or losing touch with who I truly am.
I still sense danger and
Despite the careful measures I've taken, I'm still afraid of the potential risks and consequences.
They are too frail
What I've started is fragile and weak, and I worry about its sustainability.
In time they'll catch the wind
With patience and perseverance, my endeavors will gain momentum and grow stronger.
And fly with billowed sail
With time, they'll flourish in ways I can't yet predict or imagine.
Contributed by Riley O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.