In 1991, the year she released her first album Memories of a Colour, Nordenstam played at the Swedish parliament as part of the Year of Jazz. Her early work, including her second album, And She Closed Her Eyes, released in 1994, was significantly jazz-influenced, with only subtle elements of alternative rock. With 1997's Dynamite she started down a darker, more experimental path; most of the album was filled with processed, distorted electric guitars and unusual beats, but careful listening revealed her unique song-writing abilities.
An album of covers, People Are Strange, followed before she returned in 2001 with This Is Stina Nordenstam, an album with shorter songs and a more pop-like feel; ex-Suede vocalist Brett Anderson featured on two tracks. In 2003 Nordenstam appeared in a duet with Jonas Bjerre from Mew on Mew's third album Frengers, with a song called "Her Voice Is beyond Her Years". Between 2003 and 2004 she made the Swedish radio-theatre series called The Fears of the Ice, about one of the first polar expeditions.
Her 2004 album, The World Is Saved, continues the path set on This Is..., but presents a more realised sound and acknowledges her earlier jazz influences more.
In addition to being a musician, Nordenstam also works in other fields, such as photography and music-video directing.
Slightly reclusive, she gives very few interviews, rarely performs live and even alters her appearance using wigs and make-up for album covers and magazines. During the promotion for The World Is Saved, however, she gave more interviews than usual, and even talked about the possibility of future live performances.
In 2006, Nordenstam appeared on Snow Borne Sorrow, an album by the band Nine Horses, singing duets with the band's vocalist, David Sylvian.
Dynamite
Stina Nordenstam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sad and boring
The morning shot from a diving bell
Forgetting you is like
Breathing water
There's got to be a better way
A thing you said once
Made me wonder
What can go away as fast as love
First the light
And then the thunder
I've been up all night and I got it now
Dynamite
All day I
Did things slowly
Walked in circles round your home
I had something to add
To the things you showed me
I've got it here underneath my coat
Dynamite
The first two lines introduce the theme of the song, which is the singer's boredom with the world around her. She finds the film shown to her to be "sad and boring" and likens it to the view one would get from a diving bell emerging from underwater. This could be seen as a metaphor for the feeling of being disconnected from the world and only able to view it from a distance.
The second stanza expresses the difficulty of forgetting someone who has been a significant part of one's life. The singer uses the metaphor of breathing water to show how hard it is to let go of someone, just as it is impossible to breathe water. She then expresses her desire for a better way to let go of this person. The use of the word "Dynamite" in this context is significant. It suggests that she wants something explosive and powerful to help her destroy the memories of the person she is trying to forget.
The chorus, which repeats throughout the song, is the singer's realization of what that Dynamite is. She remembers something this person said that made her wonder what can go away as fast as love. The answer is, of course, Dynamite. The light and thunder that come with the use of Dynamite symbolize the destruction of the memories of the person and how it will be an explosive and cathartic release.
Line by Line Meaning
The film they show is
The movie being shown is
Sad and boring
It's a dull and melancholic movie
The morning shot from a diving bell
The opening scene is a view from underwater
Forgetting you is like
Trying to forget you is similar to
Breathing water
Attempting to breathe underwater
There's got to be a better way
There must be a more effective method
Dynamite
The term Dynamite
A thing you said once
Something you mentioned in the past
Made me wonder
Prompted me to contemplate
What can go away as fast as love
What other thing can disappear as quickly as love
First the light
Initially, there is light
And then the thunder
Then comes the thunder
I've been up all night and I got it now
I've stayed awake all night and finally grasped it
Dynamite
The term Dynamite
All day I
Throughout the day, I
Did things slowly
Engaged in activities leisurely
Walked in circles round your home
Wandered aimlessly around your residence
I had something to add
I had a contribution to make
To the things you showed me
To the things you revealed to me
I've got it here underneath my coat
I have it concealed under my coat
Dynamite
The term Dynamite
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BERRY GORDY JR, BERRY JR GORDY, SMOKEY ROBINSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind