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.
So Lee
Stina Nordenstam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The song in which he leaves me
This is how it goes
So Lee, what do you have to tell me
That if he doesn't leave me
I'll shape up so he won't
Oh Lee, I wanted so to be Lee
Grown up just like you Lee
Oh Lee standing in this fucking rain Lee
I don't want to be me Lee
I don't want it at all
Slowly, the song in which he leaves me
This is how it goes Lee
This is how it goes
So Lee what do you plan to tell me
That if he doesn't leave me
I'll shape up so he won't
Oh Lee, I wanted so to be Lee
Grown up just like you Lee
I wanted it so
Oh Lee standing in this fucking rain Lee
I don't want to be me Lee
I don't want it at all
Slowly, slowly, slowly
Slowly, slowly, slowly
The lyrics to Stina Nordenstam's "So Lee" describe a sense of desperate longing for guidance and direction from a Lee figure. The singer feels lost and uncertain about their own identity and position in life, and looks to Lee as a model to emulate. However, the song also carries a sense of melancholy and resignation, as Lee is leaving and the singer is left to try to shape up on their own.
The repeated use of "slowly" in the lyrics creates a sense of slowness and weightiness, as if time is dragging on and the singer's struggles and uncertainties are weighing down on them. The phrase "this is how it goes" also adds to this feeling of resignation and fatalism - the singer is resigned to their situation and is simply going through the motions.
The use of profanity in the lyric "standing in this fucking rain" adds a sense of rawness and emotional intensity to the song, emphasizing the singer's feelings of frustration and despair.
Overall, the song can be seen as a reflection on the difficulties of growing up and finding one's place in the world, as well as the search for guidance and support in the face of uncertainty and adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
Slowly, it is how it goes Lee
Things are happening gradually and that's how life goes, Lee
The song in which he leaves me
This is the song about how he's leaving me
This is how it goes
This is how things play out
So Lee, what do you have to tell me
What is it you need to say, Lee?
That if he doesn't leave me
I'll shape up so he won't
I'll change my behavior if it means he won't leave me
Oh Lee, I wanted so to be Lee
Grown up just like you Lee
I wanted it so
Lee, I aspire to be like you and to grow up to be just like you
Oh Lee standing in this fucking rain Lee
I don't want to be me Lee
I don't want it at all
Lee, I hate myself and I hate my life as it is right now
Slowly, the song in which he leaves me
This is how it goes Lee
This is how it goes
The song about him leaving me is happening gradually and that's just how it is
So Lee what do you plan to tell me
That if he doesn't leave me
I'll shape up so he won't
What's on your mind, Lee? Is it that I need to change my ways so he won't leave me?
Oh Lee, I wanted so to be Lee
Grown up just like you Lee
I wanted it so
Lee, I want to be just like you when I grow up
Oh Lee standing in this fucking rain Lee
I don't want to be me Lee
I don't want it at all
Lee, I hate my life as it is and I don't want to be me anymore
Slowly, slowly, slowly
Slowly, slowly, slowly
Things are happening gradually and it's a slow process
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STINA NORDENSTAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
The Clean Cut
This was a pleasure to edit, thx to the director Stuart Rideout
silver sonik
Beautiful! thanks very much for the video... :) I would love to hear from her again..... Great Artist!!