Stina Nordenstam (born Kristina Ulrika Nordenstam on 4 March 1969 in Stockh… Read Full Bio ↴Stina Nordenstam (born Kristina Ulrika Nordenstam on 4 March 1969 in Stockholm, Sweden) is a Swedish singer, songwriter and musician.

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.

The World Is Saved
Stina Nordenstam Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I blinked again and
I wasn't dead
I was a favorite child in it's bed

You had to look
In praise and alarm
Yet I hold nothing
In my arms but my arms

Pouring through me
The world is saved
The world is saved
Take it from me
The world is saved
The world is saved

I clashed with silence
I stumbled and fell
I blinked again, sure
This wasn't hell?

You had to look
In awe and surprise
Yet I'd found nothing
To life but my life

Pouring through me
The world is saved
The world is saved
Take it from me

The world is saved
The world is saved

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Stina Nordenstam's "The World Is Saved" are open to interpretation, but one possible explanation revolves around a sense of rebirth or renewal. The opening lines describe a moment of awakening or realization ("I blinked again and I wasn't dead") and suggest that the singer feels comforted or protected in some way ("I was a favorite child in its bed"). The next few lines imply that others may be watching or observing the singer ("You had to look/In praise and alarm") but that ultimately, the singer is self-contained ("Yet I hold nothing/In my arms but my arms").

As the song progresses, the refrain "The world is saved" takes on different meanings. It may be a declaration of victory or triumph over adversity, as the singer seems to overcome some sort of challenge ("I clashed with silence/I stumbled and fell"). However, the refrain might also be read in a more philosophical or spiritual sense, suggesting that the world is saved simply by the act of being experienced or perceived ("Pouring through me/The world is saved...Yet I'd found nothing/To life but my life").

Overall, "The World Is Saved" is a cryptic yet poetic exploration of personal and existential themes, anchored by Nordenstam's ethereal vocals and spare, haunting instrumentation. It invites listeners to contemplate the nature of their own existence and the ways in which they make meaning out of life's mysteries.

Line by Line Meaning

I blinked again and
As I regained consciousness,

I wasn't dead
I realized that I was still alive.

I was a favorite child in it's bed
I felt comforted and safe, like a much-loved child in a cozy bed.

You had to look
People might have been surprised or curious about my experience.

In praise and alarm
Some people might have been grateful for my survival, while others might have been concerned or scared.

Yet I hold nothing
Despite my experience, I didn't possess anything of great worth.

In my arms but my arms
All I had was myself.

Pouring through me
A powerful feeling or force flowed through me.

The world is saved
The world was redeemed, restored to a state of goodness and hope.

Take it from me
Trust me, believe what I'm saying.

I clashed with silence
I confronted the absence of noise or activity.