He was born in Sandviken and grew up in the small northern town Köpmanholmen, but moved to Gothenburg in 1970 to find work. He was working in the Gothenburg docks when he joined Nynningen, a rock group with leftist political texts and inspired by the Russian Communist poet Mayakovsky. Totta Näslund became the group's main singer.
In the mid-1970s, Nynningen fused with Nationalteatern, a musical theater ensemble with many members. Totta Näslund joined the group as singer, guitar-player and actor. Nationalteatern developed away from the theater and became a straight rock group, a rock orchestra as they called themselves. Even though Totta never wrote any own songs for the band, he was probably the most prominent member, next to Ulf Dageby.
Nationalteatern was one of the many leftist music and theater groups that came together in 1977 to form Tältprojektet, The Tent Project, a musical theater performance on the history of the Swedish working class, which toured the country that summer. Totta Näslund played the Beggar, the central story telling character of the play, and he sang some of the lead songs, like Aldrig mera krig (Never War Again) and Vi äro tusenden (We are legion). Tältprojekted, a non-profit making experiment financed by its members and supporters, was highly successful.
In the beginning of the 1980s, Nationalteatern dissolved and Totta Näslund directed his full energy to his hobby project, Totta's Bluesband with lyrics in English and several smaller tours in the U.S..
In 1995, when Totta turned 50 years old, he decided to go for a solo career and has released 8 solo albums with mostly songs written directly for him by other artists, or covers of other songs.
One of Totta Näslund's main sources for inspirations was Bob Dylan, and in May 2005 he went to Dylan's hometown Hibbing, Minnesota despite his lethal cancer, where he performed his own interpretation of Bob Dylan songs. Totta had also started making an album together with Mikael Wiehe, with Dylan songs translated to Swedish, but this was interrupted when he suddenly died.
Totta Näslund died June 19, 2005 of liver cancer. He was scheduled to perform in his hometown Köpmanholmen the next day. He was 60 years old.
One More Night
Totta Näslund Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But tonight I'm as lonesome as can be
For the moon is shinin' bright, lightening everything in sight
But tonight, no light will shine on me
Oh, it's shameful and it's sad, I lost the only pal I had
I just could not be what she wanted me to be
I will turn my head up high, to that dark, unruly sky
Well, I was so mistaken when I thought that she'd be true
I had no idea what a woman in love would do
So one more night I will wait for the light
While the wind blows high abuve the trees
Oh I miss my darlin' so, I didin't mean to see her go
But tonight, no light will shine on me
For one more night the moon is shinin' bright
And the wind blows high above the trees
Oh, I miss my woman so, I didin't mean to see her go
But tonight, no light will shine on me
Jag ser inte nåt
Ah, fy fan
In Totta Näslund's song "One More Night," the singer expresses deep sadness and loneliness after losing the only person they considered a friend or "pal." They remark on the beauty of the moonlight and stars outside, but feel as if no light shines on them personally. They feel ashamed and regretful for not being what their loved one wanted them to be and turn their head up high to the "dark, unruly sky." The singer reminisces about their loved one and how they didn't realize what a woman in love would do, indicating that their actions may have been unexpected and difficult to understand. Despite their sorrow, they resolve to wait for another night while the wind blows high above the trees.
Line by Line Meaning
One more night the stars are outside
It's another night where the stars are visible in the sky
But tonight I'm as lonesome as can be
I feel extremely lonely tonight
For the moon is shinin' bright, lightening everything in sight
The moon is illuminating everything around me
But tonight, no light will shine on me
Despite the moonlight, I feel like I'm in the dark
Oh, it's shameful and it's sad, I lost the only pal I had
I'm feeling regretful and sorrowful because I lost my only friend
I just could not be what she wanted me to be
I couldn't fulfill my friend's expectations
I will turn my head up high, to that dark, unruly sky
I will look up to the unsettled, dark sky
For tonight, no light will shine on me
I feel like there's no hope for me tonight
Well, I was so mistaken when I thought that she'd be true
I was wrong about my friend being loyal to me
I had no idea what a woman in love would do
I underestimated the actions of someone in love
So one more night I will wait for the light
I will wait for a sign of hope tonight
While the wind blows high above the trees
The wind is blowing with intensity tonight
Oh I miss my darlin' so, I didin't mean to see her go
I miss my loved one, and I didn't intend to let them go
But tonight, no light will shine on me
Despite how much I miss them, I still feel lost and alone
For one more night the moon is shinin' bright
I will be alone again tonight with the bright moon as my only company
And the wind blows high above the trees
The wind continues to blow with intensity
Oh, I miss my woman so, I didin't mean to see her go
I deeply miss my partner and didn't intend to cause them to leave
But tonight, no light will shine on me
Despite my sorrow, I feel like there's no hope for me tonight
Jag ser inte nåt
I can't see anything
Ah, fy fan
Oh, damn
Writer(s): Bob Dylan
Contributed by Camden N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.