Based in Trøndelag, Norway, Gafseth, Johansen and Mylius were the principal songwriters of the freakbeat group Difference, which reached the height of its popularity in the late 1960's. In the early 1990's, the group wrote and performed in a stage show called Strawberry Fields Forever, a "rock fable" concerning The Beatles, Difference and John Lennon at Trøndelag Teater, which became a huge local success. In 1993, they began performing an abridged version of the show on tour, and from then on, the group became known as Travellin' Strawberries.
The band's success and talent was brought to the attention of entertainment industry executives, and they were hired to star in a Norwegian localization of the Danish Christmas series known as The Julekalender, which had become something of a national success in Denmark. The series was practically a carbon copy of the Danish original, down to the sets, costumes, and script. The songs for the original Danish version were written by De Nattergale; Travellin' Strawberries re-used the original instrument tracks recorded by the Danish band, and recorded their own vocals. In the show, the protagonists of the story, three nisser (a Norwegian equivalent to Santa's elves) spoke a language that was a blend of English and Norwegian, an element that was also written into the songs.
First shown in 1994, the television show itself became a huge success, as did the accompanying soundtrack: the song "The Støvel Dance" ("The Boot Dance") became an oft-requested radio single, and the soundtrack album Songs from THE JULEKALENDER eventually gained the #1 spot in the Norwegian album charts and eventually became a triple Platinum record, by Norwegian standards. The group would later tour Norway with a stage show based loosely on the series.
In 1997, the group's second television series, Prinsesse Gullhår og de tre omreisende trubadurer, an entirely original production, was released; however, it did not become the success that The Julekalender had been. Its accompanying soundtrack album spent one week on the official album charts before disappearing. Subsequent repeat airings of The Julekalender has resulted in the soundtrack album occasionally resurfacing on the album charts.
The Deilig News Blues
Travellin' Strawberries Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the sol is gone down,
It's a dark and stormfull night
And the sol is gone down,
The sol is gone down,
It's dark and stormfull night
I think it egentlig was
A very good day
That must I say
Life can make me crazy
When I get a smell
But akkurat today
I feel it goes like hell
It's deilig, it's deilig
Let's feir it,
With the deilig news blues
It's a dark and stormfull night
And the sol is gone down,
It's a dark and stormfull night
And the sol is gone down,
The sol is gone down,
It's dark and stormfull night
The first verse of Travellin' Strawberries' song "The Deilig News Blues" sets the scene for a dark, stormy night with the sun gone down. The repetition of this line emphasizes the darkness and isolation of the situation. However, the following lines suggest that the day leading up to this night was actually quite good, despite the potential for it to have been "verre" (Norwegian for "worse"), which is a reminder that even during tough times, there is often something positive to cling to.
The second verse brings in the idea of life being maddening at times, but on this particular day, things are going well ("I feel it goes like hell"). The chorus then uses the Norwegian word "deilig," which can mean "delightful," "pleasurable," or "excellent," to describe the feeling of the news they are hearing. The fact that they're celebrating with the "deilig news blues" on such a miserable night further underscores the idea that even in tough times, we can find something to celebrate.
Overall, the song seems to be about finding joy in unexpected places and recognizing that even when things seem bleak, there is hope and positivity to be found.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a dark and stormfull night
The weather is unsettled and dreary outside, with no light to be seen
And the sol is gone down,
The sun has set, leaving darkness in its place
It's a dark and stormfull night
Continuing to emphasize the poor weather conditions
And the sol is gone down,
Reiterating the absence of sunlight
The sol is gone down,
A final declaration of the sun's setting
It's dark and stormfull night
Restating the dismal conditions outside
I think it egentlig was
I believe it was actually
A very good day
A day that had positive qualities and was enjoyable
It could have been verre
It could have been much worse than it was
That must I say
I want to make it clear and express my thoughts on the matter
Life can make me crazy
Sometimes the challenges and difficulties of life can drive me insane
When I get a smell
When I get a hint or whiff of something
But akkurat today
However, on this particular day
I feel it goes like hell
I feel like everything is going extremely well
It's deilig, it's deilig
It's delightful and wonderful
Let's feir it,
Let's celebrate and enjoy it
With the deilig news blues
By listening to this enjoyable type of music
It's a dark and stormfull night
Returning to the original description of the weather
And the sol is gone down,
Once again emphasizing the lack of sunlight
It's a dark and stormfull night
Repeating the refrain
And the sol is gone down,
Reiterating the absence of daylight
The sol is gone down,
Finalizing the statement that the sun has set for the day
It's dark and stormfull night
Ending with the same negative description of the weather as before
Contributed by Eliana T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
SiljeTheAlmighty
The Deilig News Blues Lyrics
It's a dark and stormfull night
And the sol is gone down
It's a dark and stormfull night
And the sol is gone down
The sol is gone down
It's dark and stormfull night
I think it egentlig was
A very good day
It could have been verre
That must I say
Life can make me crazy
When I get a smell
But akkurat today
I feel it goes like hell
It's deilig, it's deilig
Let's feir it
With the deilig news blues
It's a dark and stormfull night
And the sol is gone down
It's a dark and stormfull night
And the sol is gone down
The sol is gone down
It's dark and stormfull night
Zancoth
It's deeeeeeilig!