Lundell made his debut in 1975 with the LP "Vargmåne" and was immediately hailed as "Sweden's Bob Dylan". In 1976 his first novel, the autobiographical "Jack" was published. Lundell was influenced by musicians such as Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and writers such as Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and other beat poets.
Lundell is one of the central figures in Swedish rock music and he is one of the most important influences on Swedish musicians writing and singing in Swedish.
His biggest hit up until today is "Öppna landskap" from 1982, a song once proposed to be Sweden's new national anthem.
Apart from the obvious link to Bruce Springsteen, Lundell has also let himself be influenced by artists like U2 and especially The Edge and his special guitar sound. The references to U2's "Achtung Baby" are very present in Lundell's releases in the years after "Achtung Baby".
Another link to U2 is the fact that U2-photographer Anton Corbijn is the man behind the camera on Lundell's albums "Man Utan Kvinnor" (1996) and "Club Zebra" (2002).
His latest release is the massive collectors box: Under Vulkanen 1972-2007. (14 CD's of unreleased material plus 2 DVD's containing b-sides, songs from compilations and other material. 104 of the songs included in the box are so-called "never heard before"-items.)
He also published his latest novel "Vädermannen" (The Weatherman) in the spring of 2008.
Cecilia
Ulf Lundell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Jag mste ge mej av nu
Innan drren slr igen
Du vet att jag har sett det hnda frr
Hur den blev fiende som var en vn
Jag kan inte ljuga mer i mitt liv
Det gr mej srbar
Det gr mej stark
Under mnen i en park
Cecilia
Jag kan aldrig va nt annat
N en varg i denna vackra vrld
Du vet jag r fngen
I min frihet
Men det r vgen som r mdan vrd
Cecilia
Du ville s grna bli den
Som tog mej loss ur ondskans garn
Se dej omkring
R det ett paradis
Fr dom som kallar sej Guds barn
Du kanske sg en slusk
Men jag var fri
Fri nr jag dansade
Fri nr jag drack
Bara ett barn kan tro p nt snt
Som att vilja bli kysst p foten
Som tack
Cecilia
Stormen kommer som du vntat p
Snart ser du din nya kust
Kanske Kan vi n varann frst d
Det beror mest p om du har lust
Jag nskar att jag hade
Nnting att ge dej
Men jag har ingenting kvar
Det enda du kan gra
R att sluta be mej
Om det jag inte har
Cecilia
Jag borde hllt mej borta
Men du gav mej ingen chans
Och nu nr ntterna r s korta
Vill man stjla sej en dans
Och inget annat n bara fr stunden
Men jag borde kanske frsttt
Att jag skulle bli fast och bunden
Som om det hade begtts ett brott
Cecilia Cecilia Cecilia Cecilia
The song "Cecilia" by Ulf Lundell tells a story of a relationship that is coming to an end. The singer, who is most likely Lundell himself, is saying goodbye to a woman named Cecilia. He knows that he needs to leave before the door closes on him, as he has experienced similar situations before where friends turned into enemies. He admits that he cannot lie anymore, as it makes him vulnerable, but at the same time it makes him feel strong. He knows that Cecilia wants to hear him swear loyalty under the moon in a park, but he cannot do so because he cannot deny his free spirit ways. He compares himself to a wolf, as he cannot be anything else in this beautiful world. He feels trapped in his freedom, but he knows that the road he is on is worth it.
The singer reflects on Cecilia's desire to save him from evil, but he knows that he is free only when he dances and drinks, and he is not interested in being saved. He acknowledges that his life might not be a paradise, especially for those who claim to be followers of God, but he is not looking for that kind of life. He admits that Cecilia might have seen him as a sleazeball, but he was free when he danced and drank. The singer tells Cecilia that the storm she had been waiting for is coming soon, and she will see her new coast. He suggests that maybe they could still see each other, but it depends on whether she wants to. He confesses that he has nothing left to offer her, and she should stop asking him for things he does not have.
Line by Line Meaning
Jag mste ge mej av nu
I have to leave now
Innan drren slr igen
Before the door closes
Du vet att jag har sett det hnda frr
You know that I have seen it happen before
Hur den blev fiende som var en vn
How it became an enemy that was a friend
Jag kan inte ljuga mer i mitt liv
I can't lie anymore in my life
Det gr mej srbar
It makes me vulnerable
Det gr mej stark
It makes me strong
Du vill hra mej svra trohet
You want me to swear loyalty
Under mnen i en park
Under the moons in a park
Cecilia
Cecilia
Jag kan aldrig va nt annat
I can never be anything else
N en varg i denna vackra vrld
Than a wolf in this beautiful world
Du vet jag r fngen
You know I am a prisoner
I min frihet
In my freedom
Men det r vgen som r mdan vrd
But it is the journey that is worth the while
Du ville s grna bli den
You wanted so much to be the one
Som tog mej loss ur ondskans garn
Who freed me from the web of evil
Se dej omkring
Look around you
R det ett paradis
Is this a paradise
Fr dom som kallar sej Guds barn
For those who call themselves God's children
Du kanske sg en slusk
Maybe you saw a bum
Men jag var fri
But I was free
Fri nr jag dansade
Free when I danced
Fri nr jag drack
Free when I drank
Bara ett barn kan tro p nt snt
Only a child can believe in something like that
Som att vilja bli kysst p foten
Like wanting to be kissed on the foot
Som tack
As thanks
Stormen kommer som du vntat p
The storm is coming as you have been waiting for
Snart ser du din nya kust
Soon you will see your new coast
Kanske Kan vi n varann frst d
Maybe we can still get to know each other
Det beror mest p om du har lust
It depends mostly on whether you want to
Jag nskar att jag hade
I wish I had
Nnting att ge dej
Something to give you
Men jag har ingenting kvar
But I have nothing left
Det enda du kan gra
The only thing you can do
R att sluta be mej
Is to stop asking me
Om det jag inte har
For what I don't have
Contributed by Alex Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.