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.
Rialto
Ulf Lundell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I varuhusvrmen idag
Din kappa var bl
och din schal dolde gon som log
Jag stod dr frlskad igen
Frlorad frfrd igen
Som ett nyfiket barn
p jakt efter ett mysterium som dog
tog sitt frnuft till fnga och gick
Men ngrade sej sen
och stod dr med sin flackande blick
Vintern r s hrd i r
och sjlen r full av sr
Men jag vet var vi kan ses
Jag vet var vi kan skriva vr bok
Mt mej p Rialto
i ett ljummet regn
P hotel Danieli
har dom bddat en sng
Hll det dr leendet levande
Det r det bsta du har
Mt mej p Rialto
om du har din lngtan kvar
Tgen dom rullar p bron
Klockan i Stadshusets torn
slr tolv och jag str p Slussen
i snslask och is
P en krog i Gamla Stan
dr jag knner mej hemma och van
fr jag vin och mat och vrme
fr ett hyfsat pris
Och om du hr det hr
p nn radio nnstans
d vet du vem jag skrev det hr till
dr nere i valvet
och d vet du ocks vad det r jag vill
Jag vill se dej p Rialto
i ett ljummet regn
P hotel Danieli
har dom bddat en sng
Hll det dr leendet levande
Det r det bsta du har
Mt mej p Rialto
om du har din lngtan kvar
Jag tar tget i morgon kvll
sen r jag dr mellan tolv och ett
Skynda dej
innan vardan har ftt fatt mysteriet
Kom och mt mej p Rialto
i ett ljummet regn
P hotel Danieli
har dom bddat en sng
Hll det dr leendet levande
Det r det bsta du har
Mt mej p Rialto
om du har din lngtan kvar
The song "Rialto" by Ulf Lundell is a beautiful and passionate love song that expresses the desire to reunite with a lost love. The lyrics are full of vivid imagery and powerful emotions that paint a picture of a winter filled with sorrow and pain, but also with hope and longing. The song's narrator describes seeing his love in a crowded mall, wearing a blue coat and a shawl that hides eyes that still smile. He watches her from afar, feeling lost and helpless like a child searching for a mystery that has died. He tries to walk away, but his adult self takes over, and he regrets leaving her behind.
The singer then goes on to describe a place where they can meet, the Rialto, a famous landmark and bridge in Venice. He implores her to come there and meet him in the warmth of the rain, where a song has been arranged just for them. He tells her to keep her smile alive, as it is the best thing she has, and invites her to join him on this journey of rediscovery, just to feel the longing within them once again. The song ends with him saying he will be taking a train to meet her between midnight and one o'clock, imploring her to hurry before they lose the mystery and the opportunity.
Line by Line Meaning
Jag sg dej i vimlet idag
I saw you in the crowd today
I varuhusvrmen idag
In the warmth of the department store today
Din kappa var bl
Your coat was blue
och din schal dolde gon som log
And your scarf covered eyes that smiled
Jag stod dr frlskad igen
I stood there in love again
Frlorad frfrd igen
Lost, gone again
Som ett nyfiket barn
Like a curious child
p jakt efter ett mysterium som dog
Hunting for a mystery that died
Men den vuxne man som jag bor i
But the adult man that I am
tog sitt frnuft till fnga och gick
Took his reason captive and left
Men ngrade sej sen
But regretted it later
och stod dr med sin flackande blick
And stood there with his flickering gaze
Vintern r s hrd i r
Winter is so hard this year
och sjlen r full av sr
And the soul is full of wounds
Men jag vet var vi kan ses
But I know where we can meet
Jag vet var vi kan skriva vr bok
I know where we can write our book
Mt mej p Rialto
Meet me at Rialto
i ett ljummet regn
In a warm rain
P hotel Danieli
At the Hotel Danieli
har dom bddat en sng
They have prepared a song
Hll det dr leendet levande
Keep that smile alive
Det r det bsta du har
It's the best thing you have
om du har din lngtan kvar
If you still have your longing
Tgen dom rullar p bron
The trains are rolling on the bridge
Klockan i Stadshusets torn
The clock in the City Hall tower
slr tolv och jag str p Slussen
Strikes twelve and I am at Slussen
i snslask och is
In slush and ice
P en krog i Gamla Stan
At a pub in the Old Town
dr jag knner mej hemma och van
Where I feel at home
fr jag vin och mat och vrme
I get wine, food, and warmth
fr ett hyfsat pris
For a reasonable price
Och om du hr det hr
And if you hear this
p nn radio nnstans
On some radio somewhere
d vet du vem jag skrev det hr till
Then you know who I wrote this to
dr nere i valvet
Down there in the vault
och d vet du ocks vad det r jag vill
And then you also know what it is I want
Jag vill se dej p Rialto
I want to see you at Rialto
i ett ljummet regn
In a warm rain
P hotel Danieli
At the Hotel Danieli
har dom bddat en sng
They have prepared a song
Hll det dr leendet levande
Keep that smile alive
Det r det bsta du har
It's the best thing you have
om du har din lngtan kvar
If you still have your longing
Jag tar tget i morgon kvll
I'm taking the train tomorrow night
sen r jag dr mellan tolv och ett
Then I'll be there between twelve and one
Skynda dej
Hurry
innan vardan har ftt fatt mysteriet
Before everyday life has caught the mystery
Kom och mt mej p Rialto
Come and meet me at Rialto
i ett ljummet regn
In a warm rain
P hotel Danieli
At the Hotel Danieli
har dom bddat en sng
They have prepared a song
Hll det dr leendet levande
Keep that smile alive
Det r det bsta du har
It's the best thing you have
om du har din lngtan kvar
If you still have your longing
Contributed by Asher K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.