Norge, mitt Norge …

Eight artists, led by Valkyrien Allstars (The Valkyrie All Stars), Moddi and Solveig Slettahjell, have turned the lyrics and music of Norway’s national treasure trove of songs inside out on the new CD released 17 May – Norway’s national day. The point of departure is: What is Norway in 2012?

In the middle of Norway’s national month of May, and exactly on the most important of days, 17 May, a day of flags, children’s parades  and marching bands, KKV is releasing a CD/LP with new versions of old national songs. Not only the melodies have been refurbished and rearranged by Valkyrien Allstars, but the lyrics have also been twisted and pulled into puns (the Norwegian original of one of these songs has "Å Vestland, Vestland" – a tribute to western Norway – while the new version has turned it into  "Oh, wealth land, wealth land; the lyrics of "Ja vi elsker" (Yes, we love this country), "Å eg veit meg eit land" (Oh I know so well a country), "Norge, mitt Norge" (Norway, my Norway) have all be played with in Norwegian) with the underlying idea that today we understand something else when we speak of a national state than we did in the 1800s and early in the 1900s, when most of these songs were originally written. Or do we?

In addition to Valkyrien Allstars, the band playing on all the songs, the following artists appear on the CD: Moddi, Viggo Sandvik, Solveig Slettahjell, 

Aissa Tobi, Sudan Dudan, Trond Granlund and Oslo Fagottkor (The Oslo Bassoon Choir). 

The album has been released on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of NOPA. NOPA is the association of Norwegian composers and songwriters. The following authors have supplied new lyrics for old melodies: Hans Rotmo ("Det stig av hav eit oljeland" (A land of oil (the original has no land of oil, but a magic land of elves) arising from the sea) and others), Håvard Rem ("Deilig er Norden" (the original says oh beautiful earth, not oh beautiful Nordic countries), Gro Dahle ("No ser eg atter slike ostehyller" (the original praises the view of Norwegian nature and mountains, not “cheese shelves”) and more), Jon Fosse ("Gode, gode venen min"), Ingvar Hovland ("Bli hos meg") and Erik Hillestad ("Å velstand, velstand"). The latter author is also behind the new text for the national anthem, no longer "Yes, we love this country", instead "Yes we knead this country".

Can we speak of owning a country in a time when people have many connections and belong in many places, with many cultures in their blood and soul? Is a country free when its borders are closed to most people? Does Norway embrace diversity when we have a rigid immigration policy and when new technology undermines a viable broad cultural life?

These are questions raised by the songs on this album, which was recorded in the old Parliamentary room at Bygdøy in Oslo, in the room where the concept of Norway as an independent state was hammered out from 1814 to 1854.

Track list:

1. Å eg veit meg eit land/ Valkyrien Allstars                                     2:53

2. Det stig av hav eit oljeland/ Moddi                                               3:23

3. Å velstand, velstand/ Viggo Sandvik                                            2:39

4. Bli hos meg/ Aissa Tobi                                                                 4:20

5. Havard Hedde/ Sudan Dudan                                                       4:25

6. Gode, gode venen min/ Solveig Slettahjell                                  4:25

7. No ser eg atter slike ostehyller/ Viggo Sandvik                           4:11

8. Bendik og Lilja/ Sudan Dudan                                                       3:58

9. Handa hans far min/ Trond Granlund                                           3:10

10. Norge, mitt Norge...? Valkyrien Allstars                                     1:49

11. Deilig er Norden/ Moddi                                                               2:28

12. Den Fyrste song/ Trond Granlund                                               3:42

13. Ja, vi elter dette landet/ Oslo Fagottkor                                     2:55