Cornelis Vreeswijk

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Cornelis Vreeswijk (August 8, 1937 – November 12, 1987) was a singer-songwriter, poet and actor who was born in IJmuiden in the Netherlands but moved to Sweden with his parents in 1949, at the age of twelve. He trained as a social worker and hoped to become a journalist but became instead a musician whose idiosyncratic humor and social engagement are still gaining him new fans.

Cornelis Vreeswijk explained in one of his few interviews that he had taught himself to sing and play in the fifties by imitating his first idols Josh White and Leadbelly. His first album, Ballader och oförskämdheter (Ballads and Insults, 1964), was a hit which immediately gained him a large following among the emerging radical student generation. In this period he also played with Swedish jazz pianist Jan Johansson and his trio. His songs “Ångbåtsblues” (Steam Boat Blues) and “Jubelvisa for Fiffiga Nannete” (Cheering song for Ingenious Nannette) are classics from these recordings. His abrasive, frequently political lyrics and unconventional delivery were a deliberate break with what he was later to describe as a Swedish song tradition of pretty singing and harmless lyrics, “a hobby for the upper classes”. Influenced by jazz and blues and especially by the singing style and social criticism of Georges Brassens, Vreeswijk “speak-sings” his “insults”, and compels his listeners to pay close attention to the words.

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swedish, singer-songwriter, folk, visor, trubadur
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10	Ångbåtsblues	73
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Nomadfyllan wrote:
yesterday afternoon

Cornelis var kung!

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hkon05 wrote:
October 2009

Han var så genial man kan vere uten og bli for gal. Helt klart en av de største lyriske genier noen sinne.

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klaasgroen wrote:
October 2009

hij heeft dus meer luisteraars in zweden dan in nederland ;)

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LennekeZzip wrote:
October 2009

Hè potverdorie, waar blijven de Nederlandse liedjes in de top vijftien? Dat kan meer zijn dan Veronica alleen!

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Stjaernstoft wrote:
August 2009

Naight: Det är väl absolut ointressant. Alla artister hatar väl de låtar de spelat mest och som spelas mest. Folk är idioter och inte konstnärer själva. Världens äldsta sanning.

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Svardfisk wrote:
July 2009

Hans tolkning av Dansen på Sunnanö är helt underbar, tillsammans med nästan allt annat.

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Magixe wrote:
July 2009

2 st otroligt underskattade låtar: "till riksbanken" och "sist jag åkte jumbojet blues"

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durocky wrote:
June 2009

connyben har helt rätt.

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frankbeijen wrote:
June 2009

This guy is so underrated in The Netherlands, even though he has made beautiful songs in Dutch as well.

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Naight wrote:
May 2009

Intressant att dom 3 låtar han mest avskydde att spela ligger top 3 :/

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connyben wrote:
April 2009

Skamligt att "Sommarkort" inte ligger högre upp bland topplåtarna, helt underbart vacker!

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Envisaomdoden wrote:
April 2009

Jag visste faktist inte att Cornelis hade gjort så jävla många full längdare!

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Loginquitas wrote:
April 2009

<3 ´Fantastisk

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Steinolfur wrote:
March 2009

heerlijk! ook leuk dat hij liedjes van victor jara gecoverd heeft!!

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KlalaIl wrote:
February 2009

fint!

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harajukudude wrote:
February 2009

a group for people who love to discover great bands that none of your friends know about ! http://www.last.fm/group/Esoteric+Freaks

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jollytorax wrote:
February 2009

one of the greatest poets ever.

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Nomadfyllan wrote:
January 2009

fokkin adore it

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RadioRecession wrote:
January 2009

NICE WORK!

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ifmusicbe wrote:
January 2009

No worry! :) I just thought I should say that, since a) this is an international community (and show me one Swedish/Nordic person who doesn't speak English! :)) b) Cornelis is a tremendous artist, and therefore interesting for others outside our language-area. I've seen people here wonder what the song Veronika is about, loving in. To take but one example. For myself, I'm now putting togeter a playlist w/ i.a. his 'brazilian' songs (Deirdres Samba w/ music by the great Chico Buarque for instance, and Cuban ones). This is after all a talent who is so great that you like him whether you understand the lyrics or not (and then you want to! understandingly, since his lyrics are great poetry about love & life, sad & true, beautiful & witty, political & unconventional, jazzy, bluesy...). Compare a J Brel, Brassens; even people who don't speak French enjoy them...Brassens being one of Cornelis' influences. Nuff said! :)

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