Love is Still a Mystery

Hey, girl, you're a sailor
You got a guy in every harbor
But I was yours for a summer
But for that I was deeply honored

Jens Lekman on Spicks and Specks

I watched the whole show, it was hilarious. This is a good show.

甜死人不償命的 Sally Seltmann

其實好想貼這幾張 Jens Lekman 白目的照片好久了。
－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－

Harmony to My Heartbeat from Sally Seltmann on Vimeo.

Dream About Changing from Sally Seltmann on Vimeo.


最後一個雖然是BSS混音的，可是Kevin Drew?聽起來有點怪怪的，應該不需要把他自己的聲音搞成這樣吧？不過音樂很好聽。她的歌都好甜美喔。

上次她來，我卻不在。還好，音樂祭有把她加入名單。她的歌沒甚麼好說，當你聽完你已經被她融化了。天阿，還有十個小時就會看到她本人！

Jens Lekman Backyard Show @ 19/03/2010

Little Scout as supporting act... sad that everyone was talking so loud. I don't understand why. Maybe it's the way the world is, people go to gigs to socialise instead of enjoy the music. Arhh... I don't understand.

Backyard show is awesome, even tho backyard isn't that awesome.
In fact, it's quite a terrible backyard... huge spider webs everywhere.
However I wish I could go to more of this kind of private little show.

Jens sing many songs that I have already heard last time I saw him.
Like "A Postcard to Nina", "Sipping on the Sweet Nectar", "Black Cab", "Pocketful of Money", A Sweet Summer's Night on Hammer Hill", "The Opposite Of Hallelujah", "Shirin". Apart from that, he also sang about three new songs. One of them is about having argument with himself. Another one is called..."Behind Full of Feathers?!", a response to Tracey Thorn's new song "Oh, The Divorces". And another one that I forgot... but all of them sounds good or funny. The show was really fun. But I wish he could play more of B-side stuffs. "The Cold Swedish Winter", "If You Ever Need a Stranger (to sing at your wedding)", "Sky Phenomenon", "Someone to Share My Life With"... the list can go on and on...

I heart Jens

You don’t know how much you mean to me

I’m on my way to the USA

So give me your address

And I will send you

The only white dove from New York City

To call out your zip code in the Grand Canyon

I know you don’t really read my letters

The very thought of not knowing

The exact location of the room

Where we shared our last kiss

Will eventually kill me

Cause it wasn’t just any kiss

It wasn’t like our first

Or our second kiss

Or our millionth kiss

But it was a perfect kiss

It was a kiss we had been working on forever

I guess I should be ashamed

I’ve already caused so much trouble

I had something going on with another girl

And then another one after that

I just couldn’t get you out of my head

So I grew tired of them

You know, I had I plan that involved you

But maybe that’s not a very good idea

Cause I know you have a guy now

And I know that you’re happy

Living your life the way you do

And I’m not here to ask you to change your life

I guess I just wanna let you know how I feel about you

I just wanna go on with my life you know

I’m in Bloomington tonight and I miss you

Feels like all I’ve accomplished means nothing

Feels like my whole existence and history has been erased

I opened up a sealed envelope and it contained an eternity

Of memories that I’ve never experienced

So I can't explain this in one sentence now

I just keep going on

You know, I had a plan

That involved getting on with my life

But maybe that’s not a very good idea

I’m alone now

I would be so afraid if someone put their arms around me

You don’t know how much you mean to me

time to break away

sorry to hear about the burdens.
when i'm in situations like these i usually go to the highest place i can find and evaluate the situation. i stand there on a rooftop or a mountain, whatever is close by, and weigh one thing against another against myself.
there's something in the air up there.
you will know when it's time to break away.
yours in the fight.
jens

Facebook

Yeah! Oh Yeah!

Tracey Thorn and Jens Lekman - Yeah! Oh, Yeah! (The Magnetic Fields)

+ this song is from a Merge complication, called Score! which features bands like The National, Ryan Adams, Bright Eyes, but not a very good complication. It's got some weird songs.
+ I love both Jens Lekman and Tracey Thorn, and I love this song. This is such a great collaboration covering a great song.

+ this is such a true and funny song originally by The Magnetic Fields from the "69 Love Songs", a massive album that contains literally 69 love songs.

Are you out of love with me?
Are you longing to be free?
Do I drive you up a tree?
Yeah! Oh, yeah!
Do I drive you up the wall?
Do you dread every phone call?
Can you not stand me at all?
Yeah! Oh, yeah!
Though I need you more than air
is it true you just don't care?
Are you having an affair?
Yeah! Oh, yeah!
When we met I thought
money was everything
so I let you buy the house,
the car, the ring
but I can't take your perpetual whining
and you can't sing
I though if we live apart
we could made a brand-new start
Do you want to break my heart?
Yeah! Oh, yeah!
I've enjoyed making you
miserable for years
found peace of mind in
playing on your fears
How I loved to catch your gold
and silver tears, but now my dear
What a dark and dreary life
Are you reaching for a knife?
Could you really kill your wife?
Yeah! Oh, yeah!
Of, I die, I die, I die!
So it's over, you and I
Was my whole life just a lie?
Yeah! Oh, yeah!

The Cold Swedish Winter

"The cold Swedish winter is right outside
and I just want somebody to hold me through the night"

This song could be greater with some other lyrics, but still pretty good!

What are you doing tonight?

Run Away With Me
by Jens Lekman

What are you gonna do on Christmas eve?
Please don’t spend it with your family
I know you love your mommy
But she’s more like a mummy

She’s so empty
She’s so empty
So run away with me

She’s so empty
She’s so empty
So run away with me

Yeah I know it’s been a bad year
And I could trace every tear
Back to your little eye
But I see a future for you and I

Cause we’re not empty
We’re not empty
So run away with me

We’re not empty
We’re not empty
So run away with me now, baby, now

Merry X'mas!!!

Funny Jens

This is probably one of the funniest interview I've seen.
Well, it's not really even an interview.
Just some questions asked by fans, and answered by Jens Lekman.
The reason why I like him so much is that we have the same birthday!
So, I think we have many personalities in common, as I can tell from his songs.
And his songs are great, I reckon...
Do impossible things
Here we go ~

If you would create an dream band, which persons would be in it?

i'd have a monkey on bass, a panda on drums, an octopus on accordion, a wolf on vocals. they'd all have human qualities though, the wolf for example would be gay but does not come out until the 3rd record for which they take a giant step in a more balearic pop direction. this is where the octopus puts the accordion back in the latin pop tradition.

Have you still got you budgies, and do you think that they are good pets?

they're my best friends.

What's up with the bandaid you wear in some pictures?

i woke up one morning three years ago when a photographer was banging on my door. i fell and hit my forehead against the doorknob. i was ready to have my picture taken with a bloody face but she told me to clean myself up and so i did. then she complained all the time and said "there should be more red in the picture". well, duh....

What would you think about joining an organisation for young people with pensioner tendencies?

ouch, that hurt.

Have you got any intentions to release the song Eureka, and why hasn't it been released offically yet?

it's on the kullaberg dvd (not released yet) but the reason i never recorded it properly is because it grew old. it never meant anything to me, it was just a silly song with a nice melody for me. but people liked it so i played it.

oh actually ... now i remember. that song was called "Ulrika" first. and i wrote it for my keyboardplayer. i can't remember if i had feelings for her or something but i remember changing the title to Eureka after she got a boyfriend.

You seem to have some masochistic tendencies, considering you sing about wanting to be someone's dog or being traded for a cigarette lighter. Do you like the idea of someone else taking care of you so that you can concentrate on being the fool in love?

no. i wanted to be someone's dog in a friendly way for a friend who was sad. and trading myself for a lighter... that might make me cheap but not masochistic. i do get very absorbed by a person i am in love with or care for, but do not want to be dominated, punished or hurt either emotionally or sexually which is my definition of masochistic. ..
it does take a lot of concentration to be a fool in love though.

I read somewhere that you liked mariah carey's songs. wich one's your favourite?

fantasy and we belong together

Have you ever cried on stage?

i havent really cried since i was ten or something. it's one of those fucked up things, i know several of my male friends who also can't cry. i was told by people (not my family) when i was young that crying was weak.

Are the texts of your songs pure imagenary, or has they sometimes a true background?
(is your inspiration all in your head or are you inspired by the reality?)

i am always inspired by reality as i remember it. it's interesting though, if you would go back in time to revisit your memories as they happened you would be shocked of how much your mind reconstructs the
past.

What is the best gift you every recieved from a fan?

well, i got this cigarbox in london earlier this year. packed with small things, old photos, rocks, feathers... it was great.

here's a wishlist if people want to give me things:
any kind of clothes, pants, shirts, socks, sweaters, hats, jackets... it's always good cause you can't bring 30 pair of pants and you smell really bad when you sit in a van and sleep on someones floor and play show after show. if you make clothes and want me to wear them there's a much better chance for that than getting your band a recorddeal.
i also like good dark chocolate and cheap jewelry.

What's the nicest or most unexpected thing someone has said after/during a show?

during a show in tucson:

guy - get the fuck out of new mexico !
me - ??? but we're in arizona.
guy - uh yeh, but you had to get the fuck out of new mexico to.. get here.... and now you're here... and ... i'm so happy.

Do you have any good pick-up lines?

My favourite was last weekend when a girl handed me her cellphone and said it's for you. Then she ran out of the club and called me from a payphone. I mean, if you can't get someones phonenumber you might as well give them your phone.
Then you'll know the number!

# 2 was also this weekend. I was talking to someone famous at the P3 Guld awards, i don't know his name or why i was talking to him. He said: you look like a potsmoking golfer, do you have any weed on you? I replied: No, but I have a golfclub in my pocket. At the moment it sounded good, then it turned out he had taken it as if i was hitting on him and later on his boyfriend wanted to kick my head in.

What happened to the releases you planned for 2006 but were then shelved in december (new album and eps, etc)?
Any chance they'll be released this year?

No.What i did was not to put them on the shelf, I actually erased them. For a long time I was fantasising of someone breaking into my place and stealing my computer or that it would be destroyed in a fire or something. I tried uninstalling my firewall so someone could hack it and erase my harddrive.

And eventually I just realised that it was obvious I wasn't happy with it and all I neeeded to do was to press the delete button myself. After that I got a little triggerhappy and continued erasing about 200 old songs. But it felt good. I don't like the past. I'm not such a big fan of the future either. I like the present, 2006. I am currently working on other songs and have made quite a progress lately.

How do you typically go about when writing and composing your songs?

I wake up early. From the night before I have carefully folded four clean towels and hung them on a chair. I feed the birds from my window. On my desk there is a bowl of red apples, I take one bite, then put it back waiting until the bite turns brown. I spin on my chair, a dirty thought passes through my head but I let it be. As a young magpie lands on my window sill I slowly wipe my sweaty forehead with one of the towels.

Then I lie down for a few hours. When I wake up it is late and I buy the evening paper, carefully reading every word. I open my window and throw breadcrumbles to the young magpie. Occasionally I throw small rocks at him with the message "Life is hard" written in tiny red letters. Then I have supper and I go to bed.

Why won't you let your records be available to a wider audience?

I have a whole bunch of people working hard to spread the main full length records all over the world. I have nothing against those records being available everywhere and if it's those records you're thinking of it's only a question of demand. But I sometimes make limited ecords , tour ep's , vinyls etc ... because I am still uncomfortable with the idea of my music being everyone's property. Some songs I only want to share with those who really really want it.

This is from a fan site of Jens Lekman. Clink to see more Ask Jens.

I Fall In Love Too Easy

Jens Lekman
I DON'T KNOW IF SHE'S WORTH 900 KR

Well I know that I fall in love too easy,
I just sit back and pluck a little daisy.
Oh loves me, loves me not,
I wanna fill her heart with forget-me-nots
So she'll think of me,
In Barcelona.

I don't know if she's worth 900 Kronor,
'Cause that's a ticket from Gothenburg to Barcelona.
Oh loves me, loves me not,
I wanna fill her heart with forget-me-nots
So she'll think of me,
In Barcelona.

But there's a song on the radio
that lets me know that what I feel is a
No, no, no!
But hey let's go.
I'm not afraid to lend my heart out to a stranger:
Barcelona.

Oh please don't remind me of the little time i have known her.
She's probably happy,
In love with someone in Barcelona.
But no matter, if she loves me not,
I wanna fill her heart with forget-me-nots
So she'll think of me,
In Barcelona.

But there's a song on the radio
that lets me know that what I feel is a
No, no, no!
But hey let's go.
I'm not afraid to lend my heart out to a stranger

this song totally speaks for me...