Gyllene Tider
Encyclopedia
Gyllene Tider is a Swedish
pop group
. The name Gyllene Tider translates as "Golden ages" or "Golden times". Few Scandinavia
ns would not recognize the band's most famous song "Sommartider
", often played on the radio during late spring and early summer. The band is well-known for its catchy choruses and light-weight lyrics about summer, teenage love and life in a small town.
met Mats Persson, a member of the band Audiovisuellt Angrepp, forming the duo Grape Rock. Later Micke Andersson, Anders Herrlin and Göran Fritzon joined and the quintet was born. The group's name was changed to Gyllene Tider.
In the following year, the band had become local celebrities in Halmstad
for their Christmas concerts. Taking advantage of this they released their quite rare vinyl EP, Billy, selling about 900 copies.
In 1980, the LP Gyllene Tider
was released, becoming a huge success in Sweden
. "Flickorna på TV2" ("The girls on TV2") was the album's biggest hit.
The second album, released in 1981 under the name Moderna Tider
("Modern Times"), also enjoyed huge success, and was followed by a national tour. The following year Puls
("Pulse") was released, with the hits "Sommartider
" ("Summer times") and "Flickan i en Cole-Porter-sång" ("The girl in a Cole Porter
song").
The group tried to break through to the American
market in 1984 with the album Heartland (a six track mini version of the album The Heartland Café
released in Sweden) under the name "Roxette"; however, the album flopped, selling only about 8,000 copies. The name Roxette
was later used by Per Gessle to name his successful collaboration with Marie Fredriksson
.
In 1985 Gyllene Tider officially broke up. In the following years, however, a few "Greatest hits" albums were released and a number of reunions took place, in particular the immensely popular Återtåget tour of 1996.
In 2004 the band celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary with the first new album in 20 years and a big summer tour in July and August. The tour, called GT25, was a huge success, being the biggest tour in Scandinavia ever and the second largest of all time in the whole of Europe, gathering large crowds all over Sweden. When they performed at Ullevi
stadium in Gothenburg
on August 7, 2004 during the GT25, 58 977 fans watched the concert live, and the performance was later broadcast on TV4.
Gyllene Tider reunited again on August 14, 2010, as a surprise encore
during Roxette's concert in Halmstad
, both bands' hometown. They performed a three-song set, featuring the songs "Juni, Juli, Augusti", "Sommartider", and "När alla vännerna gått hem", with Marie Fredriksson and the rest of the Roxette band joining them on stage for the last number.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
pop group
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
. The name Gyllene Tider translates as "Golden ages" or "Golden times". Few Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
ns would not recognize the band's most famous song "Sommartider
Sommartider
"Sommartider", written by Per Gessle, is the song that throughout the years has become considered the signature song for Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider. It was released as a single on 18 June 1982. It was re-released both on 27 June 1989 and in 1995...
", often played on the radio during late spring and early summer. The band is well-known for its catchy choruses and light-weight lyrics about summer, teenage love and life in a small town.
History
In 1976, Per GesslePer Gessle
Per Håkan Gessle is a Swedish pop singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonicist. He is the lead singer of the Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider and formed Roxette with Marie Fredriksson...
met Mats Persson, a member of the band Audiovisuellt Angrepp, forming the duo Grape Rock. Later Micke Andersson, Anders Herrlin and Göran Fritzon joined and the quintet was born. The group's name was changed to Gyllene Tider.
In the following year, the band had become local celebrities in Halmstad
Halmstad
Halmstad is a port, university, industrial and recreational city at the mouth of Nissan in the province of Halland on the Swedish west coast. Halmstad is the seat of Halmstad Municipality and the capital of Halland County...
for their Christmas concerts. Taking advantage of this they released their quite rare vinyl EP, Billy, selling about 900 copies.
In 1980, the LP Gyllene Tider
Gyllene Tider (album)
Gyllene Tider was released on 18 February 1980 and is the debut album from Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider.-Track listing:Side A#Skicka ett vykort, älskling...
was released, becoming a huge success in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. "Flickorna på TV2" ("The girls on TV2") was the album's biggest hit.
The second album, released in 1981 under the name Moderna Tider
Moderna Tider (album)
Moderna Tider was released on 10 March 1981 as the second album from Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider. 130,000 copies were ordered in advance.-Track listing:All lyrics and music written by Per Gessle except where noted.# "Vänta på mej!"...
("Modern Times"), also enjoyed huge success, and was followed by a national tour. The following year Puls
Puls (album)
Puls was released on 26 August, 1982 and was the third album from Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider.-Track listings:All lyrics and music written by Per Gessle except as noted.# "Puls"# "Vän till en vän"# "Sommartider"...
("Pulse") was released, with the hits "Sommartider
Sommartider
"Sommartider", written by Per Gessle, is the song that throughout the years has become considered the signature song for Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider. It was released as a single on 18 June 1982. It was re-released both on 27 June 1989 and in 1995...
" ("Summer times") and "Flickan i en Cole-Porter-sång" ("The girl in a Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
song").
The group tried to break through to the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
market in 1984 with the album Heartland (a six track mini version of the album The Heartland Café
The Heartland Café
The Heartland Café is an album released by Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider on 17 February 1984. The group's first recorded foray into the English language, The Heartland Café was the second album to feature vocalist Marie Fredriksson singing back-up and proved to be a precursor to the Swedish...
released in Sweden) under the name "Roxette"; however, the album flopped, selling only about 8,000 copies. The name Roxette
Roxette
Roxette are a Swedish pop music duo, consisting of Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle . Formed in 1986, the duo became an international act from the late 1980s, when they released their breakthrough album Look Sharp!...
was later used by Per Gessle to name his successful collaboration with Marie Fredriksson
Marie Fredriksson
is a Swedish pop singer-songwriter and pianist, best known for forming one half of the pop duo Roxette, which she created together with Per Gessle in 1986...
.
In 1985 Gyllene Tider officially broke up. In the following years, however, a few "Greatest hits" albums were released and a number of reunions took place, in particular the immensely popular Återtåget tour of 1996.
In 2004 the band celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary with the first new album in 20 years and a big summer tour in July and August. The tour, called GT25, was a huge success, being the biggest tour in Scandinavia ever and the second largest of all time in the whole of Europe, gathering large crowds all over Sweden. When they performed at Ullevi
Ullevi
Ullevi is a stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. The stadium was built for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, but since then Ullevi has also hosted the 1995 World Championships in Athletics and the 2006 European Championships in Athletics, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup finals in 1983 and 1990, the UEFA Euro 1992...
stadium in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
on August 7, 2004 during the GT25, 58 977 fans watched the concert live, and the performance was later broadcast on TV4.
Gyllene Tider reunited again on August 14, 2010, as a surprise encore
Encore (concert)
An encore is an additional performance added to the end of a concert, from the French "encore", which means "again", "some more"; multiple encores are not uncommon. Encores originated spontaneously, when audiences would continue to applaud and demand additional performance from the artist after the...
during Roxette's concert in Halmstad
Halmstad
Halmstad is a port, university, industrial and recreational city at the mouth of Nissan in the province of Halland on the Swedish west coast. Halmstad is the seat of Halmstad Municipality and the capital of Halland County...
, both bands' hometown. They performed a three-song set, featuring the songs "Juni, Juli, Augusti", "Sommartider", and "När alla vännerna gått hem", with Marie Fredriksson and the rest of the Roxette band joining them on stage for the last number.
Albums
- 1978 Gyllene TiderGyllene Tider (EP)Gyllene Tider , is a promo EP from Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider, released in November 1978 and released in 900 copies. It should not be confused with the Gyllene Tider EP, which was released in 1996....
(EP) (aka "Billy" and "the yellow EP") - 1980 Gyllene TiderGyllene Tider (album)Gyllene Tider was released on 18 February 1980 and is the debut album from Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider.-Track listing:Side A#Skicka ett vykort, älskling...
- 1981 Moderna TiderModerna Tider (album)Moderna Tider was released on 10 March 1981 as the second album from Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider. 130,000 copies were ordered in advance.-Track listing:All lyrics and music written by Per Gessle except where noted.# "Vänta på mej!"...
- 1982 PulsPuls (album)Puls was released on 26 August, 1982 and was the third album from Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider.-Track listings:All lyrics and music written by Per Gessle except as noted.# "Puls"# "Vän till en vän"# "Sommartider"...
- 1984 The Heartland CaféThe Heartland CaféThe Heartland Café is an album released by Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider on 17 February 1984. The group's first recorded foray into the English language, The Heartland Café was the second album to feature vocalist Marie Fredriksson singing back-up and proved to be a precursor to the Swedish...
(six of the tracks from this album were released in the United States as Heartland under the name "RoxetteRoxetteRoxette are a Swedish pop music duo, consisting of Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle . Formed in 1986, the duo became an international act from the late 1980s, when they released their breakthrough album Look Sharp!...
") - 2004 Finn 5 fel!Finn 5 fel!Finn 5 fel! is an album from Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider, released on 9 June 2004. The album stayed at #1 in Sweden for six weeks. It was the first full studio album recorded by the group since 1984's The Heartland Café.-Track listing:...
Live and compilation albums
- 1989 Instant HitsInstant HitsInstant Hits - Samtliga hits 1979-1989 is a compilation album from pop group Gyllene Tider, released on September 5, 1989. Tracks 18-23 are recorded by Pers garage, which is Gyllene Tider without Anders Herrlin...
- 1990 Parkliv (Live 1981)
- 1993 Samlade TiderSamlade TiderSamlade Tider is a compilation album from pop group Gyllene Tider, released on April 20, 1994.- Track listing :#Himmel No. 7#Revolver upp#Ska vi älska, så ska vi älska till Buddy Holly#På jakt efter liv#Ljudet av ett annat hjärta#Leka med elden...
(nice price) - 1995 Halmstads pärlorHalmstads pärlorHalmstads pärlor - Samtliga hits! 1979-95 is a compilation album from Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider, released on 15 May 1995. The album was re-released in 1996, then with Gyllene Tider EP as bonus record....
- 1997 Ljudet av ett annat hjärta/En samlingLjudet av ett annat hjärta/En samlingLjudet av ett annat hjärta/En samling is a compilation album by Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider and was released on September 10, 1997. EMI released this low price album as a part of a whole series of albums by Swedish artists and the CDs were mainly supposed to be sold at gas stations and...
(nice price) - 1997 Återtåget Live! (Gyllene Tider live!)
- 2000 KonstpausKonstpausKonstpaus - samtliga inspelningar från 90-talet och lite till... is a compilation album from Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider, released on July 17, 2000.-Track listing:#"Småstad" - 3:33#"Gå & fiska!" - 3:58#"Det är över nu" - 3:47#"Kung av sand" - 4:39...
- samtliga inspelningar från 1990-talet och lite till... - 2004 GT 25 - Samtliga hits!GT 25 - Samtliga hits!GT 25 - Samtliga hits! is a compilation album from Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider, released on March 24, 2004.-Track listing:# "Flickorna på TV2"# "Ska vi älska, så ska vi älska till Buddy Holly"# " Sjömän"...
- 2004 GT25 Live!GT25 Live!GT25 Live! - En scen vid en plats is a live album from Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider, released on 24 November 2004. The album includes live performances from the group's 2004 25th anniversary tour.-Track listing:#"Intro: GT25" - 0.44...
(Live 2004; also on DVD from Ullevi)
DVD and VHS
- 1997 Återtåget (documentary from TV4, live and interviews )
- 2004 Karaoke Hits!
- 2004 Parkliv (concert/documentary from 1981 filmed by Lasse HallströmLasse HallströmLars Sven "Lasse" Hallström is a Swedish film director. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director for My Life as a Dog and later for The Cider House Rules .-Life and career:...
, released on DVD 2004) - 2004 GT25 Live! (live at Ullevi 2004)
External links
- Gyllene Tider.com - Elektroniska Tider (With full discography and info)
- R2R Forum
- The Daily Roxette (Latest Gyllene Tider news)
- Gyllene Tider online (Official)