1981 in Scandinavian music
| By location |
|---|
| By genre |
| By topic |
| List of years in Scandinavian music |
|---|
The following is a list of notable events and releases that happened in Scandinavian music in 1981.
Events
- 5 January – Björn Ulvaeus, now divorced from Agnetha Fältskog, marries Lena Källersjö.[1]
- 4 April – At the 26th Eurovision Song Contest, Sweden is the best-performing of the Nordic countries, finishing 10th. Denmark are 11th, Finland 16th, and Norway finish in 20th (last) place, with no votes from other countries.[2]
- September – Icelandic musicians Björk Guðmundsdóttir and bassist Jakob Magnússon form a new band, Tappi Tíkarrass.[3]
- 31 December – Benny Andersson, recently divorced from Anni-Frid Lyngstad, marries TV presenter Mona Nörklit.[1]
- unknown date
- The organ at the Heinävesi Church in Finland is renewed, using some of the stops from the original organ.
- Danish musician Lars Ulrich meets James Hetfield and they form the band Metallica.[4]
Classical works
- Ulf Grahn – Concertino for piano and Strings[5]
- Bengt Hambraeus – Voluntary on a Swedish Hymn Tune from Dalecarlia
- Magnus Lindberg – Sculpture II[6]
Hit singles
- ABBA – "One of Us" (#1 Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, West Germany)[7]
- Beranek – "Dra til hælvete" (#1 Norway)[8]
- Gyllene Tider – "Ljudet av ett annat hjärta" (#3 Sweden)[9]
- Thomas Ledin – "Sensuella Isabella" (#4 Sweden)[10]
- Eddie Meduza – "Gasen i botten" (#13 Sweden)[11]
- Björn Skifs – "Fångad i en dröm" (#10 Sweden)[12]
Film music
- Erling D. Bjerno – Jeppe på bjerget[13]
- Henrik Otto Donner – Pedon merkki[14]
Births
- 10 December – Paula Vesala, Finnish singer-songwriter[15]
Deaths
- 1 February – Geirr Tveitt, Norwegian composer[16]
- 22 May – Reimar Riefling, Norwegian classical pianist, music teacher, and music critic (born 1898).[17]
- 25 May – Georg Malmstén, Finnish entertainer (born 1902)[18]
- 23 June – Zarah Leander, Swedish actress and singer (born 1907)[19]
- 3 August – Seymour Österwall, Swedish tenor saxophonist, bandleader, and composer (born 1908)[20]
- 5 October – Sven Gyldmark, Danish film score composer (born 1904)[21]
See also
References
- ^ a b Benoît Clerc (2024). Abba: All The Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. Octopus. ISBN 9781788404839.
- ^ "Dublin 1981 – Scoreboard". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- ^ Aston, Martin (1996). Björk: Björkgraphy. London: Simon & Schuster. p. 53. ISBN 0-684-81799-3.
- ^ Crocker, Chris (1993). Metallica: The Frayed Ends of Metal. St. Martin's Press. pp. 25–26. ISBN 978-0312086350.
- ^ "Concertino for piano and Strings". Swedish Musical Heritage. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
- ^ "Sculpture, Magnus Lindberg". LA Phil. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "Danish Chart Archive - Singles 1979 - ____ (B.T./IFPI DK)". ukmix.org. 23 November 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
- ^ "Dra til hælvete". Norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "LJUDET AV ETT ANNAT HJÄRTA (SONG)". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "Sensuella Isabella". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "Eddie Meduza Gasen i botten". Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ "BJÖRN SKIFS - FÅNGAD I EN DRÖM (SONG)". Swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ "Jeppe of the hill". Danish Film Institute. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
- ^ "Pedon merkki". Swedish Film Database. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "Paula Vesala". AAE Music. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
- ^ "Geirr Tveitt". Norsk biografisk leksikon. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ "Reimar Riefling". Store Norske Leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. 3 September 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
- ^ "Malmstén, Georg (1902 - 1981)" (in Finnish). Kansallisbiografia. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
- ^ "Zarah Leander, Swedish singer". Miami Herald. Stockholm. UPI. 24 June 1981. p. 83. Retrieved 5 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. Macmillan. 1988. p. 278.
- ^ "Sven Gyldmark". Danskefilm. Retrieved 6 July 2025.