When It's Lamp Lighting Time in the Valley

Last updated

"When It's Lamp Lighting Time in the Valley"
Song by The Vagabonds
LanguageEnglish
Released 1933
Genre Country
Songwriter(s) The Vagabonds: Herald Goodman, Curt Poulton, Dean Upson; with Joe Lyons, and Sam C. Hart

When It's Lamp Lighting Time in the Valley is a 1933 country ballad to a waltz melody with words and music by Joe Lyons, Sam C. Hart and The Vagabonds, Curt Poulton, Herald Goodman, and Dean Upson. [1] The song was a hit by The Vagabonds. The song lyrics are about one who longs for his mother, who is far away in a valley. Marty Robbins later covered the song. Other singers who has recorded the song include Tex Ritter and Wayne King.

Contents

In 1936, Larry Vincent and Harry Pease released a song with the same melody titled "When the Sun Says Goodnight to the Mountain". This song was later translated into French and became popular in Canada as "Quand le soleil dit bonjour aux montanges", [2] [3] and a bilingual cover by Lucille Starr became an international hit and Canada's first single to sell more than a million copies. [4]

A Christmas Song

When Nils Hellström wrote lyrics in Swedish in 1935, its lyrics were changed and the song was turned into a Christmas song: "När ljusen tändas där hemma". The lamp in the lyrics in English was replaced by candles. "När ljusen tändas därhemma" ("When the candles at home are lit)", which describes an old/lonely man/woman sitting, when the darkness of the evening arrives, and dreaming of his/her childhood and old home, became a popular Christmas song in Sweden during the 1930s and 1940s. It's not mentioned in the song lyrics, but many people associate the song with the emigration from Sweden to the United States during the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century and Sweden being the state where the childhood and home is. The word Christmas is never mentioned in the song lyrics, but the word "ljus", which is Swedish for light/candle, is strongly associated with Advent and Christmas in Sweden. The opening words of the first verse, "Var gång skymningen stilla sig sänker" ("Every time when the dusk slowly falls") often refers to December as the darkest month of the year on the Northern Hemisphere. In English, the song has 4 verses, and 2 in Swedish. The song has also got lyrics in Norwegian, as "Når lysene tennes der hjemme" (meaning the same as in Swedish) and Finnish, as "Kodin kynttilät" (Candles of the Home). The song became immensely popular in Finland during the Winter War, as the Finnish lyrics can be interpreted as a soldier's longing to home and his loved ones. The song has also been translated into other languages, with other themes.

When the Swedish "dansband", pop and country singer Kikki Danielsson covered the Swedish language version of the song on her 1987 Christmas album "Min barndoms jular", [5] the lyrics was changed a little, and she sang about being "lonely" instead of "old". The second verse opening lyrics "Jag är gammal och sitter och drömmer om min barndom som snabbt rann förbi" ("I am old and sit and dream of my childhood, which fast passed") was replaced with the re-written lyrics "Jag är ensam och sitter och drömmer om min barndom som snabbt rann förbi" ("I am lonely and sit and dream of my childhood, which fast passed"). Swedish dansband Sten & Stanley has also recorded this song with "ensam" lyrics version.

Johnny Reimar version

Johnny Reimar from Denmark performed the song as an uptempo song with the title "Når jeg tænker på lille Alvilde" (When I think of little Alvilde). A song about a man who misses his first love.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kikki Danielsson</span> Swedish singer (born 1952)

Ann-Kristin "Kikki" Danielsson is a Swedish country, dansband and pop singer. Sometimes, she also plays the accordion and she has also written some lyrics. She has gained notice for yodeling in some songs. Danielsson gained her largest popularity in the Nordic region from the late 1970s until the late 1990s. She also gained popularity at the US country stage during the 1980s. In 1986, she had the "Kikki i Nashville" TV show.

<i>Min barndoms jular</i> 1987 studio album by Kikki Danielsson

Min barndoms jular is a Christmas album from Kikki Danielsson, released in December 1987. It peaked at 19th position at the Swedish Albums Chart

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christer Sjögren</span> Musical artist

Hans Christer Sjögren is a Swedish singer, songwriter and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the dansband group Vikingarna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wizex</span> Dansband from Sweden

Wizex is a Swedish dansband formed in Osby in 1973. It purchased the rights to the name from a band that started as Ulrik Wittmans Kvintett in 1957. When Ulrik Wittman left the band in 1963 they started to use the name Wizex. When read out the name sounds like "The Six of Us", "vi sex", in Swedish, and it was six persons left in the band when they changed the name. Today's band had six founders and was allowed to purchase the name, and hence use 1973 as the starting point.

<i>Tillbaks till världen</i> 1999 studio album by Mauro Scocco

Tillbaks till världen is the seventh studio album by Swedish pop music artist Mauro Scocco. It was released in 1999 through Scocco's own record label Diesel Music, three years after its predecessor Godmorgon Sverige. Reportedly, Scocco spent two years writing 34 songs for this album and chose the best twelve. The album peaked at number three on the Swedish Albums Chart.

"Bella Notte" is a song for the 1955 animated motion picture Lady and the Tramp from Walt Disney Productions. The music was composed by Sonny Burke and the lyrics were written by Peggy Lee. The song was performed in the film by George Givot, who also provided the voice of Tony.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wahlströms</span> Musical artist

Wahlströms was a dansband from Vadstena, Sweden, established in 1985.

"I kväll jag tänder ett ljus" is a Christmas song with lyrics and music by Ingvar Hellberg. With lyrics referring to childhood, it references snowy Christmases, probably on the Earth's Northern Hemisphere. It also uses some older Swedish grammar, with the lines och nu när snöflingor falla i julnatten lång.

Ett litet rött paket is a song with lyrics and music by Owe Thörnqvist.

Hosianna, Davids son is an Advent song with music by Abbé Vogler for mixed choir and church organ, with lyrics in Swedish. It is one of the more popular Christmas songs in Sweden and Finland.

"När juldagsmorgon glimmar" is a Swedish Christmas song. Betty Ehrenborg-Posse wrote the text in 1851 to the tune of the German student song from 1819, "Wir hatten gebauet ein stattliches Haus".

"Ett barn är fött på denna dag" is a Swedish Christmas song.

Anders Petters stuga or Anders Perssons stuga står i ljusan låga is an old Swedish Christmas song of unknown origin. It is often sung when dancing around the Christmas tree. Lyrically, the song deals with a fire in "Anders Petters's" cottage. While the lyrics don't mention Christmas, the word ljusen is here strongly associated with the candles lit at Christmastime.

Leif Bloms was a dansband in Växjö in Sweden. scoring chart successes at the Swedish album chart during the mid-late 1970s. On 31 December 1995 the band was disbanded after singing and playing together for almost 40 years. Starting with the 1981 album Håll dig kvar, the band's singer was Mona Gustafsson, who wrote the band's 1992 song "Dej ska jag älska all min tid" which won the 1992 Hänt song contest in Älvsjö. After the band was disbanded, Mona Gustafsson, Patrik Ahlm and René Saulesco founded another dansband, Mona G:s orkester.

<i>Thorleifs jul</i> 1998 studio album by Thorleifs

Thorleifs jul is a 1998 Thorleifs Christmas album. The album was recorded inside the Strängnäs Cathedral for TV4 Vision, and peaked at 45th position on the Swedish albums chart.

<i>När ljusen ska tändas därhemma</i> (album) 1994 studio album by Christer Sjögren

När ljusen ska tändas därhemma is a Christer Sjögren Christmas album, released to CD and cassette tape before Christmas 1994, and VHS before the 1995 Christmas. At the Swedish album chart it peaked at 25th position.

<i>Vikingarnas julparty</i> 1979 studio album by Vikingarna

Vikingarnas julparty is a 1979 Vikingarna studio album. The side A consists of Christmas songs.

<i>Lasse Stefanz stora julparty</i> 2013 studio album by Lasse Stefanz

Lasse Stefanz Stora Julparty is a Lasse Stefanz studio album, released on 4 December 2013, The album managed to top the Swedish albums chart. Despite the title, the album consists of no Christmas songs, but ordinary songs.

<i>Jul i vårt hus</i> 2004 studio album by Lasse Berghagen

Jul i vårt hus is a studio album released on 17 November 2004, and is a Christmas album by Lasse Berghagen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viveca Lärn</span> Swedish writer and journalist

Viveca Lärn, earlier Viveca Sundvall, is a Swedish writer and journalist. She is mostly famous for writing the Mimmi and the Eddie children's books series. She has also written books for an adult audience, and many of those books formed the basis for the TV series Saltön.

References

  1. ↑ Catalog of Copyright Entries: Musical compositions. Library of Congress, Copyright Office. 1934.
  2. ↑ "Quand le soleil dit bonjour aux montagnes ou quand une Franco-Manitobaine séduit le monde". ici.radio-canada.ca (in French).
  3. ↑ Daly, Margaret; King, Betty Nygaard (21 September 2020) [1 March 2012]. "Lucille Starr". The Canadian Encyclopedia.
  4. ↑ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The book of golden discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie & Jenkins. p. 183. ISBN   978-0-214-20512-5.
  5. ↑ Information at Svensk mediedatabas
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.