Björn Afzelius

Biography

Björn Svante Afzelius (27 January 1947 – 16 February 1999) was a Swedish singer-songwriter and guitar player. He was an outspoken socialist, known for his support for Olof Palme. His songs are about love, politics and joys and sadness in life.

Career

Björn Svante Afzelius was born on 27 January 1947 in Huskvarna, Jönköping County. His father Svante Arnold Afzelius (1923–1976) was an engineer and his mother Ulla Afzelius (1926–1971) was a housewife. His only sibling is his brother Bengt (b. 1952) who is a music teacher. He came into contact with music from a very young age, because his mother and her side of the family were largely into music. In 1970, Afzelius formed the progg group Hoola Bandoola Band together with Mikael Wiehe. Wiehe and Afzelius became very close friends and worked together long after Hoola Bandoola had dissolved in 1975.
Afzelius released his first solo album in 1974, his last one in 1999. Some of his most popular songs are "Ikaros", "Tusen bitar×Tusen bitar1990 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1Tusen bitar4:372Mona Lisa3:253Den himmelska fridens torg5:114Två ljus4:175Amerika4:196Gånglåt från Sörgården3:307Edmond Dantés' nittonåriga dröm7:038Älska mej nu3:15" (Thousand pieces – which was originally recorded by Danish Anne Linnet as "Tusind Stykker"), "Sång till friheten×Sång till friheten22 November 2006 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 59 tracks · 4 discsDisc 11Fröken Julie3:432Ulf Brännare5:143Så vill jag bli5:354Doktor Hjälplös5:065Fri information3:416Gråt och le, mitt lilla lamm (till Rita)7:157Feberdansen6:088Kamrater, Bodenarbetare2:599Balladen om K6:1610Sundsvall by night3:5511You're never alone3:2512For king and country5:3913På stormiga vatten3:3614Visa i vargtimmen4:3015Livets skatt4:14Disc 21Man kan inte äga varann4:012Evelina (Live)5:343Juanita (Live)5:004The American Way (Live)7:495Exil3:386Ikaros3:337Hiroshima13:378Dockhemmet3:329Natt i Ligurien3:2810Svarta gänget3:2711Sång till friheten (Live)3:2312D.S.B. Blues (Live)3:2213Isabelle (Live)3:5714Europa (Live)8:0115Medan bomberna faller (Live)5:46Disc 31Odyssevs3:402Bella Donna6:063Renée Chardier3:434Don Quixote5:085Under Sions kalla stjärna6:276Däckspojken4:097Hälsning från Nicaragua3:288Älska mej nu3:169Tusen bitar4:3610Johnny Boy (Live)6:5411Sådan herre (Live)3:3112Till min kära (Live)4:2813Som en duva (Live)3:5114Två ljus (Live)4:1615En kungens man (Live)4:13Disc 41Tre gåvor3:412Nära dej4:203Hög tid5:414Galakväll3:025Ensam i gryningen4:426Tankar vid 504:167Landet bortom bergen6:428Det enda jag vill ha3:579Liten blues vid gravens rand2:5010Duncan Brady6:5611På lantbrukare Perssons gård2:1412Farväl till släkt och vänner2:4213Elsinore5:2414På egna vingar5:37" (Song for Freedom – which was originally recorded by Cuban Silvio Rodríguez as "El Día Feliz Que Está Llegando"), "Kungens man" (The king's man), "Tankar i Havanna" (Thoughts in Havanna) and "Till min kära" (For my dear). He died from lung cancer in 1999, 52 years old, but he remains one of the most beloved artists in Scandinavia.
He wrote about 150 songs and sold over two-and-a-half million albums.

Death and legacy

Afzelius died on 16 February 1999 in Gothenburg.
The Björn Afzelius International Culture Foundation (BAIK) was set up in his honour. The foundation has in the past sponsored a prize known as the Freemuse Award, which recognises an individual or organisation that "has worked for freedom of musical expression in a remarkable way". The award is given by Freemuse. Winners of the Freemuse Award include:

2008: Tiken Jah Fakoly, Ivorian reggae singer exiled from Côte d'Ivoire owing to his outspokenness about political corruption
2009: Pete Seeger, American folk singer and activist
2010: Joint winners, Iranian singer Mahsa Vahdat and Turkish-Kurdish singer and activist Ferhat Tunç
2011: Ramy Essam, who provided the soundtrack for the Arab Spring at Tahrir Square, Cairo, Egypt
2013: Festival au Désert, founded and directed by Manny Ansar
2016: Lavon Volski, Belarusian rock musician
2017: Zohra, the first and only Afghan women’s orchestra
In 2021, the Freemuse Freedom of Artistic Expression Award was opened for nominations.

With Hoola Bandoola Band

1971: Garanterat individuell
1972: Vem kan man lita på?
1973: 'På väg
1975: Fri Information
1975: "Stoppa matchen" (single)

Solo albums

1974: Vem är det som är rädd?
1976: För kung och fosterland
1978: Johnny Boy (with Björn Afzelius Band)
1979: Bakom kulisserna (with Björn Afzelius Band)
1979: Another Tale to Tell (with Björn Afzelius Band)
1980: Globetrotter (with Globetrotters)
1982: Innan tystnaden (with Globetrotters)
1982: Danska nätter (live) (with Globetrotters)
1984: Exil (with Globetrotters)
1984: Afzelius; sång & gitarr (live)
1985: Nio liv (with Globetrotters)
1986: Grande Finale (live) (with Globetrotters)
1986: Björn Afzelius & Mikael Wiehe (with Mikael Wiehe)
1987: Riddarna kring runda bordet
1988: Don Quixote
1988: En man, en röst, en gitarr
1990: Tusen bitar
1991: Nidaros (live)
1992: Afzelius, Bygren och Råstam (live)
1994: Nära dig
1997: Tankar vid 50
1999: Elsinore
2004: Björn Afzelius & Mikael Wiehe 1993 – Malmöinspelningarna (with Mikael Wiehe)
2011: Tusen bitar – Sånger om kärlek & rättvisa

Compilations

1988: Björn Afzelius Bästa Vol I
1988: Björn Afzelius Bästa Vol II
1995: Björn Afzelius Bästa Vol III
1995: Afzelius Box (Bästa Vol 1, 2, 3)
1998: Den röda tråden – Definitivt
2002: Den röda tråden Vol 1
2002: Den röda tråden Vol 2
2005: Björn Afzelius Bästa
2006: Guldkorn vol.1