New Swedish JCS
A while back I whined about how "Jesus Christ Superstar" is being retranslated into Swedish by Ola Salo, a guy whose previous accomplishments as a lyricist have been somewhat... ehm... interesting. Well the new translation was put on stage a while back and somehow they managed to convince Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice to let them record it on CD as well. Out of curiosity, and since I don't have the original Swedish album (unfortunately - it featuers Bruno Wintzell as Jesus and Agneta Fältskog from ABBA as Mary) I decided to buy it. It arrived a few days ago and I have to admit it's not as bad as I feared it would be. But it's not too fabulous either.
One of the things I like is that Ola Salo, whose father is a priest, obviously knows his Bible and in a few places makes changes that makes Jesus seem more... religeous? I don't know what word I'm searching for really, but Tim Rice's original lyrics have been criticised for making Jesus seem too human, and in this translation that is toned down a bit.
For example during "Trial Before Pilate" Jesus says: "I have got no kingdom in this world, I'm through. There may be a kingdom for me somewhere, if I only knew". The new Swedish lyrics translate back into: "I have no kingdom here in this world. Where my Father's will is done, that is where my kingdom is."
Another thing I like is that the language is, naturally, modernized. One of the weaknesses of JCS is that the language is contemporary. "What's the buzz" is not exactly a common phrase these days, and it sometimes makes the show seem kinda' dated. Naturally this version will seem highly dated in ten years or so, but for now it's pretty funny to listen to at times. Judas talks about Jesus' "hype", and I laughed out loud when Jesus during "The Arrest" tells the apostles to "cut your hair and get a job", which is a Swedish way of saying "grow up already".
On the downside... Well first of all the rhyming is so-so. There are a few too many instances where Salo uses words that almost rhyme, where he could have bothered to find something that actually did rhyme. And I don't like that he cheats in "Superstar" and leaves the first half of the chorus in English. I like the original Swedish translation where the first half, translated back into English, goes: "Jesus Christ, superstar. Say what does the cross you bore mean?" And in some places the meaning of a song, or a verse is changed completely. "Could We Start Again, Please?" now has Peter deciding that Jesus is "finished" and that it's up to the apostles to take over (and "sort out his chaos"). And the apostles' last part of "the Last Supper" has them talking smack about Judas, saying they never got what Jesus saw in him, and that they will make sure he is written as the bad guy in the gospels. Quite the deriviation from the original.
I've written this down mostly for myself, but anyone who's interested can just read on... =)
"Heaven on Their Minds" ("A Foggy Dream of Heaven")
One of my favorite songs from the musical in general, and perhaps my favorite in this version too. Patrik Martinsson who plays Judas does a great job with the song. The lyrics are good; I especially like this part (translated back into English, duh): "All the good things you've said, will soon be forgotten. Empty words will be all that's left, and no one will have understood." Don't really know why, I just like it.
"What's the Buzz?" ("What's Up?")
Never really been a favorite of mine in any version. I've never really seen the point in Jesus being all cranky the first time he opens his mouth in the show. Cracked me up a bit though when Jesus here asks the disciples if they want "exact departure times".
"Strange Thing, Mystifying" ("A Wonder, Mysterious Even")
Okay I laughed out loud when I listened to this song. Judas sings: "Yes, I can understand that it's cosy, when you're cooing here." And Martinsson puts such a funny emphasis on "cosy".
"Everything's Alright" ("Everything's Okay Now")
This song is pretty much a direct translation of the original, as far as possible.
"This Jesus Must Die" ("Jesus Must Die")
Okay I love this song, especially the movie version of it. I love the rythm, the comical effect of the council being all overdramatic with their "he is dangerous" bit and the clever lyrics. And I liked the translation of it. Instead of the crowd singing: "Jesus Christ, superstar" they here sing: "Jesus Christ, son of God" which works nicely. I cracked up when Hannas describes Jesus as a "barefoot threat". And the line about John doing his "baptism thing" always makes me smile.
"Hosanna"
Also a pretty good translation, staying very close to the original. Interestingly the crowd calls Jesus "JC" with an English pronounciation, while the initials in Swedish should be JK.
"Simon Zealotes/Poor Jerusalem" ("Simon Zealotes/Poor Humanity")
Simon really goes all out in this version lol. He tells Jesus to "stop being so damn pious (sp?)".
"Pilate's Dream"
If you've seen the filmed stage version with Glenn Carter as Jesus, then here's a tidbit for you. In that version Pilate is played by Fred Johanson, who is not only Swedish but who translated "Beauty and the Beast" and played the male lead when that show was performed in Sweden. He also plays Pilate here.
As for this song, this is one of the worst translations out of the bunch. In the original I get the feeling that Pilate sympathises with "the Galilean", where here he describes him as some sort of wacko.
"The Temple"
The emphasis here is put entirely on animal sacrifices, with the people in the temple trying to convince people to get freed from their sins by slaughtering an animal. I know there are different versions of the English lyrics for this song, but most that I've heard have had two separate verses that the crowd sings. Here there's only one, so it gets a bit repetitive.
"I Don't Know How To Love Him" ("How Do I Show My Love?")
I love this song, both the original and the first Swedish version (which I'm lucky enough to have Angeta Fältskog's version of). This version is pretty good, but I prefer the first Swedish translation. Maybe just 'cause I'm more used to it; time will have to tell.
"Damned For All Time/Blood Money" ("Hated By Everyone/Blood Money")
Okay this song is really all over the place here. Where Judas in the original keeps repeating: "Just don't say I'm damned for all time" he here manages to spread it out all over the place. The first time the line comes he claims he hates all of Jesus' followers. The second time he says he's worried Jesus will be hated by all. Not until the third time does he get around to himself. I prefer it the original way.
"The Last Supper"
I don't know what's up with the disciples' lyrics in this one. I really love the original, and especially the line: "Till this evening/morning is this morning/evening, life is fine" which in the first Swedish translation became: "This evening/morning is ours, and it is fine". This bit is completely absent here. They sing about how the group to be alone for a while to relax during the weekend, and like in the original they sing about writing the gospels in the future. I cracked up during the first one, since they use a slang word from Gothenburg in a kind of funny place. But like I mentioned earlier, for some reason their entire last verse is talking smack about Judas, which seems unnecessary to me.
"Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say)" ("Gethsemane")
The lyrics are okay, but sadly Ola Salo's performance is not as good as I would have liked. And they completely mess up the crescendo of the song. It's supposed to be a really powerful moment, but instead here it becomes all soft and weak. Salo doesn't even hold the note through it, which I know not all singers do, but I prefer it when they do.
"The Arrest"
Pretty good version, with the crowd throwing typical "modern journalism" questions Jesus' way.
"Peter's Denial"
Never been much of a fan of this song. This version is pretty similar to the original. Peter throws a modern slang version of saying "are you slow or something?" to the people talking to him, which was kind of funny.
"Pilate And Christ" ("Pilate And Jesus")
Nothing to say about this one; it stays pretty close to the original.
"King Herod's Song"
Okay the actor here drove me nuts. He more talks than sings in the beginning, and in the end, making the melody nearly impossible to hear. The lyrics are good on the other hand. In order to make it rhyme he asks Jesus to change his water to Moët, which was clever. What I don't like is that when the original slowly starts to turn to negative this just turns on a beat and starts being all "get out of here" far too soon in the song. Won't be listening much to this track, though that's mainly the actor's fault.
"Could We Start Again, Please?" ("Let's Start Over Now")
As mentioned before, this song has changed into "Jesus is a goner, let's start fixing his mess". Which is certainly not how I percieved the original.
"Judas' Death"
What I've never understood with this song is why Judas sings about how badly Jesus has been beaten, before they lay a finger on him in the show. Continuity error, much? The translation here is good, and so are the performances. Personally I think Zubin Varla did the best version of this song, but it works fine here too.
"Trial Before Pilate (Including The 39 Lashes)" ("He Suffered Under Pontius Pilate")
The lyrics get kind of odd here in some halfway attempts of creating rhymes that don't really rhyme anyway. But Jesus' lines are really good, better than the original even.
"Superstar"
It really irks me that they cheat and sing half the chorus in English. What's the point of that, exactly? The original Swedish version is a lot more clever than this one, in other ways as well. The original Swedish translation include the following lines: "Isn't your colleague Buddah quite phat? Can Muhammed lift a mountain, is he a strong prophet?" The lines here go: "Buddah, was he real, does he know all that you know? Was Muhammed just a fake or was he just as hot?" The original is a lot wittier IMHO.
Out of the versions I've heard enough to be familiar with (original version, film version, -96 version, Swedish original version and now this one) I still say that nothing beats the version from 1996. To me nobody comes even close to Steve Balsamo in the role of Jesus, I think Joanna Ampil did a lovely Mary, and while my favorite Judas is Carl Anderson I still love Zubin Varla's performance too (his version of "Superstar" is IMHO the best). I know a lot of people prefer the version with Ian Gillian and Murray Head because it's the original, but honestly, they can't match the version from -96. Just look at the video below of Balsamo performing "Gethsemane". He sings it live and still kicks Gillian's ass. I reeeeaaaaaaallllly hope they cast him as Jesus in the 2010 film remake, if they do end up shooting it.
One of the things I like is that Ola Salo, whose father is a priest, obviously knows his Bible and in a few places makes changes that makes Jesus seem more... religeous? I don't know what word I'm searching for really, but Tim Rice's original lyrics have been criticised for making Jesus seem too human, and in this translation that is toned down a bit.
For example during "Trial Before Pilate" Jesus says: "I have got no kingdom in this world, I'm through. There may be a kingdom for me somewhere, if I only knew". The new Swedish lyrics translate back into: "I have no kingdom here in this world. Where my Father's will is done, that is where my kingdom is."
Another thing I like is that the language is, naturally, modernized. One of the weaknesses of JCS is that the language is contemporary. "What's the buzz" is not exactly a common phrase these days, and it sometimes makes the show seem kinda' dated. Naturally this version will seem highly dated in ten years or so, but for now it's pretty funny to listen to at times. Judas talks about Jesus' "hype", and I laughed out loud when Jesus during "The Arrest" tells the apostles to "cut your hair and get a job", which is a Swedish way of saying "grow up already".
On the downside... Well first of all the rhyming is so-so. There are a few too many instances where Salo uses words that almost rhyme, where he could have bothered to find something that actually did rhyme. And I don't like that he cheats in "Superstar" and leaves the first half of the chorus in English. I like the original Swedish translation where the first half, translated back into English, goes: "Jesus Christ, superstar. Say what does the cross you bore mean?" And in some places the meaning of a song, or a verse is changed completely. "Could We Start Again, Please?" now has Peter deciding that Jesus is "finished" and that it's up to the apostles to take over (and "sort out his chaos"). And the apostles' last part of "the Last Supper" has them talking smack about Judas, saying they never got what Jesus saw in him, and that they will make sure he is written as the bad guy in the gospels. Quite the deriviation from the original.
I've written this down mostly for myself, but anyone who's interested can just read on... =)
"Heaven on Their Minds" ("A Foggy Dream of Heaven")
One of my favorite songs from the musical in general, and perhaps my favorite in this version too. Patrik Martinsson who plays Judas does a great job with the song. The lyrics are good; I especially like this part (translated back into English, duh): "All the good things you've said, will soon be forgotten. Empty words will be all that's left, and no one will have understood." Don't really know why, I just like it.
"What's the Buzz?" ("What's Up?")
Never really been a favorite of mine in any version. I've never really seen the point in Jesus being all cranky the first time he opens his mouth in the show. Cracked me up a bit though when Jesus here asks the disciples if they want "exact departure times".
"Strange Thing, Mystifying" ("A Wonder, Mysterious Even")
Okay I laughed out loud when I listened to this song. Judas sings: "Yes, I can understand that it's cosy, when you're cooing here." And Martinsson puts such a funny emphasis on "cosy".
"Everything's Alright" ("Everything's Okay Now")
This song is pretty much a direct translation of the original, as far as possible.
"This Jesus Must Die" ("Jesus Must Die")
Okay I love this song, especially the movie version of it. I love the rythm, the comical effect of the council being all overdramatic with their "he is dangerous" bit and the clever lyrics. And I liked the translation of it. Instead of the crowd singing: "Jesus Christ, superstar" they here sing: "Jesus Christ, son of God" which works nicely. I cracked up when Hannas describes Jesus as a "barefoot threat". And the line about John doing his "baptism thing" always makes me smile.
"Hosanna"
Also a pretty good translation, staying very close to the original. Interestingly the crowd calls Jesus "JC" with an English pronounciation, while the initials in Swedish should be JK.
"Simon Zealotes/Poor Jerusalem" ("Simon Zealotes/Poor Humanity")
Simon really goes all out in this version lol. He tells Jesus to "stop being so damn pious (sp?)".
"Pilate's Dream"
If you've seen the filmed stage version with Glenn Carter as Jesus, then here's a tidbit for you. In that version Pilate is played by Fred Johanson, who is not only Swedish but who translated "Beauty and the Beast" and played the male lead when that show was performed in Sweden. He also plays Pilate here.
As for this song, this is one of the worst translations out of the bunch. In the original I get the feeling that Pilate sympathises with "the Galilean", where here he describes him as some sort of wacko.
"The Temple"
The emphasis here is put entirely on animal sacrifices, with the people in the temple trying to convince people to get freed from their sins by slaughtering an animal. I know there are different versions of the English lyrics for this song, but most that I've heard have had two separate verses that the crowd sings. Here there's only one, so it gets a bit repetitive.
"I Don't Know How To Love Him" ("How Do I Show My Love?")
I love this song, both the original and the first Swedish version (which I'm lucky enough to have Angeta Fältskog's version of). This version is pretty good, but I prefer the first Swedish translation. Maybe just 'cause I'm more used to it; time will have to tell.
"Damned For All Time/Blood Money" ("Hated By Everyone/Blood Money")
Okay this song is really all over the place here. Where Judas in the original keeps repeating: "Just don't say I'm damned for all time" he here manages to spread it out all over the place. The first time the line comes he claims he hates all of Jesus' followers. The second time he says he's worried Jesus will be hated by all. Not until the third time does he get around to himself. I prefer it the original way.
"The Last Supper"
I don't know what's up with the disciples' lyrics in this one. I really love the original, and especially the line: "Till this evening/morning is this morning/evening, life is fine" which in the first Swedish translation became: "This evening/morning is ours, and it is fine". This bit is completely absent here. They sing about how the group to be alone for a while to relax during the weekend, and like in the original they sing about writing the gospels in the future. I cracked up during the first one, since they use a slang word from Gothenburg in a kind of funny place. But like I mentioned earlier, for some reason their entire last verse is talking smack about Judas, which seems unnecessary to me.
"Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say)" ("Gethsemane")
The lyrics are okay, but sadly Ola Salo's performance is not as good as I would have liked. And they completely mess up the crescendo of the song. It's supposed to be a really powerful moment, but instead here it becomes all soft and weak. Salo doesn't even hold the note through it, which I know not all singers do, but I prefer it when they do.
"The Arrest"
Pretty good version, with the crowd throwing typical "modern journalism" questions Jesus' way.
"Peter's Denial"
Never been much of a fan of this song. This version is pretty similar to the original. Peter throws a modern slang version of saying "are you slow or something?" to the people talking to him, which was kind of funny.
"Pilate And Christ" ("Pilate And Jesus")
Nothing to say about this one; it stays pretty close to the original.
"King Herod's Song"
Okay the actor here drove me nuts. He more talks than sings in the beginning, and in the end, making the melody nearly impossible to hear. The lyrics are good on the other hand. In order to make it rhyme he asks Jesus to change his water to Moët, which was clever. What I don't like is that when the original slowly starts to turn to negative this just turns on a beat and starts being all "get out of here" far too soon in the song. Won't be listening much to this track, though that's mainly the actor's fault.
"Could We Start Again, Please?" ("Let's Start Over Now")
As mentioned before, this song has changed into "Jesus is a goner, let's start fixing his mess". Which is certainly not how I percieved the original.
"Judas' Death"
What I've never understood with this song is why Judas sings about how badly Jesus has been beaten, before they lay a finger on him in the show. Continuity error, much? The translation here is good, and so are the performances. Personally I think Zubin Varla did the best version of this song, but it works fine here too.
"Trial Before Pilate (Including The 39 Lashes)" ("He Suffered Under Pontius Pilate")
The lyrics get kind of odd here in some halfway attempts of creating rhymes that don't really rhyme anyway. But Jesus' lines are really good, better than the original even.
"Superstar"
It really irks me that they cheat and sing half the chorus in English. What's the point of that, exactly? The original Swedish version is a lot more clever than this one, in other ways as well. The original Swedish translation include the following lines: "Isn't your colleague Buddah quite phat? Can Muhammed lift a mountain, is he a strong prophet?" The lines here go: "Buddah, was he real, does he know all that you know? Was Muhammed just a fake or was he just as hot?" The original is a lot wittier IMHO.
Out of the versions I've heard enough to be familiar with (original version, film version, -96 version, Swedish original version and now this one) I still say that nothing beats the version from 1996. To me nobody comes even close to Steve Balsamo in the role of Jesus, I think Joanna Ampil did a lovely Mary, and while my favorite Judas is Carl Anderson I still love Zubin Varla's performance too (his version of "Superstar" is IMHO the best). I know a lot of people prefer the version with Ian Gillian and Murray Head because it's the original, but honestly, they can't match the version from -96. Just look at the video below of Balsamo performing "Gethsemane". He sings it live and still kicks Gillian's ass. I reeeeaaaaaaallllly hope they cast him as Jesus in the 2010 film remake, if they do end up shooting it.
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