Björn Skifs

Björn Nils Olof Skifs (; born 20 April 1947) is a Swedish singer, songwriter, actor, and screenwriter. Skifs has represented Sweden twice in the Eurovision Song Contest, in the 1978 contest and in the 1981 contest.

Career

Björn Skifs formed his first musical group, Slam Creepers, in 1962. Slam Creepers split in 1969 and Skifs went on to form a new band, Blåblus (a farmer's or workman's shirt (blus, blouse) made from blue (blå, blue) fabric - a pun (blues)) in 1972. As the lead singer of Blue Swede (another pun - blue + suede), the band had a No. 1 hit on ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1974 with a cover of Mark James's " Hooked on a Feeling".

Skifs embarked on a solo career after Slam Creepers broke up in 1969 and previously he had recorded the duet ''Med varann'' with Anni-Frid Lyngstad for his 1975 album ''Schiffz!''. Skifs appeared as The Arbiter on the original studio album for ''Chess'', released in 1984. A single and video, ''The Arbiter (I Know the Score)'', was released in 1985. Skifs also recorded several demos for the album, including '' One Night in Bangkok'', later performed by Murray Head. Skifs did not perform the role on stage (in the original London production the character was played by Tom Jobe).

Povel Ramel gave Skifs the Karamelodiktstipendiet award in 1984.

Skifs has represented Sweden twice in the Eurovision Song Contest, in the 1978 contest and in the 1981 contest. In 2000, he hosted Melodifestivalen, the Swedish heat of the Eurovision Song Contest, along with nine other presenters.

In 2002, he had a major hit with the song "Håll mitt hjärta" (Hold My Heart), which is a Swedish version of Peter Hallströms song ''Same Ol' Story''. It stayed on Svensktoppen from 27 April 2003 until 8 January 2006, for a total of 142 weeks. In April 2020, Skifs performed at the Swedish live-show ''En kväll tillsammans'', broadcast on SVT, which aimed to bring in money to the Swedish COVID-19 risk groups. Skifs performed the song "Håll Mitt Hjärta" at the end of the show.

Skifs was the opening act of the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 on 11 May, performing "Hooked on a Feeling".

Discography

Albums

EP/Singles

* 1973 – "Sally var en reko brud"
* 1973 – " Hooked on a Feeling"
* 1973 – " Never My Love"
* 1973 – "Silly Milly"
* 1975 – "Michelangelo"
* 1976 – "Firefly"
* 1977 – "Lady"
* 1977 – "Tarantula"
* 1978 – " Det blir alltid värre framåt natten"
* 1978 – "Rococo rendez-vous"
* 1981 – ""
* 1985 – "Vild och vacker"
* 1985 – "The Arbiter (I Know the Score)"
* 1991 – "Om igen"
* 2010 – " When You Tell the World You're Mine" with Agnes Carlsson
* 2011 – "Break the Spell"
* 2012 – "Step Right Up"

Collections

* 1978 – ''Björns bästa'' / ''Björn Skifs' Greatest Hits''
* 1981 – ''Björns ballader''
* 1989 – ''Collection''
* 1990 – ''Björn Skifs''
* 1991 – ''Songs for you''
* 1997 – ''50/50''
* 2004 – ''Skifs Hits!''

Filmography

* '' Drömkåken'' (1993) a.k.a. ''The Dream House''
* ''Joker'' (1991)
* '' Strul'' (1988) a.k.a. ''Framed''
* ''Smugglarkungen'' (1985) a.k.a. ''King of Smugglers''
* ''Chess Moves''
* ''Privatdeckarna: Uppdrag Gran Canaria'' (1984)
* ''Prima Veras saga om Olav den hellige'' (1983)
* ''En flicka på halsen'' (1982) a.k.a. ''Saddled with a Girl''
* '' Sverige åt svenskarna'' (1980) a.k.a. ''Battle of Sweden'', a.k.a. ''Sweden for the Swedes'', a.k.a. ''The Drinking Man's War''
* ''Toy Story'' (Swedish voice of Woody)
* ''Toy Story 2'' (Swedish voice of Woody)

Notes

References

External links

Björn Skifs Official site (archived 2005)Björn Skifs at Blixten & Co agency (archived 2009)
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Skifs, Bjorn

1947 births
Living people
People from Vansbro
Melodifestivalen winners
Eurovision Song Contest entrants
Swedish male actors
Swedish male singers
Swedish-language singers
Capitol Records artists
EMI Records artists
Musicians from Dalarna County
English-language singers from Sweden
Blue Swede members
Male actors from Dalarna County