Mark Pentleton

This is a lovely little waltz written by Benny Andersson for his wife, Swedish TV presenter Mona Nörklit on her birthday. I’ve seen the Benny Anderssons Orkester play this live, and it’s one of those songs which the performers obviously enjoy performing.
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This is a beautiful song from the finale of the musical Chess. I’ve already played other songs from this show, but I think this one is my favourite. The chord progressions of the verse are complex and challenging, and the chorus is beautifully lyrical, especially when sung in sixths by Florence and Anatoly. There are [...]

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This gorgeous, simple song was first recorded by Benny and Björn in 1970, and then released by Anni-Frid on her solo album in 1971. The title of the song, Lycka, means “happiness” in Swedish and the lyrics tell the story of a couple who spend some time with each other after a busy day. There [...]

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Today’s song is taken from the musical Chess. When Benny and Björn were writing the musical, Björn would add lyrics to Benny’s music to help give the song more rhythm and meaning. They then sent their “demos” to Tim Rice who wrote the final version of the lyrics. Heaven help my heart was actually recorded [...]

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After my previous performances for Norway’s National Day on 17th May, I realised today that I’d completely forgotten Sweden’s National Day on 6th June. This song is therefore a belated dedication to all my Swedish friends – and Benny Anderssons Orkester fans everywhere! The song Lätt som en sommarfjäril (Light as a butterfly) was performed [...]

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Today’s song is the famous duet from the musical Chess, first performed by Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson on the concept album for the show back in 1985. It was number one in the UK for four weeks at the time.
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A very romantic song today, and make sure you click on the links which will help to illustrate my story! True Love was first sung by Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly in the 1956 musical film High Society. The last time I heard this song performed was at the Benny Anderssons Orkester concert last summer in [...]

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Sticking with the musicals theme from yesterday, Guldet Blev till Sand is one of many beautiful songs from the Swedish musical Kristina från Duvemåla, written by (my musical hero) Benny Andersson and with lyrics by Björn Ulvæus. The musical is based on the novels of Swedish author Vilhelm Moberg which tell of a Swedish family’s [...]

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