Kent Trivia
Why is the band called Kent?The band was originally called Jones & Giftet and then Havsänglar. In 1993 they changed their name to Kent, after it was suggested by Joakim's younger brother Adam Berg. In Sweden Kent is an unfashionable male name and Joakim felt it fit with the feeling the band had of being misfits in their hometown.
"We wrote down a bunch names on a piece of paper, 60 or so. Then we struck all the bad ones off the list, one by one. Eventually there was only Kent left. It's really a stupid name. Even people who are named Kent must think that.", Joakim Berg.
"Kent was a very common first name in the 70's. But no-one calls their kids Kent anymore, it's a sort of joke name", Martin Sköld.
Also one of Joakim's big influences, David Bowie, is shown playing a Kent guitar on the cover of the Diamond Dogs album.
Why is the song named 747?
The most obvious answer is that the song has to do with a Boeing 747 jet:
- On the cover of the album Isola a jumbo jet is pictured.
- The lyrics for the Swedish version of the song could easily be interpreted as being about a plane crash.
- On the 747 video a man is shown catching a plane, and the backdrop when Kent plays live during the video is a jumbo jet.
Another interesting piece of trivia is that if you give every letter in each band member's name a number based on its order in the alphabet (eg a=1, b=2, c=3) and then add all the numbers up, the result equals 747.
On the next album, Hagnesta Hill, the last track Visslaren (English version: Whistle Song) also has a length of 7:47.
What does FF mean?
The song title FF is an acronym for "Franska Flickan" which means "French girl" in Swedish. It refers to Nancy Danino who sings the chorus of FF in French.
Thanks to kilkov87
Why is the song named Berg & Dalvana rather than Berg & Dalbana?
In Swedish, berg & dalbana means big dipper or rollercoaster. However the song is named berg & dalvana and dalvana is not actually a word. The reason for this is that in Swedish vana means habit, so it is a play on words.
Where is Hagnesta Hill?
Hagnesta Hill is an area of Kent's hometown Eskilstuna and is the location of Kent's first rehearsal building. Hagnesta Hill is mentioned in the songs Stop Me June (Little Ego) and Ingenting and is also the name of their fourth album.
Are there any Kent documentaries?
There is a Kent documentary named Så Nära Får Ingen Gå (Ett År Med Kent) which translates to Noone Should Go That Close (A Year With Kent). It is one hour long and is in the Swedish language. It follows Kent during their 2000 tour. The documentary has not been released on DVD or video, only shown on TV in Sweden. However you could probably find it floating around on the internet.
Are there references to David Bowie in Kent songs?
Joakim Berg has been hugely influence by David Bowie, describing himself as a "Bowie for the 90s". Many references to David Bowie can be found in Kent lyrics.
- In the lyrics to Frank, Bowie is mentioned along with Slade, Kiss, and Sweet.
- In About Golden Years, Joakim sings about David Bowie: "He is the thin white duke singing about Golden Years". Golden Years is a song by David Bowie.
- In the song Hur Jag Fick Dig Att älska Mig, David Bowie's character of Ziggy Stardust is mentioned: "The cold became my friend, my excuse to hide again in the music and Ziggy became my brother" and "You are the music and Ziggy he understood", probably referring to finding comfort in David Bowie's music.
- On the Falling Water album by Lisa Miskovsky which Joakim Berg co-wrote, there is a song named Lady Stardust. There is a song by the same name on David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust album.
What is the Palace & Main video about?
In the video for Palace & Main, Harri is sent to Las Vegas with Adam Berg recording the trip on a handheld video camera. Once there he bets the entire video budget of about $40 000 US on black on the roulette wheel. He wins and is shown being driven off in a limousine drinking champagne and cheering. Kent donated the profits to charity.