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First Aid Kit
Swedish folk duo
First Aid Kit is a Swedish folk duo consisting of the sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg, born in 1990 and 1993 respectively. When performing live, they are accompanied by a drummer, a guitarist and a keyboard player.
First Aid Kit started to become internationally known in 2008 with their YouTube uploaded cover of the Fleet Foxes' song "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song". In 2012 Rolling Stone magazine had their song "Emmylou" as 10th on their "Single of the Year" list.
First Aid Kit has released five albums, four EPs and several singles. In 2015, they were nominated for a Brit Award as one of the five best international groups.
labels: Wichita Recordings, Columbia Records, Rabid Records
genres: traditional folk music, folk music, contemporary folk music
awards: Nordic Music Prize, Musikexportpriset
Facts from Wikidata and Discogs, free to use.
indie folkfolkfolk rockrocksinger-songwriter
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Early history
Sisters Johanna (born 31 October 1990) and Klara (born 8 January 1993) Söderberg are from Enskede, in Stockholm. Their father Benkt Söderberg was a member of the Swedish pop rock band Lolita Pop, but quit before Johanna was born and became a teacher of history and religion. Their mother teaches cinematography.
In April 2007, the sisters began to upload their self-made songs to the social networking site MySpace. They also sent a demo of their song "Tangerine" to Swedish radio. It immediately went on air and was listed as one of the best songs of the summer 2007, which led to requests for live performances and even some offers from record companies. The first official performance as First Aid Kit was at PUNKTmedis library in Stockholm on 6 October. More performances followed, but as Klara was 14 and still at school, they could only play during weekends.
Duo founded in 2007, consisting of siblings Klara and Johanna Söderberg, both born in Stockholm, Sweden. On stage they are accompanied by a band.
From Discogs (free to use). Their entry
Liner notes
First Aid Kit, the records, oldest first
Drunken Trees
2008 ep
The Big Black & The Blue
2010 album
The Lion’s Roar
2012 album
on the air
America
2014 ep
Stay Gold
2014 album
wanted
Ruins
2018 album
Spotify Singles
2018 ep
Ruins
2018 ep
Tender Offerings
2018 ep
Palomino
2022 album
Records from MusicBrainz; covers from the Cover Art Archive.
"Emmylou" is a single by the Swedish folk band First Aid Kit from their second studio album The Lion's Roar. Written by sisters Klara Söderberg and Johanna Söderberg, the song was released on 16 January 2012 as the second single from the album.
"Emmylou" entered the Swedish Singles Chart at #33, and peaked at #24.
Composition
The song is named after American country singer Emmylou Harris and discusses her relationship with her musical partner Gram Parsons and compares it to the relationship between Johnny and June Carter Cash. When discussing the writing of the song, the band explained "when we were 14 and 16, we discovered the music of Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons. We were so inspired that we wrote this song, which is about the joy and magic of singing together with someone that you love".
Reception
Rolling Stone named "Emmylou" the 10th best song of 2012 and as number 96 on their 100 best songs of the 2010s list.
Cover versions
The song was covered by bluegrass husband and wife duo Darin and Brooke Alrdidge for their 2019 album Inner Journey. In an interview with American Songwriter, Brooke explained: "we have the utmost respect for Emmylou and Gram, as well as Johnny and June – not only as musical artists but as couples too. When we discovered [First Aid Kit’s] song ‘Emmylou,’ it was a pleasant surprise. After listening and learning it was a tribute to the great Emmylou Harris, the words took on a whole new meaning. It’s the perfect invitation to romance and spoke to us on a very personal level as a couple. [‘Emmylou’] is such an inspiring song that basically reminds its listener that ‘true love’ never dies. Darin and I set out to represent that very message...
