Ole Paus

Ole Christian Paus (9 February 1947 − 12 December 2023) was a Norwegian singer, songwriter, poet and author, who was widely regarded as the foremost troubadour of the contemporary Norwegian ballad tradition (visebølgen).

Background
A member of the Paus family, Ole Paus was born in Oslo in 1947 and was the son of General Ole Paus. He was the father of composer Marcus Paus.

Paus died in Drammen on 12 December 2023, at the age of 76.

Career
Ole Paus debuted as a singer-songwriter in 1970 and as an author the following year, after he was discovered by Alf Cranner and Alf Prøysen, respectively. He was one of the central figures of the so-called visebølgen i Norge, i.e. troubadours in the tradition of Evert Taube, Cornelis Vreeswijk and others.

His works are marked by critical and socially conscious songwriting. His works often commented on political and societal issues. As a young adult, Ole Paus initially had a clear affiliation with the political right, but eventually adopted a more independent stance in the cultural landscape of the 1970s. Paus was often perceived as a "bourgeois anarchist" who challenged authority and societal norms from the unique position of being both insider and outsider in Norway's "establishment". Jon-Roar Bjørkvold described him as "the bourgeoisie's scolder and tireless enfant terrible." Bjarne Markussen referred to Ole Paus as "the last bohemian," noting that he shared with Jens Bjørneboe a mix of radicalism and conservatism, speaking against state power and defending vulnerable and marginalized individuals. During the 1970s and 1980s, Paus was known for his biting social commentary, especially in his ironic and sometimes libellous "musical newspapers" in the form of broadside ballads in a series of albums titled "The Paus Post". His social and political commentary aimed at both left and right in the political spectrum and Paus was described as a man whose satirical lyrics managed to enrage both communists and Christian conservatives.

His later works become known for a softer and more lyrical style, and include songs such as "Innerst i sjelen" and "Engler i sneen". He has often collaborated with Ketil Bjørnstad, notably on the "modern suite" Leve Patagonia; he has later collaborated with Kirkelig Kulturverksted on several projects, and with his son, the classical composer Marcus Paus, notably on the children's opera The Witches, Requiem and several later works. One of his songs, "Mitt lille land", gained wide popularity after the 2011 Norway attacks and was described as "the new national anthem". He has been described as the Norwegian counterpart of Bob Dylan and as the "voice of the nation." Paus was discovered by artists Alf Cranner and Alf Prøysen, and was mentored by André Bjerke, Jens Bjørneboe and Henny Moan. Paus is noted for his consistent use of Norwegian and has been eager for other Norwegian musicians to switch from English to Norwegian.

Books

 * Tekster fra en trapp (1971)
 * Det går en narr gjennom byen med ringlende bjeller (1974)
 * Endelig alene (1984)
 * Milunia (1985)
 * Hjemmevant utenfor (1994)
 * Reisen til Gallia (1998) (with Ketil Bjørnstad)
 * Kjære Kongen (2002)
 * Blomstene ved Amras (2004)
 * Isengaard (2006)


 * Reviews
 * Ikke gjør som mora di sier (1987)
 * For fattig og rik (1988)
 * Norge mitt Norge (1991)
 * Sammen igjen (1992)

Albums
(For peak charting positions, see NorwegianCharts.com)
 * Der ute - der inne (1970)
 * Garman (1972)
 * Blues for Pyttsan Jespersens pårørende (1973)
 * Ole Bull Show (with Gunnar Bull Gundersen) (1973)
 * Zarepta (1974)
 * Lise Madsen, Moses og de andre (with Ketil Bjørnstad) (1975)
 * I anstendighetens navn (1976)
 * Paus-posten (1977)
 * Nye Paus-posten (1977)
 * Sjikaner i utvalg (1978)
 * Kjellersanger (1979)
 * Noen der oppe (1982)
 * Bjørnstad/Paus/Hamsun (with Ketil Bjørnstad) (1982)
 * Svarte ringer (1982)
 * Grensevakt (1984)
 * Muggen manna (1986)
 * Stjerner i rennesteinen (1989)
 * Salmer på veien hjem (with Kari Bremnes og Mari Boine)(1991)
 * Biggles' testamente (1992)
 * Mitt lille land (1994)
 * Hva hjertet ser (1995)
 * Stopp pressen! Det grøvste fra Paus-posten (1995)
 * To rustne herrer (with Jonas Fjeld) (1996)
 * Pausposten Extra! (1996)
 * Det begynner å bli et liv(1998)
 * Damebesøk (with Jonas Fjeld) (1998)
 * Den velsignede (2000)
 * Kildens bredd (with Ketil Bjørnstad) (2002)
 * Tolv rustne strenger (with Jonas Fjeld) (2003)
 * En bøtte med lys (2004)
 * Sanger fra et hvitmalt gjerde i sjelen (2005)
 * Hellige natt - Jul i Skippergata (2006)
 * Den store norske sangboka (2007)
 * Paus synger Paus (2009)
 * Dugnad for Haiti – Live fra Operaen (2010), with other artists
 * Mitt lille land (2011), with other artists
 * 20 av de beste sangene, vol 1 (2013)
 * Avslutningen (2013)
 * Frolandia (2015) with Ketil Bjørnstad
 * Sanger fra gutterommet (2016)
 * Hvis helsa holder - The Album (2016) with Jonas Fjeld
 * Så nær, så nær (2020) with Motorpsycho and Reine Fiske

Songs

 * "I en sofa fra IKEA"
 * "Innerst i sjelen"
 * "Mitt lille land" (Peaked at #4 in VG-lista Norwegian Singles Chart)

Opera

 * Heksene (2007) (libretto)

Filmography

 * Inntrengeren, (1974) – history of Ole Paus in a TV-series Et lite grøss?
 * Solstreif, (1980) - as author
 * De blå ulvene as guest (1993)
 * Bikinisesongen as Robert (1994)
 * Upperdog as Axel's father (2009)


 * TV Specials host
 * På tide med Ole Paus - TV series presenter (1992–1993, produced by Lasse Halberg and Petter Wallace on TV3)
 * Hjemme hos Paus - TV series presenter with Elsa Lystad (1994, produced by Petter Wallace on TV2)
 * Ute med Paus TV series presenter (1995 produced by Petter Wallace on TV2)

Honours and awards

 * Spellemannprisen, Årets Viseplate (This Year's Folk Song Album), 1976
 * Gammleng-prisen, 1995
 * Spellemannprisen, Juryens Hederspris (The Jury's Honorary Award), 1998
 * Lytterprisen, 1999
 * Alf Prøysens Ærespris, 2001,
 * Spellemannsprisen, Årets Spellemann (This Year's Spellemann), 2013
 * Commander of the Order of St. Olav, 2022