The marriage between Carola Häggkvist and Runar Sögaard is one of the most widely covered in the Swedish press. In the book, Carola talks about the divorce and the way back. Other topics she covers in the book are:
The choice she regrets
Carola describes her collaboration with producers Andreas Mattsson and Niclas Frisk at the turn of the millennium as a “musical gift” she never opened. They wanted to continue the collaboration, but Carola instead went ahead with “My show”. It is a decision she regrets today. She believes it would have put her name in a different light than just “schlager and gospel”.
Feeling bad
In the late 1980s, Carola felt so bad that her father suggested they go to the psychiatric clinic at Danderyd Hospital. Carola, who had not drunk alcohol for several years, then considered a glass of wine to dull her anxiety. “All I wanted was to get some peace in my body. Maybe a doctor could help me,” she writes. The doctor suggested that Carola leave Livets ord. But Carola preferred to leave the clinic without a prescription: “I (..) still felt that it was a victory. I felt bad, but I had been true to myself.”
The relationship with Bert
Carola was only 15 years old when Bert Karlsson saw her sing on “Hylands hörna”. Karlsson called her during the break and wanted to sign her to a record deal. The book describes their relationship, which was marked by successes, breakups and disappointments. Today, they have a good relationship, according to Carola. She hopes that he will come to her 60th birthday celebration, but insists that it was not he but God who discovered her.
It means stranger
For Carola, her songs tend to change meaning over time. “Stranger has never been the same, and still arouses my curiosity over time,” she writes. Today, she believes that “Stranger” is about her future partner, whom she has not yet met, or that it describes something undiscovered within her.
