Fight over unreleased Tommy Seebach songs – friend wants to release them, but sons say no

Deceased Tommy Seebach, who represented Denmark three times at the Eurovision Song Contest, was up until his death working together with his friend Torben Lundgreen on several songs. Now Torben wants to release them, but Tommy’s sons are not positive.

Tommy Seebach died in March 2003, only 53 years old and just six months later his friend Torben Lundgren got into the first fight with Tommy’s family over the songs him and Tommy wrote together. Torben submitted one of them for the Danish final in 2004, the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix – that resulted in Tommy’s family asking Danish broadcaster, DR, to pull it out as they believed that Torben Lundgren just wanted to take advantage of Tommy’s name and popularity. Torben answered that Tommy himself had wanted it to be yet another Dansk Melodi Grand Prix participation, something Tommy’s family denied. DR listened to the complaints and did not choose the song, but now nearly 10 years later Torben starts the fight once again.

Torben Lundgren and his old band The Lolipops has some old material laying around, which haven’t been released yet. Included in this are 5 or 6 songs they wrote together with Tommy Seebach. Torben confirms that it is now their plan to release these songs, but he admits that it once again gives him problems with the Seebach family. Torben has insisted on inluding a song titled Flasken Er Min Ven (The bottle is my friend), but Tommy’s sons have said no to that. About the fight Torben says: "I argue a bit with them. They don’t want their father to be remembered as an alcoholic, but it is well known that he was. My brother was it as well, Rolling Stones has been drinking like sponges, and so what? That song means more than many others to me because Jøren (his brother, ED. ) sang it first before he died. Then Tommy sang it and died".

Torben adds that there is already an interest from record companies in relasing the album, but if that should end negative he does have money enough himself to release it so that we can be sure to see a release of the album – with or without the Tommy Seebach songs. 

The Lolipops themselves participated three times at the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix. In 1980 with the song Nu Er Det Morgen, in 1984 with 60’erne and again in 1987 singing Helt Normal. None of the songs recieved high placements though. Tommy participated a total of 8 times and won three of them; in 1979 with Disco Tango, in 1981 together with Debbie Cameron on the song Krøller Eller Ej and last time in 1993 with Under Stjernerne På Himlen

Source: EkstraBladet, EuroVisionary
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