Glossary entry for
Vanløse

Vanløse is a middleclass neighbourhood in Copenhagen, Denmark, containing a mixture of row houses (as would be found on Hyndford Street), apartment buildings, gardens, commons, shopping streets and a subwaystation. The first historical mention of Vanløse is from 1198 (Huanlosae) - the name means a pasture of Archangelica Officinalis.

During the 1970s Van was dating a Danish girl (Steve Turner's Too Late to Stop Now gives her name as Ulla Munch), who lived in the Vanløse district. The stairway referred to in the song title is reportedly a stairway near the Vanløse subway stop. It was also during this period that Van formed a relationship with the Danish Radio Big Band, with whom he has performed on a number of occations (recorded on the bootleg Listen to the Lion). The Danish period of Van's life is also evident in the instrumental track "Scandinavia".

Contributed by Christian Schou, Copenhagen, Denmark

More information available at:

• Christian (who lives in Copenhagen) has put up a Web page (with a picture) specifically about the Vanløse reference, at www.christianschou.dk/vanlose
• Per Jakobsen has produced a beautiful .wav file of his own clear and distinct pronunciation of "Vanløse" in Danish at http://hjem.get2net.dk/perjak/Vanloese.wav

Van references in:

• "Vanlose Stairway" (on Beautiful Vision)