This comic song "Nikolina" was a big hit for the Swedish-born entertainer Olle i Skratthult (Hjalmar Peterson). He recorded it in his native language and sold a remarkable 100,000 copies — an amazing feat for a foreign-language record.

In the 1940's Slim Jim and The Vagabond Kid made the first recording of the song in English. Their version has achieved a lasting popularity among Scandinavian- Americans. Slim may have been the translator.

Slim Jim and The Vagabond Kid were a country music duo and real-life brothers. Ernest Iverson (Slim) was born in 1903 and Clarence Iverson (The Kid) was born in 1905.

The English lyrics for "Nikolina" on the thread are fairly close to Slim's version with one exception. The opening line should be, "When you're in love, you're in an awful TORTURE." The word PAIN is wrong and does not fit the music.

"Nikolina" has been recorded in Swedish, Norwegian and English by such artists as Hans Berggren, Anne-Charlotte Harvey, Mike & Else Sevig and Paul & Mary.

> NIKOLINA on currently available CD's <
From Sweden to America: Swedish Emigrant Songs
Paul & Mary Sing Nikolina and Other Scandinavian Favorites
Scandinavian Smorgasbord by Mike & Else Sevig