Kim Mellius Flyvholm Larsen (23 October 1945 – 30 September 2018) was a Danish singer, songwriter, author, and guitarist. He started his music career in 1968 after working as an elementary school teacher for a short time. He became known from 1969 as a member of the rock group Gasolin. From 1969 until 1978, Larsen was part of Gasolin and also released solo music and recordings with his side band, which had several different names. When Gasolin ended in 1978, Larsen continued his career as a solo artist and band leader.

Career

Kim Larsen was born in Copenhagen. He was inspired by The Beatles and rock and roll, and he began his career as a songwriter and guitarist. In 1969, he met Franz Beckerlee and Wili Jønsson, and the three of them started a band called Gasolin'. Later, the band added a drummer named Søren Berlev and became one of the most successful Danish rock bands. The band ended in the late 1970s.

In 1979, Larsen took part in the Danish stage of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Ud i det blå" (which means "Out into the blue"). He placed third out of 17 participants. The song was included on an album titled 231045-0637.

Around 1980, Larsen moved to New York. He released two albums but did not become popular in America. After a few years, he returned to Denmark.

During the 1980s, Larsen released several solo albums. His album Midt om natten (which means "In the Middle of the Night") became very popular in 1983. The album was used as a soundtrack for a movie with the same name.

In 1983, Larsen started a band called Kim Larsen & Bellami. The band released four albums before ending in 1992 after several changes in members. After the band ended, Larsen released another solo album titled Hvem kan sige nej til en engel (which means "Who Can Say No to an Angel"). In the mid-1990s, he started another band called Kim Larsen & Kjukken, which was based in Odense.

Larsen wrote a song called "Jutlandia" to honor the work of the hospital ship MS Jutlandia, which was used by the Danish Red Cross during the Korean War. The song became a major hit in Denmark in 1986.

At the end of 2017, Larsen found out he had prostate cancer. This illness affected his tour with Kim Larsen & Kjukken, which was planned for January, February, and March 2018. In a message on Facebook, Larsen apologized for the inconvenience and said he hoped to return to performing by the start of summer.

Larsen passed away from prostate cancer at his home in Odense on September 30, 2018. A week after his death, a large concert was held in Copenhagen. Around 35,000 people attended, and many famous Danish musicians performed songs written by Larsen.

Protest singer

Kim Larsen often disagreed with mainstream society and believed people should be allowed to be different. The album and movie Midt om natten focus on this idea. The movie’s events are similar to real groups in Denmark, such as BZ, Sorte Hest, and Freetown Christiania in Copenhagen. The album 231045-0637 uses Kim Larsen’s personal identification number as its title. This number is private, and Larsen opposed the idea of a large government database that stores information about every citizen.

Kim Larsen smoked heavily and criticized Danish laws that banned smoking. In August 2008, he funded an advertisement that read, “Tillykke med rygeforbudet – Gesundheit macht frei !!!” The first part means “Congratulations on the smoking ban” in Danish, and the second part is German for “health makes (you) free.” This phrase is a reference to the Nazi slogan “Arbeit macht frei.” Larsen argued that smoking bans were created to protect non-smokers, not smokers, and he compared these bans to ideas used during the Nazi era.

The book Mine unge år – Kim Larsen (My Young Years – Kim Larsen), written by journalist Jens Andersen and Kim Larsen, was not completed before Larsen’s death. The book was finished without his involvement.

Bands

• Kim Larsen – vocals, rhythm guitar
• Franz Beckerlee [ da ; de ; nl ] – lead guitar
• Wili Jønsson [ da ; no ] – bass
• Bjørn Uglebjerg (1969–1971) and Søren Berlev (1971–1978) – drums
• Klaus Agerschou (live concerts) – keyboards

• Kim Larsen – vocals, guitar
• Rick Blakemore – guitar
• Joe Delia – keyboards
• Abe Speller – drums
• Dennis Espantman – bass

• Kim Larsen – vocals, guitar
• Hans Fagt – drums
• Henning Pold – bass
• Mikkel Håkonsson – keyboards

• Kim Larsen – vocals, guitar
• Bo Gryholt – bass (1995–2002) and Jesper Haugaard – bass (2002–2018)
• Karsten Skovgaard – guitar
• Jesper Rosenqvist – drums (1994–2014) and Jens Langhorn (2015–2018)
• Jørn Jeppesen – guitar (2015–2018)

Discography

• 1978: Vogt Dem for efterligninger (Danish; Swedish) (English: Beware of imitations)
• 1982: Sitting on a Time Bomb (Danish)
• 1986: Forklædt som voksen (Danish) (English: Disguised as an adult)
• 1988: Yummi yummi (Danish)
• 1989: Kielgasten (Danish)
• 1992: Wisdom Is Sexy (Danish)

Charting albums

(All peak positions in Danish Albums Chart)

• 2001: Weekend Music (reached No. 3)
• 2001: Sange fra glemmebogen (reached No. 1)
• 2006: Gammel hankat (reached No. 1)
• 2008: Glemmebogen for børn (reached No. 1)
• 2010: Mine damer og herrer (reached No. 1)
• 2012: 5 Eiffel (reached No. 21)
• 2015: Guld & grønne skove (reached No. 12)
• 2015: Forklædt som voksen (reached No. 14)

As Kim Larsen & Kjukken

• 2002: Det var en torsdag aften (reached No. 2)
• 2003: 7-9-13 (reached No. 1)
• 2004: Glemmebogen Jul & Nytår (reached No. 1)
• 2007: En lille pose støj (reached No. 1) (Live)

As Kim Larsen & Bellami

• 2015: Kielgasten (reached No. 22)
• 2015: Kim I 70'erne (reached No. 8)