Found in the Inbox: viseMenn Took “Begging You Please” Into the Norwegian Woods

Some songs are written in an afternoon. According to the campaign Rive Video Promotion sent us, viseMenn’s “Begging You Please” took years, several forms and a retreat into the Norwegian woods before the band considered it finished. It was the southern Norwegian group’s first official single, planned as the start of a series of releases.

Four backgrounds, one project

viseMenn play what the release describes as dreamy, atmospheric rock. The lineup is Lars Olav Mangelrød on guitars, Helge Corneliussen on bass and vocals, Sølve Eggebø on keyboards and Magnar Lofthus on drums. The members came from very different backgrounds and met through an improvisational rock project Corneliussen founded, a Crack in Time and the Break of Dawn. The campaign says the band grew out of “an urge to explore the depths of the soul” combined with “sheer joy of music and a love for band life.”

How a rough version found a video

The song’s path to a video is unusual. An early, rougher version was picked up by photographer Joe McNally for use on YouTube. That led Canadian director and musician Richard D. Leko to discover it, and he arranged for a music video to be made.

The band still felt the song needed work. The campaign says they went to the deep woods of Norway and worked on it day and night “until exhaustion forced them to stop,” then handed it to mix engineer Cenzo Townshend of Decoy Studios and mastering engineer Matt Colton of Alchemy Mastering.

The release quotes Ian Hall of Liverpool Sound and Vision, who wrote that “that Nordic outlook coupled with the dynamic overflow of Progressive was just exhilarating.”

Why it was in the inbox

“Begging You Please” is a reminder that a debut single can carry years of history. A collaborative project, a stranger’s YouTube upload and a director’s interest all shaped a song the band kept reworking until it matched what they heard.

Watch the official video

Release details and press quote from Rive Video Promotion’s campaign for “Begging You Please” (independent release).