One of the things that first drew my interest to Sweden was its music. Sweden, like Canada, is a small Northern country that has exported a large amount of excellent music. While Swedish pop music is ABBA and Ace of Base in most people's eyes, it does extend beyond that and does not always achieve that same level of cheese. (Admittedly ABBA has its moments, most notably "Gimme Gimme Gimme,")
Some of my favorite Swedish songs:
Moto Boy - The Heart Is a Rebel
An aching, string-drenched slice of Morrissey-esque longing.
El Perro del Mar - Change of Heart
A Northern soul tune made for midnight listening on an empty dancefloor.
Jonathan Johansson - En hand i himlen
Breezy and bouncy, but entirely in Swedish. The title translates to "A hand in the sky" but the rest of the lyrics are lost on me.
Air France - June Evenings
This is Swedish rather than French, though the song feels distinctly Mediterranean. I doubt they have much in the way of beaches near Gothenberg though.
The Knife - Heartbeats
So close to being the perfect pop song, and one of the first Swedish songs I really loved. This song is a fantastic one-off from the Knife, while I do enjoy their usual warped videogame monster from the 80's take on music, it's fantastic to hear something so joyful and ecstatic.
Royksopp ft. Robyn - The Girl and the Robot
Robyn is a fantastic Swedish pop diva, who was famous when I was eight years old ("Show Me Love" anyone?) and then retired to Sweden. Well nearly a decade later she came back and was properly amazing. Here she collaborates with a pair of Norwegians for a relentless dancefloor track.
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