SWEDEN'S 300 MOST ESSENTIAL SONGS. Today: #2 & 1. This post concludes the countdown.

 

Caffè Lattè pays tribute to Sweden, a country that has been punching above its weight for decades. The country that spawned ABBA, Max Martin, Avicii and Roxette has served the planet some of the best Europop. The criteria: songs in English by Swedish born/ based acts.

 

THE 300 ALL-TIME

MOST ESSENTIAL

SWEDISH SONGS

Hear the songs on the regularly updated Spotify playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0vjW3VPs9giX5Alp2ecRlr?si=d4f45374aea84b81

 

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WATERLOO ABBA

Groups from Sweden had little or no chance to crack the world charts in any significant way. One way to get attention was to compete in the annual Eurovision Song Contest. In 1974, it was held in the UK. The hot favourite was Olivia Newton-John, representing the host nation with “Long Live Love”. ABBA had tried -unsuccessfully- the previous year to perform the Swedish entry with “Ring Ring”. The group tried again. This time, they qualified and “Waterloo” competed on the ESC stage. By the end of the night, the song had given Sweden its first Eurovision victory. The single charted in various territories. Its success proved that Sweden could create outstanding pop. Eurovision would never be the same after 1974. Swedish pop also was transformed.

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DANCING QUEEN ABBA

Arguably the most famous ABBA song, “Dancing Queen” is still regarded as one of the best examples of pop music. The vocal range of both Agnetha and Frida is tested, but the lead vocalists deliver with ease. The single was lifted off ABBA’s 1976 album ‘Arrival’. In the U.S.A., a country that had not been as obsessed with the group as the rest of the planet, the disc reached the top. “Dancing Queen” also made #1 in Britain, Canada, Australia, Scandinavia, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, Rhodesia, South Africa and the Soviet Union.