This thread asking about successful bands from non-English-speaking countries got me thinking about this. From my own head and this thread I can think of the following groups from Sweden alone that have met with significant commercial success here:
ABBA
Roxette
Ace of Base
The Cardigans
Europe
The Hives
These groups were all active within the last 25 years, most within the last 10. I know that’s only six groups I’ve listed, but even that seems like a lot of successful bands for a country wth a population of less than 9 million. What accounts for this?
I also found this article that examines the same phenomenon. But it doesn’t reach any solid conclusions, except to say that Swedish women have nice voices.
ABBA–Popular in the US during the disco era, also known as “The Dark Ages.”
Roxette–Had two hit singles in the US.
Ace of Base–I was doing a lot of drugs during their 15 minutes of fame, so I can’t say anything about them.
The Cardigans–Who? Never heard of them.
Europe–Had a hit single “The Final Countdown” and enjoyed popularity in the US until it was discovered that their lead singer was A.) Male and B.) Hetrosexual.
The Hives–See The Cardigans.
There’s a thread about why Slim Whitman and Boxcar Willie were/are so popular in Europe but almost completely unknown in the US that might have some answers to this.
In every city there are schools that teach you a instrument for free from the age of seven. Almost everyone goes there, or atleast they did when I grew up in the 80’s.
Snow-ball effect. ABBA made it and inspired alot of kids growing up. Like in tennis where we have had both Björn Borg, Mats Wilander and Stefan Edberg but not so many now.
We just make damn good music. (Except for Ace of Base, I apologise for Ace of Base)
What do you mean by “so many”? All things considered, there HAVEN’T been all that many successful Swedish bands in the U.S.
The OP named a mere handful of Swedish bands that have had some success here.
Yes, Abba had several big hits in the U.S., but they were never NEARLY as popular here as they were in Europe or (especially) Australia.
I suppose Swedes have had a fair amount of success compared to bands from other foreign lands… but that’s a far cry from saying Swedish groups have been immensely popular.
If Swedish (and, to a lesser extent, Dutch) pop and rock acts have done better in the U.S. than, say, French or Italian bands, it’s probably because so many Swedes and Dutchmen speak fluent English from an early age. Yes, there have been a small number of foreign language hits in the U.S., but not many. Even an immensely talented European band will have a hard time selling records here if they’re not in English. That’s less of a problem for the Swedes.
Also… bear in mind that there’s a big difference between speaking a language passably and knowing it well enough to write poetry or music lyrics. Look, I peak French well enough for an American tourist, but if I tried to write song lyrics in French, I’m sure they’d sound terrible, perhaps even ridiculous. Many European songwriters know some English, but not enough to write good lyrics. Many good German bands write English lyrics that sound stiff and awkward. The Swedish bands mentioned don’t have that problem. Their English lyrics sound smooth and natural to American listeners.
What do you mean by “so many”? All things considered, there HAVEN’T been all that many successful Swedish bands in the U.S.
The OP named a mere handful of Swedish bands that have had some success here.
Yes, Abba had several big hits in the U.S., but they were never NEARLY as popular here as they were in Europe or (especially) Australia.
I suppose Swedes have had a fair amount of success compared to bands from other foreign lands… but that’s a far cry from saying Swedish groups have been immensely popular.
If Swedish (and, to a lesser extent, Dutch) pop and rock acts have done better in the U.S. than, say, French or Italian bands, it’s probably because so many Swedes and Dutchmen speak fluent English from an early age. Yes, there have been a small number of foreign language hits in the U.S., but not many. Even an immensely talented European band will have a hard time selling records here if they’re not in English. That’s less of a problem for the Swedes.
Also… bear in mind that there’s a big difference between speaking a language passably and knowing it well enough to write poetry or music lyrics. Look, I peak French well enough for an American tourist, but if I tried to write song lyrics in French, I’m sure they’d sound terrible, perhaps even ridiculous. Many European songwriters know some English, but not enough to write good lyrics. Many good German bands write English lyrics that sound stiff and awkward. The Swedish bands mentioned don’t have that problem. Their English lyrics sound smooth and natural to American listeners.
Well, obviously, their success is relative. Sweden has a population less than that of New York City, and probably significantly fewer bands. But groups that get Top-40 radio play seem to come from Sweden out of all proportion to their populations’ size.
I think you might be on to something with your idea about speaking English though.
I second the two main responses given here.
Firstly that music is a real part of school, not like in Ireland where everyone has to learn the recorder for two years and then nada.
Swedish kids get to choose an instrument to play and are provided with that instrument for the free as long as they are taking music classes. They can change instrument more or less when they wish. I don’t know any Swedes who don’t play at least one instrument well enough to bang out a few tunes.
Secondly, Swedes are really very, very good at English. Television is not dubbed here, and they are huge consumers of english-language media. English classes in Sweden start around the age of 8, and little kids have usually been practising their pronunciation for years by mimicing their favourite groups. My cousin-in-law here could at the age of 6 mimic back anything you said to her in english with perfect pronunciation.
There is also a musical infrastructure in the country which adds to the general phenomenon. Max Martin is Swedish and based in Sweden, and produces such artists as Brittany Spears, Back Street Boys etc. Jonas Åkerlund is a music video producer who works with amongst others Madonna. Polarpriset (The Polar Award?) is a Swedish award which receives a lot of attention here seems to be rather recognised.
…because this latest wave of Swedish bands (Hives, Sahara Hotnights, International Noise Conspiracy) ROCK, whilst American “bands” are busy grabbing their crotchs and doing choreographed dancing to music they neither wrote or played in their own line of clothes sponsored by a credit card company…
I disagree with those who say that an inordinate number of Swedish bands have not actually hit it big in the States. It is important to remember that non-native English speaking music groups rarely make a mark in the States at all. Even the ten or so Swedish bands that have had a handful of hits count as a veritable army compared to the staggering number of, say, French bands who have made the same impact.
I think the reasons are:
They speak fluent English (as pointed out already); and
They seem to have a national knack for catchy melodies.
Love ABBA or hate them, I have to say they had quite a bit of pop savvy. Same goes for all the other Swedish groups on the list that I have heard. The Cardigans’ first album was a work of pop genius.
Seriously. And with me being firmly on the political right in Sweden, I hate to admit it. But it’s true.
It’s as Iteki said. It’s free (or payed by taxes). Kids with an aptitude for piano, coming from a family in the projects will get a chance to hone the talants. Few people in the projects here (or in any other western country), will buy their kid a piano. If the talent seems to be serious, sponsorships, scholarships and free special schools are available.
In sports, it’s the same. Consider the number of tennis players, golfers and hockey players coming from this small country.
Basically, if you have a talent, being from a less priviliged socio-economic group will not stop you from being successful in your field.
Abba and BlueSwede (Ouga-Shaka) led the way too. They showed that being born in a country with a language almost no one (on a global scale) speaks, doesn’t mean you’re doomed to never making it in any other country. You might hate Max Martin and Denniz Pop for producing Brittney, but you can’t take away their success as songwriters and producers.
(Except for Ace of Base, I apologise for Ace of Base)
