Dansband
Encyclopedia
Dansband is a Swedish
term for a band that plays dansbandsmusik ("dance band music"). Dansbandsmusik is often danced to in pairs
. Jitterbug and foxtrot music are often included in this category. The music is primarily inspired by swing, schlager
, country
, jazz
, and rock
. The main influence for rock-oriented bands is the rock music of the 1950s and 1960s.
The terms dansband and dansbandsmusik were coined around 1970, when Swedish popular music developed a signature style. The genre developed primarily in Sweden
, but has spread to neighbouring countries Denmark
, Norway
and the Swedish speaking regions of Finland
. When the music came to Norway it was first called "Svensktoppar" (from the Swedish radio music chart Svensktoppen
, which was a major arena for dansband music before its rules changed in January 2003).
A dansband often travels by bus
, performing several times every week
year-round
, outdoors in the summer
time and indoors in the winter
time. Performances may also be held on a boat
.
Several dansbands are named after their lead singer (whose name is sometimes shortened), followed by orkester. The tradition origins from the old dance orchestras, often named after their Kapellmeister
. Many times, the possessive suffix "s" is replaced by "z" in dansband names. Some dansbands are named after earlier members.
The main audience for dansband music is middle-aged adults. The music is often performed live by the bands at venues where the main interest of the audience is dancing, rather than watching the performance on stage. However, many dansbands also record albums and singles.
, friendship
and peace
. Other lyrics are about dancing
. Some of the song texts are inspired by national romanticism, with lyrics about things such as old memories from the past, nature
, or native districts. Romantic dansband lyrics are reminiscent of pop
, where the singer declares his or her love for the person being sung to, but are often more focused on growing old together and living together until one of them dies. The Norwegian dansband Ole Ivars has also, much with humor, written lyrics that are more about society
than traditional dansband lyrics.
The lyrics are often in Swedish
in Sweden, and in Norwegian
in Norway.
In the 1990s, special "dansband songwriters" broke through, among them Lasse Holm
, Gert Lengstrand and Torgny Söderberg
. For many years, the same person wrote songs for most bands, but soon dansband musicians became more involved in songwriting.
, American & British pop music
, swing, and country
.
The golden era of dansband music was the 1970s, with bands like Thorleifs, Flamingokvintetten
, Ingmar Nordströms, Wizex
and Matz Bladhs. There were at most around 800 full-time working dansbands in Sweden; by the late 1990s this number was down to around 500.
The term "dansband" was coined in Sweden in 1976, to sound more modern and tougher than the earlier "dansorkester" (dance orchestra), but later many of them have begun to call themselves "live bands".
In 1977, the song "Beatles
", performed by Swedish dansband Forbes
, won the Swedish Melodifestivalen 1977
and finished 18th (last) in the Eurovision Song Contest 1977
.
, The Bee Gees and Boney M. came to dominate dance floors and record charts with disco
. Some dansbands, like Sten & Stanley, "become turncoats", performing their own disco covers, and followed the disco fashion. However, most of these changes failed and "Danceband death" became a common expression. Several dansbands disbanded and soon only the full-time bands remained, highlighted by Matz Bladhs and Vikingarna. Performances often took place on boats and at town hotels, with male members appearing in a suit
, which for many years would become a dansband stereotype
.
In 1987, the song "Fyra Bugg & en Coca Cola
" (re-named "Boogaloo" because of commercial controversy about the lyrics), performed by Swedish dansband singer Lotta Engberg
, won the Swedish Melodifestivalen 1987
and finished 12th in the Eurovision Song Contest 1987
. By the late 1980s and early 1990s, Lotta Engberg gained popularity in the Nordic region with a sound including several catchy and joyful melodies as the lead singer in Lotta & Anders Engbergs Orkester
.
. Sveriges Radio
began broadcasting of "I afton dans" from several dancing places, and cafe programmes in Sveriges Television
invited dansbands as house band
s. The early 1990s also saw a new period of popularity for Sven-Ingvars
.
In 1993, the song "Eloise
", performed by Swedish dansband Arvingarna
, won the Swedish Melodifestivalen 1993
and finished 7th in the Eurovision Song Contest 1993
. Arvingarna had a more pop and rock-oriented dansband sound, and gained popularity among many teenagers.
In 1999, Wizex singer Charlotte Nilsson
performed the song "Tusen och en natt", with lyrics in English
known as "Take Me to Your Heaven
", winning both the Swedish Melodifestivalen 1999
and the Eurovision Song Contest 1999
.
Vikingarna was one of the more popular dansbands in Sweden before being disbanded in 2004, but during the late 1990s and early 2000s, they also toured Germany
and recorded albums in German
.
After substantial decreased dansband music in radio and television in Sweden during the early 2000s, while the popularity remained, the dansbands declared that they were being discriminated against in August 2007, since Sveriges Radio plays many different genres of music, especially if the songs are written or performed by Swedes. The dansbands reported Sveriges Radio to Granskningsnämnden för radio och TV
(the Swedish Broadcasting Commission) in what became known as "dansbandsupproret" ("the dansband rebellion"), which was covered widely by the mass media. However, a few days later the commission decided not to take up the matter.
In recent years, artists have begun to mix dansband music with other genres. Per Arnez, for example, has gained some fame by remixing dansband with hip-hop.
hitlist Svensktoppen
was dominated by dansbands between 1993 and 2002. When the rules were changed in January 2003 to allowing songs in languages other than Swedish, dansband music started to decline and was replaced with ordinary pop and rock. Dansband music also dominated the musical interludes in Bingolotto
until Leif "Loket" Olsson resigned as presenter in 1999.
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
term for a band that plays dansbandsmusik ("dance band music"). Dansbandsmusik is often danced to in pairs
Partner dance
Partner dances are dances whose basic choreography involves coordinated dancing of two partners, as opposed to individuals dancing alone or individually in a non-coordinated manner, and as opposed to groups of people dancing simultaneously in a coordinated manner.In the year 1023 the German poet...
. Jitterbug and foxtrot music are often included in this category. The music is primarily inspired by swing, schlager
Schlager
Schlager music is a style of popular music prevalent in Central and Northern Europe and the Balkans and also in France and Poland. In Portugal, it was adapted and became pimba music...
, country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, and rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
. The main influence for rock-oriented bands is the rock music of the 1950s and 1960s.
The terms dansband and dansbandsmusik were coined around 1970, when Swedish popular music developed a signature style. The genre developed primarily in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, but has spread to neighbouring countries Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and the Swedish speaking regions of Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. When the music came to Norway it was first called "Svensktoppar" (from the Swedish radio music chart Svensktoppen
Svensktoppen
Svensktoppen is a record chart at Sveriges Radio. Until January 2003, the songs had to be in the Swedish language. Svensktoppen has aired since 1962, except for the years 1982-1985. Svensktoppen airs once a week...
, which was a major arena for dansband music before its rules changed in January 2003).
A dansband often travels by bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
, performing several times every week
Week
A week is a time unit equal to seven days.The English word week continues an Old English wice, ultimately from a Common Germanic , from a root "turn, move, change"...
year-round
Calendar year
Generally speaking, a calendar year begins on the New Year's Day of the given calendar system and ends on the day before the following New Year's Day. By convention, a calendar year consists of a natural number of days. To reconcile the calendar year with an astronomical cycle , certain years...
, outdoors in the summer
Summer
Summer is the warmest of the four temperate seasons, between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice...
time and indoors in the winter
Winter
Winter is the coldest season of the year in temperate climates, between autumn and spring. At the winter solstice, the days are shortest and the nights are longest, with days lengthening as the season progresses after the solstice.-Meteorology:...
time. Performances may also be held on a boat
Boat
A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...
.
Several dansbands are named after their lead singer (whose name is sometimes shortened), followed by orkester. The tradition origins from the old dance orchestras, often named after their Kapellmeister
Kapellmeister
Kapellmeister is a German word designating a person in charge of music-making. The word is a compound, consisting of the roots Kapelle and Meister . The words Kapelle and Meister derive from the Latin: capella and magister...
. Many times, the possessive suffix "s" is replaced by "z" in dansband names. Some dansbands are named after earlier members.
The main audience for dansband music is middle-aged adults. The music is often performed live by the bands at venues where the main interest of the audience is dancing, rather than watching the performance on stage. However, many dansbands also record albums and singles.
Lyrics
Dansband lyrics are often brightly characterized, and are mostly about loveLove
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
, friendship
Friendship
Friendship is a form of interpersonal relationship generally considered to be closer than association, although there is a range of degrees of intimacy in both friendships and associations. Friendship and association are often thought of as spanning across the same continuum...
and peace
Peace
Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
. Other lyrics are about dancing
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
. Some of the song texts are inspired by national romanticism, with lyrics about things such as old memories from the past, nature
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
, or native districts. Romantic dansband lyrics are reminiscent of pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, where the singer declares his or her love for the person being sung to, but are often more focused on growing old together and living together until one of them dies. The Norwegian dansband Ole Ivars has also, much with humor, written lyrics that are more about society
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
than traditional dansband lyrics.
The lyrics are often in Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
in Sweden, and in Norwegian
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
in Norway.
In the 1990s, special "dansband songwriters" broke through, among them Lasse Holm
Lasse Holm
Lars-Eric Gustav "Lasse" Holm, born 9 December 1943 in Stockholm, Sweden, is known as a composer, lyricist and singer.Since childhood, he was interested in music and was a member of a lot of pop music and rock music groups in the 1960s: Doug and the Millsmen, The Spacemen and The Moonlighters...
, Gert Lengstrand and Torgny Söderberg
Torgny Söderberg
Sten Torgny Söderberg is a Swedish songwriter. He has worked a lot together with Lena Philipsson and written schlager songs such as 100%, Kärleken är evig and Diggi-loo diggi-ley. Diggi-loo diggi-ley won the Swedish Melodifestivalen 1984 and even the Eurovision Song Contest 1984.- References :...
. For many years, the same person wrote songs for most bands, but soon dansband musicians became more involved in songwriting.
1970s: Dancing in Folkets park
Before dansband music became popular, many jazz orchestras played a "schlager-inspired" dance music. Many people believe that the development of the dansbands during the 1950s and 1960s depended on the decreasing interest for jazz, it being replaced by pop and rock as the most popular music among young people. Many Swedish dansbands of the time were known as pop groups during the 1960s, a gestation period shared with the showband scene in Ireland, which had many similarities with its Nordic counterpart, especially in the influences referenced in creating a homegrown music scene such as jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, American & British pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, swing, and country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
.
The golden era of dansband music was the 1970s, with bands like Thorleifs, Flamingokvintetten
Flamingokvintetten
Flamingokvintetten is a Swedish dansband, founded in 1960 in Partille, Sweden....
, Ingmar Nordströms, Wizex
Wizex
Wizex is a Swedish "dansband", formed in Osby, Sweden in 1973, with Kikki Danielsson as singer. The band has since had several front singers.Wizex finished 2nd in the Swedish Melodifestivalen 1978....
and Matz Bladhs. There were at most around 800 full-time working dansbands in Sweden; by the late 1990s this number was down to around 500.
The term "dansband" was coined in Sweden in 1976, to sound more modern and tougher than the earlier "dansorkester" (dance orchestra), but later many of them have begun to call themselves "live bands".
In 1977, the song "Beatles
Beatles (song)
"Beatles", written by Sven Olov Bagge and Claes Bure, was the song that, performed by Swedish dansband Forbes, won the Swedish Melodifestivalen 1977. The song's lyrics are about the popular 1960s British pop group the Beatles and include the phrase "Yeah, yeah, yeah" as an homage to the Beatles...
", performed by Swedish dansband Forbes
Forbes (band)
Forbes was a Swedish dansband of the 1970s.The band represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 1977 with the entry "Beatles". The song is about the British band of the same name. Despite the popular topic of the song, Forbes ended in 18th and last place and mustered only two points...
, won the Swedish Melodifestivalen 1977
Melodifestivalen 1977
Melodifestivalen 1977 was the selection for the 17th song to represent Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest. Sweden did not participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 1976 due to demonstrations against commercial music. It was the 16th time that this system of picking a song had been used. 965...
and finished 18th (last) in the Eurovision Song Contest 1977
Eurovision Song Contest 1977
The Eurovision Song Contest 1977 was the 22nd edition series, and was held on 7 May 1977 in London. With Angela Rippon as the presenter, the contest was won by Marie Myriam who represented France, with her song "L'oiseau et l'enfant" . This was France's fifth victory, a record, which was equalled...
.
1980s: Dancing in the boat, town hotel and dansband decline during the years of disco
By 1976-1977 pop groups like ABBAABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
, The Bee Gees and Boney M. came to dominate dance floors and record charts with disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
. Some dansbands, like Sten & Stanley, "become turncoats", performing their own disco covers, and followed the disco fashion. However, most of these changes failed and "Danceband death" became a common expression. Several dansbands disbanded and soon only the full-time bands remained, highlighted by Matz Bladhs and Vikingarna. Performances often took place on boats and at town hotels, with male members appearing in a suit
Suit (clothing)
In clothing, a suit is a set of garments made from the same cloth, consisting of at least a jacket and trousers. Lounge suits are the most common style of Western suit, originating in the United Kingdom as country wear...
, which for many years would become a dansband stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
.
In 1987, the song "Fyra Bugg & en Coca Cola
Boogaloo (song)
"Fyra bugg och en Coca Cola" , also called "Fyra bugg", is a Swedish language song, written by Mikael Wendt and Christer Lundh. Swedish dansband and pop singer Lotta Engberg won the Swedish Melodifestivalen 1987 in Sweden with this song. The lyrics are about summer...
" (re-named "Boogaloo" because of commercial controversy about the lyrics), performed by Swedish dansband singer Lotta Engberg
Lotta Engberg
-External links:* *...
, won the Swedish Melodifestivalen 1987
Melodifestivalen 1987
Melodifestivalen 1987 was the selection for the 27th song to represent Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest. It was the 26th time that this system of picking a song had been used. 1502 songs were submitted to SVT for the competition. The final was broadcast on TV2 and was not broadcast on radio...
and finished 12th in the Eurovision Song Contest 1987
Eurovision Song Contest 1987
The Eurovision Song Contest 1987 was the 32nd Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 9 May 1987 in Brussels, Belgium after Sandra Kim's win the previous year. The presenter was Viktor Lazlo. Johnny Logan was the winner for Ireland with the song "Hold Me Now"...
. By the late 1980s and early 1990s, Lotta Engberg gained popularity in the Nordic region with a sound including several catchy and joyful melodies as the lead singer in Lotta & Anders Engbergs Orkester
Lotta & Anders Engbergs Orkester
Lotta & Anders Engbergs Orkester was a dansband in Skara, Sweden which was active during the years 1989-1994, with Lotta Engberg as singer. She formed the band in 1989 with her former husband Anders Engberg, who already had a band in his own name. In 1993, the band was awarded a Grammis...
.
1990s: I afton dans, rebirth and strong media attention
In the late 1980s, the decline of discotheques once again gave dansbands more space. They became more visible in the mediaMedia (communication)
In communications, media are the storage and transmission channels or tools used to store and deliver information or data...
. Sveriges Radio
Sveriges Radio
Sveriges Radio AB – Swedish Radio Ltd – is Sweden's national publicly funded radio broadcaster. The Swedish public-broadcasting system is in many respects modelled after the one used in the United Kingdom, and Sveriges Radio - like Sveriges Television - shares many characteristics with...
began broadcasting of "I afton dans" from several dancing places, and cafe programmes in Sveriges Television
Sveriges Television
Sveriges Television AB , Sweden's Television, is a national television broadcaster based in Sweden, funded by a compulsory fee to be paid by all television owners...
invited dansbands as house band
House band
For the British band that existed from 1984-2001, see The House BandA house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to...
s. The early 1990s also saw a new period of popularity for Sven-Ingvars
Sven-Ingvars
Sven-Ingvars is a pop/rock group from Slottsbron, Sweden. The band was formed in 1956 by Sven Svärd, drums Ingvar Karlsson, guitar and accordion and Sven-Erik Magnusson, song, guitar and clarinet. Later Rune Bergman joined on bass guitar and even later Sven-Olof Petersson on tenor and baritone...
.
In 1993, the song "Eloise
Eloise (Arvingarna song)
"Eloise" is a song in Swedish, written by Gert Lengstrand and Lasse Holm, and performed by Swedish "dansband" Arvingarna when it won the Swedish Melodifestivalen 1993 and finished 7th in the Eurovision Song Contest 1993. Sweden was one of the favourites to win. Curt-Eric Holmquist was the conductor...
", performed by Swedish dansband Arvingarna
Arvingarna
Arvingarna is a Swedish dansband, which was formed in 1989 and which competed in the Swedish Melodifestivalen in 1993, 1995, 1999 and 2002. In 1993 they won with the song '"Eloise" and represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 1993, where the song finished 7th.The band's name refers to...
, won the Swedish Melodifestivalen 1993
Melodifestivalen 1993
Melodifestivalen 1993 was the selection for the 33rd song to represent Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest. It was the 32nd time that this system of picking a song had been used. 1569 songs were submitted to SVT for the competition...
and finished 7th in the Eurovision Song Contest 1993
Eurovision Song Contest 1993
The Eurovision Song Contest 1993 was the 38th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 15 May 1993 in Millstreet, County Cork, Ireland. The presenter was Fionnuala Sweeney. Niamh Kavanagh was the winner of this Eurovision for Ireland with the song, "In Your Eyes"...
. Arvingarna had a more pop and rock-oriented dansband sound, and gained popularity among many teenagers.
In 1999, Wizex singer Charlotte Nilsson
Charlotte Perrelli
Charlotte Perrelli is a Swedish singer and occasional television host, perhaps most famous for winning the 1999 Melodifestivalen and subsequently that year's Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Take Me to Your Heaven."Since then she has released six singles and five albums...
performed the song "Tusen och en natt", with lyrics in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
known as "Take Me to Your Heaven
Take Me to Your Heaven (song)
"Take Me to Your Heaven" was the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1999 performed in English by Charlotte Nilsson representing Sweden...
", winning both the Swedish Melodifestivalen 1999
Melodifestivalen 1999
Melodifestivalen 1999 was the selection for the 39th song to represent Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest. It was the 38th time that this system of picking a song had been used. 1315 songs were submitted to SVT for the competition. The final was broadcast on SVT2 and Sveriges Radio's P4 network...
and the Eurovision Song Contest 1999
Eurovision Song Contest 1999
The Eurovision Song Contest 1999 was the 44th Eurovision Song Contest, held on 29 May 1999 in Jerusalem, Israel after Dana International won the contest the previous year in the United Kingdom. The venue for the contest was the International Convention Center...
.
Vikingarna was one of the more popular dansbands in Sweden before being disbanded in 2004, but during the late 1990s and early 2000s, they also toured Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and recorded albums in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
.
After substantial decreased dansband music in radio and television in Sweden during the early 2000s, while the popularity remained, the dansbands declared that they were being discriminated against in August 2007, since Sveriges Radio plays many different genres of music, especially if the songs are written or performed by Swedes. The dansbands reported Sveriges Radio to Granskningsnämnden för radio och TV
Swedish Broadcasting Commission
Granskningsnämnden för radio och TV – English title: The Swedish Broadcasting Commission – was a Swedish government agency formed in 1994 to regulate already broadcasted radio and television in Sweden.-Jurisdiction:...
(the Swedish Broadcasting Commission) in what became known as "dansbandsupproret" ("the dansband rebellion"), which was covered widely by the mass media. However, a few days later the commission decided not to take up the matter.
In recent years, artists have begun to mix dansband music with other genres. Per Arnez, for example, has gained some fame by remixing dansband with hip-hop.
Svensktoppen and Bingolotto
The Swedish Sveriges RadioSveriges Radio
Sveriges Radio AB – Swedish Radio Ltd – is Sweden's national publicly funded radio broadcaster. The Swedish public-broadcasting system is in many respects modelled after the one used in the United Kingdom, and Sveriges Radio - like Sveriges Television - shares many characteristics with...
hitlist Svensktoppen
Svensktoppen
Svensktoppen is a record chart at Sveriges Radio. Until January 2003, the songs had to be in the Swedish language. Svensktoppen has aired since 1962, except for the years 1982-1985. Svensktoppen airs once a week...
was dominated by dansbands between 1993 and 2002. When the rules were changed in January 2003 to allowing songs in languages other than Swedish, dansband music started to decline and was replaced with ordinary pop and rock. Dansband music also dominated the musical interludes in Bingolotto
Bingolotto
Bingolotto is a Swedish highly popular primetime television game show lottery that was first broadcast 1989 on local TV and since 1991 nationwide on the Swedish network TV4. The show is a collaboration work between Swedish TV channel TV4, the Swedish lottery game company Folkspel and the Swedish...
until Leif "Loket" Olsson resigned as presenter in 1999.
Notable bands
- ArvingarnaArvingarnaArvingarna is a Swedish dansband, which was formed in 1989 and which competed in the Swedish Melodifestivalen in 1993, 1995, 1999 and 2002. In 1993 they won with the song '"Eloise" and represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 1993, where the song finished 7th.The band's name refers to...
, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... - BarbadosBarbados (band)Barbados is a Swedish dansband, formed in 1992, who have had several Swedish chart successes. The band, with lead singer Magnus Carlsson, became widely known after their second place in Melodifestivalen 2000. The band has replaced lead singer three times. First Magnus Carlsson left the group in...
, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... - Berth Idoffs, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
(1958 - ) - Black JackBlack JackBlack Jack or Blackjack may refer to:- Games and cards :* Blackjack, the gambling game* Black Jack , also known as Switch, a name given to some variations of Crazy Eights in United Kingdom* The black Jack playing card- Products :...
, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... - ChiquitaChiquita (band)Chiquita is a dansband from Alingsås, Sweden that was formed in 1968, the first years until 1972 the band was called "Chiquita Brass" but after that Chiquita without Brass....
, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... - DrängarnaDrängarnaDrängarna is a Swedish rock-pop/dansband that was formed in 1995, with group members are Yala Gunter, Sunna Robert, Lasse i Torp and Olav i Fossen...
, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... - FlamingokvintettenFlamingokvintettenFlamingokvintetten is a Swedish dansband, founded in 1960 in Partille, Sweden....
, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... - Kjell Roos BandKjell Roos bandKjell Roos Band is a dansband in Vallsta, Sweden. The band was formed in 1969 by the brothers Kjell, Anders and Sven-Åke as Bröderna Roos . In the mid 1970s they changed their name to Roosarna. Since 1975, it is a full-time playing band...
("Roosarna"), SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... - Larz-KristerzLarz-KristerzLarz-Kristerz is a Swedish dansband founded in Älvdalen, Sweden in 2001, and winner of the 2008 edition of Dansbandskampen. The band is known to prefer Hagström instruments and PA systems...
, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... - Lazze OhlyzLazze OhlyzLazze Ohlyz was a Swedish dansband duo run by Jonas Kårlin and Björn Jägesten between 2005 and 2010.The group described themselves as northern Europe's first Marxist-Leninist dansband duo and the music is characterized by Lazze Ohlyz border crossing ambitions to mix propagandistic left ideology...
, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... - Lotta & Anders Engbergs OrkesterLotta & Anders Engbergs OrkesterLotta & Anders Engbergs Orkester was a dansband in Skara, Sweden which was active during the years 1989-1994, with Lotta Engberg as singer. She formed the band in 1989 with her former husband Anders Engberg, who already had a band in his own name. In 1993, the band was awarded a Grammis...
, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
(1989–1994) - Lotta EngbergsLotta EngbergsLotta Engbergs was a dansband in Skara, Sweden. The band was formed in 1994, when Lotta Engberg left Lotta & Anders Engbergs Orkester. The band was, in its early days, known as Lotta Engbergs Orkester, which later was shortened to just Lotta Engbergs...
, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
(1994–2002) - Ole Ivars, NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
- Rolandz, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
- Sten & Stanley, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
- StreaplersStreaplersStreaplers is a Swedish musical group, which was founded in 1959 in Kungälv as a pop group but later was developed into a dansband. Original members were Gert Lengstrand , Bjarne Lundquist, Göran Liljeblad, Håkan Liljeblad och Lars Larsson....
, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... - Sven-IngvarsSven-IngvarsSven-Ingvars is a pop/rock group from Slottsbron, Sweden. The band was formed in 1956 by Sven Svärd, drums Ingvar Karlsson, guitar and accordion and Sven-Erik Magnusson, song, guitar and clarinet. Later Rune Bergman joined on bass guitar and even later Sven-Olof Petersson on tenor and baritone...
, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... - Thorleifs, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
- Tommys, FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
- Vikingarna, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
- WizexWizexWizex is a Swedish "dansband", formed in Osby, Sweden in 1973, with Kikki Danielsson as singer. The band has since had several front singers.Wizex finished 2nd in the Swedish Melodifestivalen 1978....
, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
Notable songs
- "Gråt inga tårar" (Don't fall into tears), by Thorleifs, 1974
- "Jag vill vara din Margareta" (I wanna be yours, Margareta), by Sten & Stanley, 1976
- "De sista ljuva årenDe sista ljuva årenDe sista ljuva åren, Swedish: The last sweet years, lyrics and music by Jan Christer Eriksson, is a song that Swedish dansband Lasse Stefanz and Swedish singer Christina Lindberg recorded in a duet. It was originally on Lasse Stefanz 1988 album "Livets ljusa sida"...
" (The last sweet years), by Lasse StefanzLasse StefanzLasse Stefanz, earlier Lasse Stefans, is a country music-inspired dansband, formed in 1967 in Kristianstad, Sweden. The band was popular during the 1980s. The band was formed by Hans Sigfridsson, Lars Sigfridsson and Olle Jönsson. Later members are Christer Ericsson, Anders Pettersson and Gunnar...
& Christina LindbergChristina Lindberg (singer)Christina Lindberg, born November 4, 1968, is a Swedish country and dansband singerChristina has sung together with the "dansband" Lasse Stefanz and is probably most known for the song De sista ljuva åren, which was a Svensktoppen hit from February 1989 and the upcoming 65 weeks...
, 1989 - "Två mörka ögon" (Two dark eyes), by Sven-IngvarsSven-IngvarsSven-Ingvars is a pop/rock group from Slottsbron, Sweden. The band was formed in 1956 by Sven Svärd, drums Ingvar Karlsson, guitar and accordion and Sven-Erik Magnusson, song, guitar and clarinet. Later Rune Bergman joined on bass guitar and even later Sven-Olof Petersson on tenor and baritone...
, 1991 - "EloiseEloise (Arvingarna song)"Eloise" is a song in Swedish, written by Gert Lengstrand and Lasse Holm, and performed by Swedish "dansband" Arvingarna when it won the Swedish Melodifestivalen 1993 and finished 7th in the Eurovision Song Contest 1993. Sweden was one of the favourites to win. Curt-Eric Holmquist was the conductor...
", by ArvingarnaArvingarnaArvingarna is a Swedish dansband, which was formed in 1989 and which competed in the Swedish Melodifestivalen in 1993, 1995, 1999 and 2002. In 1993 they won with the song '"Eloise" and represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 1993, where the song finished 7th.The band's name refers to...
, 1993 - "Kan man älska nå'n på avstånd" (Can you love somebody on a distance), by Vikingarna, 1998
- "Jag trodde änglarna fanns" (I thought angels existed), by Ole Ivars & Kikki DanielssonKikki DanielssonAnn-Kristin "Kikki" Danielsson is a Swedish country, dansband and pop singer. Sometimes, she also plays the accordion and she has also written some lyrics. She is also famous for yodeling in some songs. Kikki Danielsson gained her largest popularity in the Nordic region from the late 1970s until...
, 1999 - "Take Me to Your HeavenTake Me to Your Heaven (song)"Take Me to Your Heaven" was the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1999 performed in English by Charlotte Nilsson representing Sweden...
", by WizexWizexWizex is a Swedish "dansband", formed in Osby, Sweden in 1973, with Kikki Danielsson as singer. The band has since had several front singers.Wizex finished 2nd in the Swedish Melodifestivalen 1978....
, 1999