La det swinge
Encyclopedia
"La det swinge" is a song
in Norwegian
, sung by the pop duo
Bobbysocks!. It was the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1985
- Norway's first victory in the contest.
melody setting the chorus off. The melody arrangement is in retro
style, containing elements of contemporary 1980s music and throwbacks to the 1950s.
The song was performed thirteenth on the night, following Italy
's Al Bano and Romina Power
with "Magic Oh Magic
" and preceding the United Kingdom
's Vikki Watson with "Love Is
". At the close of voting, it had received 123 points, placing 1st in a field of 19.
For their Eurovision appearance, the two members - Hanne Krogh
and Elisabeth Andreasson - appeared in sparkling, bright purple jackets, worn over black and white outfits; Krogh sported a striking, black-and-white striped floor-length gown.
This was Elisabeth Andreasson's second appearance in the Eurovision Song Contest; in 1982 she represented Sweden in the duo Chips with Kikki Danielsson
singing "Dag efter dag
". Danielsson incidentally finished third after Bobbysocks and West Germany's Wind, with "Bra vibrationer
" in the 1985 contest, again representing Sweden. Andreasson in turn went on to appear in the contest on two more occasions - she finished sixth in 1994, performing a duet with Jan Werner Danielsen
, entitled simply, "Duett
" and in 1996, she appeared as a solo artist, finishing second to Ireland's Eimear Quinn
. Krogh had finished 17th (second from last) in the contest in 1971, with the song "Lykken er
", and in 1991 she returned to the Contest as part of the group Just 4 Fun
, finishing 17th with "Mrs. Thompson
".
"La Det Swinge" was succeeded as Norwegian representative
at the 1986 Contest
by Ketil Stokkan
with "Romeo".
Following their win, the single "La det swinge" peaked at #1 in the Norwegian and Belgian singles chart, and entered the charts in Sweden
, Switzerland
, Austria
, Ireland
, United Kingdom
to name a few.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
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...
, sung by the pop duo
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...
Bobbysocks!. It was the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1985
Eurovision Song Contest 1985
The Eurovision Song Contest 1985 was the 30th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 4 May 1985 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The presenter was Lill Lindfors, and Norwegian duo Bobbysocks! was the winner of this Eurovision with the song "La det swinge"....
- Norway's first victory in the contest.
Background
The song is a tribute to dancing to old rock 'n' roll heard on the radio. Befitting the subject matter, the song itself is written in an old-fashioned style, with a memorable saxophoneSaxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
melody setting the chorus off. The melody arrangement is in retro
Retro
Retro is a culturally outdated or aged style, trend, mode, or fashion, from the overall postmodern past, that has since that time become functionally or superficially the norm once again. The use of "retro" style iconography and imagery interjected into post-modern art, advertising, mass media, etc...
style, containing elements of contemporary 1980s music and throwbacks to the 1950s.
The song was performed thirteenth on the night, following Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
's Al Bano and Romina Power
Romina Power
Romina Francesca Power is an American-born singer and actress.-Biography:Born in Los Angeles, California, Romina Power is the eldest daughter of American actor Tyrone Power and his second wife, actress Linda Christian....
with "Magic Oh Magic
Magic Oh Magic
"Magic Oh Magic" was the Italian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1985, performed in Italian by Al Bano & Romina Power. This was Bano and Power's second Eurovision entry, following 1976's "We'll Live It All Again" which finished 7th in a field of 18....
" and preceding the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's Vikki Watson with "Love Is
Love Is (Vikki Watson song)
"Love Is", written and composed by James Kaleth and Vikki Watson, was the United Kingdom's entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1985, performed by the latter composer, Vikki Watson, credited at Eurovision as Vikki....
". At the close of voting, it had received 123 points, placing 1st in a field of 19.
For their Eurovision appearance, the two members - Hanne Krogh
Hanne Krogh
Hanne Krogh is a Norwegian singer and one half of the duo that won the Eurovision Song Contest 1985....
and Elisabeth Andreasson - appeared in sparkling, bright purple jackets, worn over black and white outfits; Krogh sported a striking, black-and-white striped floor-length gown.
This was Elisabeth Andreasson's second appearance in the Eurovision Song Contest; in 1982 she represented Sweden in the duo Chips with Kikki Danielsson
Kikki Danielsson
Ann-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...
singing "Dag efter dag
Dag Efter Dag
"Dag efter dag" is a song in Swedish, with melody by Lasse Holm and text by Monica Forsberg. The pop and country group Chips won the Swedish Melodifestivalen 1982 with the song, which was sung by Kikki Danielsson and Elisabeth Andreasson. Chips finished eighth in the Eurovision Song Contest 1982...
". Danielsson incidentally finished third after Bobbysocks and West Germany's Wind, with "Bra vibrationer
Bra vibrationer
Bra vibrationer is a 1985 studio album from Swedish country and pop singer Kikki Danielsson. The album reached #12 at the Swedish album chart.-Side A:-Side B:...
" in the 1985 contest, again representing Sweden. Andreasson in turn went on to appear in the contest on two more occasions - she finished sixth in 1994, performing a duet with Jan Werner Danielsen
Jan Werner Danielsen
Jan Werner Danielsen, artist name Jan Werner, was a Norwegian pop, classical, and rock singer, famous for his powerful voice which stretched over four and a half octaves...
, entitled simply, "Duett
Duett
"Duett" is a power ballad in Norwegian, sung by Elisabeth Andreassen and Jan Werner Danielsen as a duet in the Norwegian Melodi Grand Prix 1994. The song won the Grand Prix, thus earning the right to represent Norway at the Eurovision Song Contest 1994....
" and in 1996, she appeared as a solo artist, finishing second to Ireland's Eimear Quinn
Eimear Quinn
Eimear Quinn is an Irish singer. Dublin born Eimear joined her first choir at four years of age and at fifteen she started formal vocal training at the College of Music under the tutelage of Jody Beggan. Eimear later graduated with a degree in Music from National University of Ireland Maynooth...
. Krogh had finished 17th (second from last) in the contest in 1971, with the song "Lykken er
Lykken Er
"Lykken er" was the Norwegian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1971, performed in Norwegian by Hanne Krogh....
", and in 1991 she returned to the Contest as part of the group Just 4 Fun
Just 4 Fun
Just 4 Fun was a Norwegian band from the early nineties.The members were Marianne Antonsen, Jan Groth, Eiríkur Hauksson and Hanne Krogh. Krogh represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 1971 and reached the 17th position, 14 years later she won in the band Bobbysocks...
, finishing 17th with "Mrs. Thompson
Mrs. Thompson (song)
"Mrs. Thompson" was the Norwegian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1991, performed in Norwegian by Just 4 Fun. The song remains unique as the only time to date that the Norwegian entry was not chosen through the Melodi Grand Prix - the four members of the group having been selected...
".
"La Det Swinge" was succeeded as Norwegian representative
Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest
Norway has been participating in the Eurovision Song Contest since 1960 and only been absent twice: in 1970, when they boycotted the contest over disagreements about the voting structure, and in 2002, when they did not qualify....
at the 1986 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1986
The Eurovision Song Contest 1986 was the 31st Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 3 May 1986 in the Grieg Hall in Bergen, Norway. It was the first occasion on which Norway played host to the contest...
by Ketil Stokkan
Ketil Stokkan
Ketil Stokkan is a Norwegian pop artist who has performed as solo artist as well as the singer in the Norwegian band Zoo. 1983 saw him participate in the Norwegian qualifying heat for Eurovision with the song "Samme charmeur" which was placed second...
with "Romeo".
Following their win, the single "La det swinge" peaked at #1 in the Norwegian and Belgian singles chart, and entered the charts 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....
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to name a few.
Chart details
| Chart (1985) | Position |
|---|---|
| Norway | 1 |
| Belgium | 1 |
| Sweden | 4 |
| Ireland | 8 |
| Netherlands | 13 |
| Austria | 14 |
| Switzerland | 30 |
| United Kingdom | 44 |
| Germany | 47 |
Cover versions
- Ingela "Pling" ForsmanIngela ForsmanIngela Birgitta "Pling" Forsman is a Swedish lyricist in popular music. 1981–2009, 33 of her songs have competed in the Swedish Melodifestivalen, three of them winners: Bra vibrationer , Se på mej and Kärleken är...
wrote lyrics in Swedish, as "Låt det svänga", which was recorded by artists and groups as Stefan BorschStefan BorschStefan Borsch, born 19 January 1947 in Hagfors, Sweden, is a Swedish dansband singer. At first, he sang for Swedish dansband Öijwinds, and from 1973 for the dansband Vikingarna, which he left in 1979. After this, he began a solo career. He participated at the Swedish Melodifestivalen 1985 with the...
, Ingmar Nordströms och Jan Welander, all of them 1985. - SwedishSwedenSweden , 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....
heavy metalHeavy metal musicHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
group "Black IngvarsBlack IngvarsBlack Ingvars is a Swedish humorist heavy metal group. Black Ingvars is famous for cover versions of songs from other musical styles, like pop, children's song, "dansband" music, Christmas songs and gospel...
" coveredCover versionIn popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
song on their 1998 albumAlbumAn album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
"Schlager MetalSchlager MetalSchlager Metal is a 1998 album by Swedish heavy metal band Black Ingvars. On the album, they cover Melodifestivalen songs in heavy metal version...
".