Svenne & Lotta
Encyclopedia
Svenne & Lotta is a pop
duo with Svenne Hedlund
and Lotta Hedlund
. They met in 1967, when (along with ABBA
's Benny Andersson
) Svenne Hedlund was the vocalist in the band Hep Stars
. Charlotte Walker, which was Lotta Hedlund's name at that time, toured Sweden
with the all-girl American trio The Sherrys
. The Hep Stars' phenomenal success within Scandinavia is well documented, and as an authentic, American soul group, the Sherrys were a European touring success story.
It was at Jerry Williams
' 'Hamburger börs' show that the couple met, after which they spent time together during the Swedish leg of Lotta's concert tour with the Sherrys. Upon Lotta's return to America, the pair missed each other so greatly that Lotta soon travelled back to Sweden; this time with her three children. Seeking parental approval, Lotta also brought her mother to meet Svenne.
With the Hep Stars' popularity diminshing, Lotta was brought in as a new member of the band, along with Benny's songwriting colleague, Björn Ulvaeus
. This new line-up didn't last long, with Benny and Björn setting their sights on international stardom with their fiances. Aiming to follow in ABBA's victorious footsteps, Svenne and Lotta competed in the Swedish heats for the Eurovision Song Contest, Melodifestivalen 1975
, with the song
"Bang en boomerang
", but finished 3rd. The song however became their breakthrough in Scandinavia, and the duo became especially popular in Denmark
. In the early 1980s they even took the very unusual step of recording a Danish language version of their Swedish hit "När Dagen Försvinner" (a cover of Alan Sorrenti
's "Tu Sei L'Unica Donna Per Me"), retitled "Når Dagen Forsvinder".
As artists on the Polar Music International record label (owned by ABBA's manager Stig Anderson
), Svenne & Lotta released various singles and albums produced by Benny and Björn. These mainly consisted of covers of 1960s hits, later on their own material. Throughout the years they got more songs delivered by Björn & Benny of ABBA. Most notable of all is "Funky Feet", included on their 1976 album Letters; originally written for ABBA's Arrival
album, Benny and Björn felt it was too similar to the already-recorded "Dancing Queen
". The group released a cover of ABBA's "Dance (While the Music Still Goes On)" as a single in Australia. The single was produced by ABBA's Björn and Benny.
While most husband and wife teams with close connections to ABBA eventually separated, Svenne and Lotta have remained together. [1] Since the early 1980s the couple resides in Sävsjö
, Småland
and since the early 1990s they have frequently toured Scandinavia. After year 2000 Sven teamed up with some other Swedish 1960s male singers as the act Idolerna(The idols).
In 2000 the duo returned to Melodifestivalen, as they sang "Bara Du Och Jag" with Swedish rappers Balsam Boys (Gustav Eurén and Stefan Deak). In 2005 they also made a special anniversary appearance in the show, performing "Bang-A-Boomerang" 30 years after they first competed with the song.
Svenne & Lotta, or Sven & Charlotte, is still releasing music, and has released records in Swedish
, English
, and Danish
.
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...
duo with Svenne Hedlund
Svenne Hedlund
Sven Ove "Svenne" Hedlund, born 1 March 1945, Solna, is Swedish pop singer.Svenne Hedlund sang in the Swedish bands Clifftones and Hep Stars in the 1960s...
and Lotta Hedlund
Lotta Hedlund
Charlotte Jean "Lotta" Hedlund, born March 10, 1944 as Charlotte Jean Walker, is an African-American singer living in Sweden since the late 1960s.-Biography:...
. They met in 1967, when (along with ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
's Benny Andersson
Benny Andersson
Göran Bror "Benny" Andersson is a Swedish musician, composer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...
) Svenne Hedlund was the vocalist in the band Hep Stars
Hep Stars
The Hep Stars was a Swedish rock group, formed in 1963. During 1965-1966 the band was the most successful of contemporary 1960s Swedish pop groups performing in English language...
. Charlotte Walker, which was Lotta Hedlund's name at that time, toured 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....
with the all-girl American trio The Sherrys
The Sherrys
The Sherrys were an American girl group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, active briefly in the 1960s.The group came together in 1961 around Philadelphia singer Little Joe Cook, former lead singer of The Thrillers; it featured two of his daughters and their cousin. Initially they acted as a backup...
. The Hep Stars' phenomenal success within Scandinavia is well documented, and as an authentic, American soul group, the Sherrys were a European touring success story.
It was at Jerry Williams
Jerry Williams (singer)
Jerry Williams, real name Sven Erik Fernström, is a Swedish rock and roll singer and actor.In 1963, Jerry Williams toured with the Beatles through Sweden. He has been lead singer in many Swedish rock and roll bands, but is mostly known as a solo artist...
' 'Hamburger börs' show that the couple met, after which they spent time together during the Swedish leg of Lotta's concert tour with the Sherrys. Upon Lotta's return to America, the pair missed each other so greatly that Lotta soon travelled back to Sweden; this time with her three children. Seeking parental approval, Lotta also brought her mother to meet Svenne.
With the Hep Stars' popularity diminshing, Lotta was brought in as a new member of the band, along with Benny's songwriting colleague, Björn Ulvaeus
Björn Ulvaeus
Björn Kristian Ulvaeus is a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, writer, producer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...
. This new line-up didn't last long, with Benny and Björn setting their sights on international stardom with their fiances. Aiming to follow in ABBA's victorious footsteps, Svenne and Lotta competed in the Swedish heats for the Eurovision Song Contest, Melodifestivalen 1975
Melodifestivalen 1975
Melodifestivalen 1975 was the selection for the 16th song to represent Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest. It was the 15th time that this system of picking a song had been used. 10 songwriters were selected by SVT for the competition...
, with the song
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...
"Bang en boomerang
Bang en boomerang
"Bang-A-Boomerang" is a song by ABBA, first released by Svenne & Lotta . The track was first recorded as a demo with English lyrics in September 1974 by the ABBA musicians for their forthcoming eponymous album ABBA...
", but finished 3rd. The song however became their breakthrough in Scandinavia, and the duo became especially popular in 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...
. In the early 1980s they even took the very unusual step of recording a Danish language version of their Swedish hit "När Dagen Försvinner" (a cover of Alan Sorrenti
Alan Sorrenti
- Biography :Sorrenti was born in Naples, but his mother was Welsh, and he spent much of his childhood in Aberystwyth, WalesSorrenti's career began in the early 1970s...
's "Tu Sei L'Unica Donna Per Me"), retitled "Når Dagen Forsvinder".
As artists on the Polar Music International record label (owned by ABBA's manager Stig Anderson
Stig Anderson
Stig 'Stikkan' Erik Leopold Anderson was born in Hova, Sweden, and is best known as the manager of the pop group ABBA.- Polar Music:Anderson was the founder of the Polar Music record label in 1963...
), Svenne & Lotta released various singles and albums produced by Benny and Björn. These mainly consisted of covers of 1960s hits, later on their own material. Throughout the years they got more songs delivered by Björn & Benny of ABBA. Most notable of all is "Funky Feet", included on their 1976 album Letters; originally written for ABBA's Arrival
Arrival
The Arrival may refer to:* The Arrival , a 1996 science fiction film starring Charlie Sheen* "The Arrival" , an episode of The Twilight Zone* "Arrival" , first episode of The Prisoner...
album, Benny and Björn felt it was too similar to the already-recorded "Dancing Queen
Dancing Queen
"Dancing Queen" is a pop song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in August 1976, but was first performed two months earlier, on 18 June 1976, during a Royal Variety Show in Stockholm the evening before the Swedish royal wedding. It was the follow-up single to the hit "Fernando"...
". The group released a cover of ABBA's "Dance (While the Music Still Goes On)" as a single in Australia. The single was produced by ABBA's Björn and Benny.
While most husband and wife teams with close connections to ABBA eventually separated, Svenne and Lotta have remained together. [1] Since the early 1980s the couple resides in Sävsjö
Sävsjö
Sävsjö is a locality and the seat of Sävsjö Municipality, Jönköping County, Sweden with 5,068 inhabitants in 2005.-Geography:Sävsjö is located on the main line railway between Stockholm and Malmö...
, Småland
Småland
' is a historical province in southern Sweden.Småland borders Blekinge, Scania or Skåne, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means Small Lands. . The latinized form Smolandia has been used in other languages...
and since the early 1990s they have frequently toured Scandinavia. After year 2000 Sven teamed up with some other Swedish 1960s male singers as the act Idolerna(The idols).
In 2000 the duo returned to Melodifestivalen, as they sang "Bara Du Och Jag" with Swedish rappers Balsam Boys (Gustav Eurén and Stefan Deak). In 2005 they also made a special anniversary appearance in the show, performing "Bang-A-Boomerang" 30 years after they first competed with the song.
Svenne & Lotta, or Sven & Charlotte, is still releasing music, and has released records 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...
, 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...
, and Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
.