Blue Swede

Biography

Blue Swede (Swedish: Blåblus) were a Swedish rock band fronted by Björn Skifs which was active between the years 1973–1979. Blue Swede released two albums of cover versions, including a rendition of "Hooked on a Feeling×Hooked on a Feeling1974 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 20 tracks1Hooked on a Feeling2:532Half Breed2:513I Didn't Sing (In the New York Subway)3:074Break the Spell3:355A Song For You3:546Never My Love2:297Don't Be Fooled By the Name3:528Hush / I'm Alive3:289Straight Back to You4:1910Firefly3:3511Silly Milly2:5512Working In the Coalmine2:3413Out of the Blue4:0014New York City Is Waiting3:0215I Could Never Leave You6:4916Pinewood Rally2:5517Chevrolet2:3718Destiny2:3219Fixing a Broken Heart3:4120Let Music Live3:45", which brought them international chart success. The band consisted of Anders Berglund (piano), Björn Skifs (lead vocals), Bosse Liljedahl (bass), Hinke Ekestubbe (saxophone), Jan Guldbäck (drums), Michael Areklew (guitar), and Tommy Berglund (trumpet). They disbanded after Skifs decided to embark on his solo career.

Career

Blue Swede was first formed in 1973, when Björn Skifs, a top vocalist in Sweden, was looking for a band to accompany him during his concerts.
The band was originally called "Blåblus" (Swedish for "blue blouse" [could be made out of denim], a pun on the word "blues") and featured Skifs singing the lead vocals. The band got their international breakthrough in 1974 with their cover of the 1968 B. J. Thomas song "Hooked on a Feeling×Hooked on a Feeling1974 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 20 tracks1Hooked on a Feeling2:532Half Breed2:513I Didn't Sing (In the New York Subway)3:074Break the Spell3:355A Song For You3:546Never My Love2:297Don't Be Fooled By the Name3:528Hush / I'm Alive3:289Straight Back to You4:1910Firefly3:3511Silly Milly2:5512Working In the Coalmine2:3413Out of the Blue4:0014New York City Is Waiting3:0215I Could Never Leave You6:4916Pinewood Rally2:5517Chevrolet2:3718Destiny2:3219Fixing a Broken Heart3:4120Let Music Live3:45". Blue Swede recorded Thomas's song in 1973, but based its rendition of the song on a 1971 version released by British pop eccentric Jonathan King, which created the "ooga-chaka" introduction. The producer at the recording sessions was Bengt Palmers. Blue Swede released "Hooked on a Feeling" in Sweden in May 1973 and in the United States in February 1974. The song reached number one in the U.S. for one week in April 1974 and stayed in the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 18 weeks. The track also topped charts in Australia, Canada, and the Netherlands, where it reached a peak chart position of 26. To capitalize on the success of the song, Blue Swede released the album Hooked on a Feeling that same year.
Throughout the rest of 1974, two follow-up singles from the same LP were released: "Silly Milly", which peaked at position 71 in the U.S., and a cover of The Association's "Never My Love", which made the Top Ten by peaking at position 7. From the band's 1974 follow-up album, Out of the Blue×Out of the Blue1974 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Out of the Blue3:58A2Why Don’t You Go Your Way3:47A3The Devil Made Me Do It5:03A4I Used to Love This City3:28A5I’m Wonderin’3:20B1Doctor Rock ’n’ Roll2:28B2Don’t Be Fooled by the Name3:52B3Flashback3:30B4(You’ve Got to) Tell It Like It Is5:18B5I Didn’t Sing in the New York Subway3:07, they recorded a medley of "Hush" by Deep Purple and "I'm Alive" by Tommy James and the Shondells (not The Hollies' song of the same name), peaking at position 61 in the U.S., and achieving its greatest chart success in Scandinavia. Skifs left the band in 1975 and the band continued as Blåblus, releasing a further two albums.