Laid Back

Biography

Laid Back is a Danish electronic music duo group from Copenhagen, formed in 1979. The duo consists of John Guldberg (vocals, guitar, bass) and Tim Stahl (vocals, keyboards, drums, bass). They are best known for the hits "Sunshine Reggae×Sunshine Reggae1983 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksASunshine Reggae (Special dub version)6:34BFly Away / Walking in the Sunshine8:27", "White Horse×White Horse5 August 2013 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1White Horse (Funkerman remix)8:222White Horse (Ida Corr remix)6:293White Horse (Funkerman remix radio edit)2:40", from 1983, and "Bakerman×Bakerman1989 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Bakerman4:442I Walk Proud3:563Bakerman (extended remix)6:01", from 1989.

Background and origins

John Guldberg and Tim Stahl met in the mid-1970s, and they played together in a group called the Starbox Band. After a poorly received show supporting the Kinks, the band split up, but the duo continued working together. Guldberg set up a small studio in downtown Copenhagen where the two musicians began exploring the possibilities that were being opened up by new technologies, such as multitrack tape recorders, synthesizers and drum machines.

1981–89

Their debut album, simply titled Laid Back, was released in 1981, and the single "Maybe I'm Crazy" became a number-one hit in Denmark.
The single "Sunshine Reggae×Sunshine Reggae1983 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksASunshine Reggae (Special dub version)6:34BFly Away / Walking in the Sunshine8:27", released the next year, became another chart-topper in their home country; it was later included on the band's second album, Keep Smiling, in 1983, and went on to become a number-one single in Italy, West Germany, and nineteen other countries around the world. In the US, however, it was the single's B-side that became the band's only big hit. "White Horse×White Horse5 August 2013 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1White Horse (Funkerman remix)8:222White Horse (Ida Corr remix)6:293White Horse (Funkerman remix radio edit)2:40" is a funk-influenced dance track with a memorable bassline and ambiguous, drug- and/or sex-themed lyrics ("white horse" being a slang for heroin) that became popular in US clubs. After the song was re-released as an A-side on both 7-inch and 12-inch vinyl, it went on to spend three weeks at number one on Billboard's National Disco Action charts; it was also a crossover success, reaching the top five on the Hot Black Singles chart while peaking at number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1984. Its relatively poor performance on the Hot 100 is most likely due to the track's controversial lyrics (including the word "bitch"), which prevented it from receiving radio airplay in much of the country. In 1989, the American rap act 2 Live Crew sampled "White Horse" heavily for their single "Get the Fuck Out of My House"; it was later sampled for Monifah's 1998 hit "Touch It".
Laid Back's next two albums, Play It Straight×Play It Straight1985 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Ice Cream Baby4:132White Man4:593Don’t Run From Your Shadow4:144I’m Hooked2:585One Life3:216Abu‐Dhabi4:567Play It Straight4:158Do You Know What It’s All About3:559C.C. Cool5:35 (1985) and See You in the Lobby×See You in the Lobby1987 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1It’s a Shame4:472Tricky Kind of Thing6:053Party at the White House4:174Don’t Run4:175Mr. Pusherman4:396It’s Never Too Late3:427I’m Hooked2:588Make It Beautiful4:009Tell Me the Truth4:36 (1987), and singles such as "Abu Dhabi" and "Tricky Kind of Thing", were released to little fanfare and limited chart success.
The duo made a return to the European charts in 1989 with the single "Bakerman×Bakerman1989 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Bakerman4:442I Walk Proud3:563Bakerman (extended remix)6:01" (featuring Danish singer Hanne Boel), which peaked at number nine on the West German chart, and number 44 in the United Kingdom in early 1990. It was accompanied by an unusual video, directed by Lars von Trier, which featured the band skydiving while "playing" their instruments. Guldberg and Stahl have both named this their favourite Laid Back track, and said the words were written by Guldberg during the recording session for the song. The lyrics are in English except for the phrase "Sagabona kunjani wena", which Guldberg has described as a Swahili phrase meaning "Hello, how are you?"
Hoping to capitalize on the success of "Bakerman", their label re-released "White Horse" (as "White Horse '89") with new remixes, although this was a commercial disappointment.

Later work

Over the course of the following decades, Laid Back released several albums and singles. The duo also composed the soundtrack of the 2001 feature film Flyvende Farmor, for which they were awarded a Robert, the Danish equivalent of an Oscar. That same year, an exhibition of the band's artwork, including pieces that appeared on their records and promotional posters, took place in Copenhagen. In 2003 they featured on the track "Tango" by Danish band Hæst, produced by Umpff. A remix of "Bakerman×Bakerman1989 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Bakerman4:442I Walk Proud3:563Bakerman (extended remix)6:01" by British DJ Shaun Baker reached number one in Greenland in 2006.
In 2010, "Cocaine Cool×Cocaine CoolNovember 2010 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksACocaine Cool4:12BCocaine Cool (extended)5:42" was the first single to be released on Laid Back's own label, Brother Music. It was followed by the mini album Cosyland×Cosyland2012 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1Cosyland (video edit)3:102Get Laid Back4:533Cocaine Cool (extended, Vol 2)5:414101 (Part Two)4:255Cosyland5:03 and the instrumental album Cosmic Vibes×Cosmic Vibes2 May 2011 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1Cosmic Vibes4:382Slow Friday8:083Gold Top6:554Ultramarine Blues6:035Yellow Sunday8:216Blue Lagoon (instrumental mix)7:117Ultramarine Blues (revisited)3:338Cosmic Research11:00 in 2012. In 2013, Laid Back released the double album "Uptimistic Music".
In 2019, Laid Back received the prestigious Danish award "Pioneer of the Year" (Årets Steppeulv) for their many years of contribution to the international music scene. 2019 was a special year for Laid Back marking 40 years of making music in the same studio in Copenhagen, the studio where it all began. Laid Back celebrated their anniversary by releasing their 12th studio album "Healing Feeling×Healing Feeling2 May 2019 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Give It Free3:442Keep On Loving3:263Love Is a Flower3:444Walk With the Dreamers4:185Healing Feeling3:266Enjoy the Vibes4:097Number One4:118Next Life2:549Deep Inside Your Mind4:1110I’m the Shy Guy4:1511House of the Rising Sun5:37".
In 2023, Laid Back released the 21-track studio album, Road to Fame×Road to Fame1 September 2023 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 21 tracks1Road to Fame5:092Funky Dreamer3:013Sitting in My Sofa3:424Wooden House in Sweden2:405Art of Love3:346My Baby Blue3:267Groovy Sunshine3:318Chill Out Man3:389Impression4:2410You Are a Star2:5911Beautiful Loser4:0712Why Is Everybody in Such a Hurry3:3213Pass It On3:3514Green Village3:0615Be the One You Are3:0016Bright Side of the Sun3:3717Everybody’s Looking for You3:1718Happy Blues Man3:0619MIG2:5820Musk Malone1:4221Mikkel Brygger Suite2:11. For the second time in the band's history, they released a song in their native language: it was called "Mig" ("Me"). Their first song in Danish was "Flyvende Farmor" ("The flying granny") from 2001.
They continue to make sporadic live performances as well. In 2023, Laid Back made a guest performance at Roskilde Festival with Free Nationals.

Legacy

In 2008, the band MGMT performed a cover of the Laid Back song "Roger" on the Morning Becomes Eclectic music program on KCRW radio, and also played the song at concerts.

Albums

Laid Back (1981)
Keep Smiling (1983)
Play It Straight (1985)
See You in the Lobby (1987)
Hole in the Sky (1990)
Why Is Everybody in Such a Hurry (1993)
Laidest Greatest (1995)
Unfinished Symphonies (1999)
Happy Dreamer (1999)
Good Vibes – The Very Best of Laid Back (2008)
Cosmic Vibes (2011)
Cosyland (2012)
Uptimistic Music (2013)
Healing Feeling (2019)
Road To Fame (2023)
Forevergreen (2024)
Born to Fly (2026)