Scandinavians and American Country Music
August 29, 2022 11:53 AM Subscribe
How and why did American country music catch on in Scandinavian countries, especially classic country? Most articles I've found about Doug Seegers, and I'm looking for more. I know and love this song ("Emmylou" by First Aid Kit) A friend in Muscle Shoals says Scandinavian tourists come frequently. I'm looking for info that can explain more about how and when Scandinavians--and is it jut a certain demographic?--got into American country music enough to visit Alabama studios.
Just noticing now that you mention Doug Seegers, he was literally “discovered” by Jill Jonson, you could do worse than poking around her sites with google translate on Swedish wiki for example. Also saw this which might be of interest to you.
posted by Iteki at 12:51 PM on August 29, 2022
posted by Iteki at 12:51 PM on August 29, 2022
Best answer: This ABBA biography goes on at length about the similarities of American country music and homegrown Schlager music. American country may have been close enough to connect to this pre-existing popular tradition.
posted by Capt. Renault at 1:10 PM on August 29, 2022
posted by Capt. Renault at 1:10 PM on August 29, 2022
Best answer: Here's a performance by Chet Atkins in Norway in 1964 - so there was an audience for it at least that far back.
Anecdotally, visiting Norway less than 10 years ago I was surprised at how much country music I heard blasting out of cars and trucks in smaller towns. I even learned that 'Texas' means 'crazy' (or something similar) there.
There's definitely something to your observation!
posted by Acari at 1:25 PM on August 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
Anecdotally, visiting Norway less than 10 years ago I was surprised at how much country music I heard blasting out of cars and trucks in smaller towns. I even learned that 'Texas' means 'crazy' (or something similar) there.
There's definitely something to your observation!
posted by Acari at 1:25 PM on August 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
I have a Swedish friend. A few years back he found a very nice used banjo in a music shop, and bought it. He was delighted. I was very surprised, and his wife told me that Swedes all love the banjo.
I'd suppose that there's a certain overlap culturally. A lot of the early settlers in parts of North America were Swedish, so it's possible that they inspired country music to some extent. I don't really know.
I'm not a huge country fan, but some of the older stuff was appealing. It's hard to judge on its merits, because it's come to have strong cultural and political associations, and because there's perceived to be a huge divide between rock and roll people and country and western people. It may be that if you're far enough, physically and culturally, from the USA, you can ignore that and take what you want from the music.
posted by AugustusCrunch at 2:34 PM on August 29, 2022
I'd suppose that there's a certain overlap culturally. A lot of the early settlers in parts of North America were Swedish, so it's possible that they inspired country music to some extent. I don't really know.
I'm not a huge country fan, but some of the older stuff was appealing. It's hard to judge on its merits, because it's come to have strong cultural and political associations, and because there's perceived to be a huge divide between rock and roll people and country and western people. It may be that if you're far enough, physically and culturally, from the USA, you can ignore that and take what you want from the music.
posted by AugustusCrunch at 2:34 PM on August 29, 2022
2018 Saving Country Music
Somewhat related : Raggare
posted by Ideefixe at 3:55 PM on August 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
Somewhat related : Raggare
posted by Ideefixe at 3:55 PM on August 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
I don't know anything about Scandanavia specifically (unfortunately). But in many European countries there is a long-standing interest in the American West, and specifically the sort of "cowboys and indians" western mythology thing.
See for example super-popular author Karl May. His mainstay was books about the American West and other "exotic" non-European locales, and his works were translated widely, particularly throughout Europe.
A possible connection is this: In the 1930s-40s-50s when Hollywood went casting around for music to use in the "cowboys and indians" film genre they landed on country music. Thus was added the "western" of Country & Western Music - which to a far, far, far, Far, FAR greater degree has its roots in backcountry, folk, and popular musics of the American South and places like Appalachia.
(Various places in the American West, Texas, New Mexico, the border areas, etc etc have their own music traditions - which historical have little to do with the music of the American South, though there has been some mixing of things in recent decades as people tried to make "Country and Western" a real thing - even though it is a thing that had never really existed before.)
Regardless of all that, thanks to its extensive use in Western (ie, cowboy & indian mythology type) films, Country music became very closely tied with the idea of the West, cowboys, etc. Not just in the U.S., but (even more so!) around the world wherever Hollywood movies were shown. So perhaps that is one source of the connection to Country music in parts of the world where you wouldn't necessarily expect to see an interest.
Just for example, note this video of a full night of BEST OF AUSTRIAN COUNTRY MUSIC. "Austria" and "Country Music" are two things most people would never expect to hear in the same sentence, yet here we are.
Also note that most all of the costumes, set, room decorations, etc etc etc are oriented towards the American (mythical) West and not really at all towards the actual roots of Country music in the American South. You've got saloons, cowboy hats, etc - all the trappings of the mythical American West of Hollywood. That's what folks are associating Country Music with. I would guess it is much the same in Scandanavia.
posted by flug at 4:44 PM on August 29, 2022
See for example super-popular author Karl May. His mainstay was books about the American West and other "exotic" non-European locales, and his works were translated widely, particularly throughout Europe.
A possible connection is this: In the 1930s-40s-50s when Hollywood went casting around for music to use in the "cowboys and indians" film genre they landed on country music. Thus was added the "western" of Country & Western Music - which to a far, far, far, Far, FAR greater degree has its roots in backcountry, folk, and popular musics of the American South and places like Appalachia.
(Various places in the American West, Texas, New Mexico, the border areas, etc etc have their own music traditions - which historical have little to do with the music of the American South, though there has been some mixing of things in recent decades as people tried to make "Country and Western" a real thing - even though it is a thing that had never really existed before.)
Regardless of all that, thanks to its extensive use in Western (ie, cowboy & indian mythology type) films, Country music became very closely tied with the idea of the West, cowboys, etc. Not just in the U.S., but (even more so!) around the world wherever Hollywood movies were shown. So perhaps that is one source of the connection to Country music in parts of the world where you wouldn't necessarily expect to see an interest.
Just for example, note this video of a full night of BEST OF AUSTRIAN COUNTRY MUSIC. "Austria" and "Country Music" are two things most people would never expect to hear in the same sentence, yet here we are.
Also note that most all of the costumes, set, room decorations, etc etc etc are oriented towards the American (mythical) West and not really at all towards the actual roots of Country music in the American South. You've got saloons, cowboy hats, etc - all the trappings of the mythical American West of Hollywood. That's what folks are associating Country Music with. I would guess it is much the same in Scandanavia.
posted by flug at 4:44 PM on August 29, 2022
Part if the answer is also just that country music is huge in so many places all over the world, from Kenya to Brazil to Czech bluegrass. Lots of places. The podcast Dolly Parton’s America does a great job explaining this, especially these episodes.
In Brazil there is a duo, Chitãozinho e Xororó, who did a cover of achey breaky heart and recorded in nashville.
posted by umbú at 6:37 AM on August 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
In Brazil there is a duo, Chitãozinho e Xororó, who did a cover of achey breaky heart and recorded in nashville.
posted by umbú at 6:37 AM on August 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
« Older What's a good free Excel Template for Simple... | How to find school vaccination laws for... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Iteki at 12:34 PM on August 29, 2022