Tag: cover

The Hives Celebrate 50 Years of Sweden’s Global Music Success With Spotify Singles Cover

May 24, 2024

On April 6, 1974, the Swedish pop quartet ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest with “Waterloo,” a victory that would propel them to dazzling international fame. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic Ocean, Björn Skifs and Blue Swede’s “Hooked on a Feeling” had just become the first single by a Swedish artist to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S.

As it turns out, that was just the beginning. Today, half a decade later, Sweden is one of the world’s biggest music exporters. To commemorate the outset of the country’s remarkable global success in music, Spotify invited the Swedish rock quintet The Hives to our Stockholm studio to record a Spotify Singles cover of “Hooked on a Feeling,” out now:

Known for their legendary live performances and strict black-and-white dress code, The Hives have been making heavy garage music for more than three decades. As one of the most-streamed Swedish rock bands globally, they’re thrilled to be carrying the storied song into its next chapter.

“I think there’s a synergy effect of Swedish music having made it abroad, and you feel like it’s possible. We can’t make it more perfect than the original is, so we went the other way instead: ruined it but made it sound exciting,” quipped front man Pelle Almqvist.

“Since the iconic year of 1974, when ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest, music from Swedish creators has continued to influence beyond its borders,” said Sophia Olofsson, Music Program Lead at Spotify. “We hear a lot about the Swedish pop wonder, but rock and metal are also two impactful genres for listeners around the world. With this Spotify Singles release, we wanted to celebrate the anniversary of the export of Swedish music while also paying homage to Sweden’s rock talents.”

The original “Hooked on a Feeling” was written by Mark James and performed by American singer B.J. Thomas in 1968. In 1973, Björn Skifs and his Blue Swede band recorded their version, which retained the “ooga-chaka” introduction from an earlier cover by English singer-songwriter Jonathan King.

To date, Blue Swede’s version of the song has racked up more than 670 million streams on Spotify globally. It has continued to gain traction over the years, having been featured in movies like Reservoir Dogs and Guardians of the Galaxy.

A spotlight on Swedish rock

Sweden might be best known for its pop music, but Spotify data shows that rock is also driving the country’s music exports. On our platform, the love for Swedish rock stretches near and far. In the past five years, streams of rock music by Swedish acts have increased by 90% globally, with France, Italy, Mexico, and Australia being the biggest consumers. Over 40% of the consumption comes from listeners aged 18-29.

Stream The Hives’ “Hooked on a Feeling” now, then dive into our Made in Sweden playlist to explore more tracks from Swedish artists.

Lewis Capaldi Gives Fans Two New Spotify Singles Recorded at Abbey Road Studios

September 23, 2022

a photograph of lewis capaldi looking at the camera

It didn’t take long for Lewis Capaldi’s new single, “Forget Me,” to soar to the top of the U.K. chart. But the Scottish singer-songwriter isn’t using that success as an excuse to sit back and relax.

Fans will be delighted to learn that Lewis has more new music to share. This week, as a part of Spotify Singles, the artist visited the iconic Abbey Road Studios to perform two exclusive tracks for an intimate audience. For those not lucky enough to be in attendance, the songs were recorded and are available now on Spotify.

The first track is a stripped-back version of “Forget Me,” and the second is the artist’s take on Olivia Rodrigo’s “drivers license,” a massive hit and the most-streamed song on Spotify last year.

This isn’t the first time Lewis has recorded a Spotify Single. In 2019, he recorded “when the party’s over” at Spotify Studios in New York City.

Give his two new Spotify Singles a listen below:

Remember 50 Iconic Years of “Hey Jude” with Spotify’s Top 10 List of Cover Songs

August 24, 2018

Some songs are so iconic, the stories behind them are just as famous as the stories told within them. That’s certainly the case with “Hey Jude,” the 1968 Beatles classic that redefined what a pop single could be. Clocking in at over seven minutes in length, the epic track—an emotionally complex, triumphant celebration of the human spirit—was written by Sir Paul McCartney after a visit with John Lennon’s young son, Julian.

As Sir Paul told Billboard in 2015, he met with Julian just after John and his first wife, Cynthia, divorced. “It came into my mind: ‘Hey, Jules, don’t make it bad,’” he remembered. “It’s a song of hopefulness.” “Jules” turned into “Jude” simply because Sir Paul liked the name. “I’d heard it in a musical—Carousel, I think.”

But “Hey Jude” isn’t entirely about Julian Lennon. As Sir Paul explained to Billboard, he only references the then-five-year-old Julian in “the first lines.” Though he’s never confirmed nor denied rumors about the song’s additional meaning, John Lennon famously believed that his bandmate wrote “Hey Jude” about his new relationship with Yoko Ono (perhaps alluded to with the line, “you have found her, now go and get her”).

Regardless of its true meaning, though, “Hey Jude” has remained part of the fabric of our collective imagination, and has been covered by artists across countless genres. So in honor of the song’s release exactly 50 years ago, we rounded up Spotify’s top 10 most-streamed versions. From Wilson Pickett’s warm, soulful rendition to an appropriately theatrical take from the cast of Glee, each song on our list offers its own impassioned voice and new perspective.

Don’t make it bad, Beatles fans: Stream them all below.

1. Wilson Pickett