Dansband

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"Dansband"
Stylistic origins:	Country music, pop music, rock music, swing music
Cultural origins:	1970s Sweden
Typical instruments:	guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, drums, keyboard, saxophone
Mainstream popularity:	Nordic countries, Continuous from 1970s
Other topics
Music of Sweden - Svensktoppen

Dansband ("Dance band") is a term in Swedish for bands who play a kind of popular music, dansbandsmusik ("Dance band music"), to dance partner dance to. As this music, jitterbug and foxtrot are often included. The music is inspired by swing music, "schlager" and country music, sometimes even by old dances, jazz, and rock music. The rock music inspired bands are often inspired by that rock music that was popular during the 1950s and 1960s. The terms "dansband" and "dansbandsmusik" were formed the years around 1970, when it became an own style of Swedish popular music. Most of the music has been developed in Sweden, and has spread to countries as Denmark, Finland and Norway. When the music came to Norway it was first called "Svensktoppar" ("Swedish tops"). The lyrics are often about love, friendship and peace. Other lyrics are about dance. Some of the song texts are inspired by national romanticism, with lyrics about things such as old memories from the past, or about nature and native districts.

1 History
2 Svensktoppen
3 Famous groups
4 Famous songs

[edit] History

Before "dansband" became popular, many jazz ochestras played a "schlager inspired" dance music. Many people believe that the development of the "dansbands" during the 1950s and 1960s depended on that the interest for jazz went backwards and pop music and rock music became the most popular music among young people. Many Swedish "dansbands" on that time were during the 1960s known as pop groups. The "golden era" of dansband music was the 1970s, with bands like Thorleifs, Flamingokvintetten, Ingmar Nordströms, Wizex and Matz Bladhs. At most in Sweden, there were around 800 full-time working "dansbands", in the late 1990s this number was down to around 500. In 1999, Wizex singer Charlotte Nilsson performed the song "Tusen och en natt", with lyrics in English known as "Take Me to Your Heaven", winning both the Swedish Melodifestivalen 1999 and the Eurovision Song Contest 1999.