A constant thorn in the side of Sweden’s skiers, Northug has earned a reputation for showboating arrogance twinned with dazzling virtuosity on the ski track.

Anders Svensson, a member of the DEO quartet, explained how the group came to focus the lyrics on Northug after stumbling on the bombastic score for the William Tell Overture.

“We came across the piece and decided we wanted to make it about a hero,” he told The Local.

First they toyed with the idea of singing about Swedish footballing stars such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Olof Mellberg, or even the American martial arts expert Chuck Norris. But with the winter sports season looming, it was eventually Northug who got the nod.  

“And he seemed to fulfil all the attributes for the archetypal male hero," Svensson said.

The Swedes wrote the song during the autumn, recorded it over Christmas and recently released the video to an enchanted audience. 

Now, the question remains as to whether the all-conquering Norwegian has seen the finished product.

“We think so, I tweeted the song and hashtagged with the account name that I presume is his private account. That account retweeted my tweet, but he hasn’t got back to us or anything,” Svensson said.

But the group is hopeful that Northug is pleased to have had a song made about him.

“It is a tribute, even if it is done a bit tongue in cheek,” Svensson said.

Svensson doesn’t think DEO are letting their home country down by choosing a Norwegian over a Swede, but he said they may think differently next time if faced with a World Championship.

“But we can’t do another song on the same topic. The world’s second biggest hero wouldn’t be the same,” Svensson told The Local.

Click here for The Local's English translation of the lyrics.