Eight great songs about Sweden

The late Lou Reed once said Sweden put him on edge. In gritty New York he felt comfortable, but Sweden he described as “kind of empty; they're all drunk; everything works…You turn on the TV, there's an ear operation. These things scare me.”

But not all musicians take fright when they enter Swedish airspace. In fact, as this list shows, a clutch of esteemed artists hold the land of the midnight cowboy (see Lee Hazlewood video) in high regard.

From Scott Walker’s adoration of an iconic Swedish film to The Divine Comedy’s appraisal of the country as the ideal retirement home, we scour the global soundscape for Sweden’s best musical mentions.

As for The Stranglers, well, they’re very much in the Lou Reed camp.

LOOK AND LISTEN: Eight great songs about Sweden

What songs have we missed? Please let us know. If we get enough good ones we’ll put together another list or our readers’ favourites. We’re looking for songs by non-Swedish artists.  

Twitter: @OMahonyPaul