Part 1: Volvo City

In the 1960’s, the soul sounds of groups like The Temptations and The Supremes warmed the hearts of Americans and the world. The sound was called Motown, for Motor City, AKA Detroit, where the sound began.

Meanwhile, in Scandinavia, in the Swedish town of Göteborg, headquarters of Swedish auto manufacturing giant Volvo, another sound was born. In many ways, this sound—called Götown—was similar to Motown. Both featured singing groups who harmonized and performed synchronized dance steps. But the Götown sound also reached far back to the Norse roots of these intrepid, horn-headed, seafaring people. By far the most popular and successful of these groups was The Icy Wayfarers.

The Icy Wayfarers are generally referred to by critics as "The Swedish Temptations." In fact, almost all of their musical output was directly lifted from the Motown quintet except for the lyrics, which were changed to appeal to the Scandinavian audience. The Icy Wayfarers first broke onto Scandinavian radio with their 1965 hit "Vodka," sung to the tune of "My Girl."

VODKA

[First Verse]

I've got darkness

Six months of the year,

And it's cold outside

Every day up here.

I'd commit suicide,

But something keeps me warm inside:

Vodka

Talkin' 'bout Vodka

Vodka!

Manager Odin Bjork-Haagendaaz remembers those first heady days of success: "Weekendresor Ta det lugnt med en kortsemester. Här finns paketerade resor till runt om i landet. Vad sägs om spa-weekend eller herrgårds-weekend?"

Indeed.