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I’m From Barcelona – Oversleeping

Sometimes, lyrics aren’t important. Ever woke up on a spring morning feeling ridiculously happy for no reason other than feeling ridiculously happy? It wasn’t the dream you just had, because you don’t really remember your dreams, except if you took Vicodin or Nyquil the night before. Maybe it’s the temperature. You don’t care; you’re awake, and you feel like fun. You look at the clock. It’s 9:17. You’ll be late for Contemporary Moral Issues. Or maybe you’re late for that staff meeting about Ulrika’s errant Facebook post. You do your morning stretch, it gets you looking out the window, and ooh, looky! That’s a bit of sunshine, innit! Now you want to prance around the living room in your underwear. Bingo! Swedish pop music is the kind of music you prance around in your underwear to, all sugar and freshness and blue-eyed optimism. The lyrics say you can make it in time. Sometimes, lyrics aren’t important. Melody is important. Feeling is fucking important. Go ahead and prance.

Some observations:

• The name of the band is I’m From Barcelona. They’re not. It’s a Fawlty Towers reference, and if you got that, give yourself a kiss. If you didn’t, you should start watching that show after you’ve chastised yourself with a suitably heavy anvil.
• When a Swede mispronounces a word in a song, it just sounds right somehow.
• I have no idea what Swedish death metal sounds like. But I bet it’s more tuneful and melodic than Justin Bieber.
• Cut Copy. The Concretes. Caesars. Ceo. Why so many good Swedish pop bands starting with C? I don’t know, ask your local conspiracy theorist. If he demands payment, tell him you’ll pony up on New Year’s Eve 2012.
• Don’t prance around your living room if you have hardwood floors and large roommates.

[Buy Let Me Introduce My Friends, one of the most joyous pop records of the 2000s.]

(follow @elrob for more of his observations)

Posted on November 24, 2010 - Tunes -