"La det swinge" (; "Let it swing") is a Norwegian-language song by the

pop duo A pop duo is a pop music group with only two members. Examples of pop duos Male *A Great Big World * Associates *Charles & Eddie *Erasure * Go West *Godley & Creme *Hall & Oates *Heaven 17 *Lighthouse Family *Marcus & Martinus *Pet Shop Boys * ...

Bobbysocks! Bobbysocks is a Norwegian pop duo consisting of Norwegian Hanne Krogh and Swedish-Norwegian Elisabeth Andreassen. They won the Eurovision Song Contest 1985 with the song " La det swinge" ("Let it swing"). Elisabeth went by the surname Andreass ...

. It was the winner of the

Eurovision Song Contest 1985 The Eurovision Song Contest 1985 was the 30th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Gothenburg, Sweden, following the country's victory at the with the song "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley" by Herreys. Organised by the European ...

and 's first victory in the contest. The song is a tribute to dancing to old rock 'n' roll heard on the radio. Befitting the subject matter, the song itself is written in an old-fashioned style, with a memorable

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

melody starting the song. The melody arrangement is in

retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from history, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. In popular culture, the "nostalgia cycle" is typically for the two decades that begin 20–30 ...

style, containing elements of contemporary 1980s music and throwbacks to the 1950s. Following their win, the single peaked at number one in the Norwegian and Belgian singles chart, and entered the charts in various countries, including Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Eurovision

The song entered, and won the Norwegian final of ESC, ''

Melodi Grand Prix Melodi Grand Prix (), commonly known as Grand Prix and MGP, sometimes as Norwegian Melodi Grand Prix ( no, Norsk Melodi Grand Prix), is an annual music competition organised by Norwegian public broadcaster Norsk Rikskringkasting (NRK). It det ...

'', and was therefore selected to represent

Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 1985 Norway was represented by Bobbysocks!, with the song "La det swinge", at the 1985 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 4 May in Gothenburg, Sweden. "La det swinge" was chosen as the Norwegian entry at the Melodi Grand Prix on 30 March, ...

. For the performances, the two members of

Hanne Krogh Hanne Krogh (born 24 January 1956) is a Norwegian singer and actress from Haugesund and Oslo. Krogh is among the most selling record artists in Norway ever and is internationally well known for winning the Eurovision Song Contest 1985 with Elisab ...

and

Elisabeth Andreassen Elisabeth Gunilla Andreassen (; born 28 March 1958), also known as just Bettan, is a Norwegian-Swedish singer who has finished both first and second in the Eurovision Song Contest. Career Her talent was discovered in 1979 by Swedish musician and ...

, appeared in sparkling, bright purple jackets, worn over black and white outfits; Krogh sported a black-and-white striped floor-length gown. At the Eurovision Song Contest, the song was performed thirteenth on the night, following 's

Al Bano and Romina Power Al Bano and Romina Power are an Italian-American pop music duo formed in 1975 by then-married couple Italian tenor Albano Carrisi and American singer Romina Power, the daughter of Hollywood actor Tyrone Power. They have recorded over 22 albums, ...

with "

Magic Oh Magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

" and preceding the 's Vikki Watson with " Love Is". At the close of voting, it received 123 points, placing 1st in a field of 19. "La det swinge" was succeeded as Norwegian representative at the 1986 contest by

Ketil Stokkan Ketil Stokkan (born 29 April 1956) is a Norwegian pop artist who has performed as solo artist as well as the singer in the Norwegian band Zoo. Stokkan was born in Harstad. In 1983 he participated in the Norwegian qualifying heat for Eurovisio ...

with "

Romeo Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Lord Montague and his wife, Lady Montague, he secretly loves and marries Juliet, a member of the rival House of Capulet, through a priest ...

". This was the second appearance for both Andreasson and Krogh in the Eurovision Song Contest: in Andreassen had represented in the duo

Chips ''CHiPs'' is an American crime drama television series created by Rick Rosner and originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to May 1, 1983. It follows the lives of two motorcycle officers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP). The seri ...

with

Kikki Danielsson Ann-Kristin "Kikki" Danielsson (born 10 May 1952) is a Swedish country, dansband and pop singer. Sometimes, she also plays the accordion and she has also written some lyrics. She has gained notice for yodeling in some songs. Danielsson gained ...

, singing "

Dag efter dag "Dag efter dag" (; "Day after day") is a song in Swedish, with melody by Lasse Holm and text by Monica Forsberg. The pop and country group Chips (Kikki Danielsson and Elisabeth Andreassen) won the Swedish Melodifestivalen 1982 with it. Chips, as ...

"; and in Krogh had finished 17th (second from last) in the contest, with the song " Lykken er". Andreasson went on to appear in the contest on two more occasions – she finished sixth in , performing a duet with

Jan Werner Danielsen Jan Werner Danielsen, known professionally as Jan Werner, (10 April 1976 – 28 September 2006) was a Norwegian pop singer, also known for his interpretations of musical, classical, and rock standards. He was famous for his powerful voice which ...

, entitled simply, " Duett" and in , she appeared as a solo artist, finishing second to 's

Eimear Quinn Eimear Mary Rose Quinn (; ga, Eimear Ní Chuinn, ) is an Irish singer and composer. She is best known for winning the Eurovision Song Contest 1996 with the song " The Voice". Since then she has toured and performed extensively internationall ...

. Krogh also returned to the Contest in 1991 as part of the group Just 4 Fun, finishing 17th with "

Mrs. Thompson ''Mrs. Thompson'' is a 1919 British silent drama film directed by Rex Wilson and starring Minna Grey, C. M. Hallard and Isobel Elsom. It was released in the United States on 6 April 1923. It was adapted from a 1911 novel by William Babington ...

Track listing

#"Let It Swing" – 2:50 #"La det swinge" – 2:50

Charts

References

External links

"Let It Swing/La det swinge" at the Austrian singles chart"Let It Swing/La det swinge" at the Norwegian singles chart"Let It Swing/La det swinge" at the Swiss singles chart"La det swinge" at the Swedish singles chart
{{authority control 1985 singles Eurovision songs of Norway Eurovision songs of 1985 Number-one singles in Norway Eurovision Song Contest winning songs Ingmar Nordströms songs Bobbysocks! songs Songs written by Rolf Løvland Schlager songs 1985 songs