Blue Swede: The Swedish Sensation Behind 'Hooked on a Feeling'

Swedish pop-rock band best known for their international chart-topping cover of 'Hooked on a Feeling' featuring the iconic 'ooga-chaka' chant. Formed in 1973 by singer Björn Skifs and producer Bengt Palmers, Blue Swede specialized in covering English-language hits with Swedish vocals. Their cover of B. J. Thomas's 'Hooked on a Feeling', driven by its distinctive 'ooga-chaka' intro, became a global phenomenon in 1974, reaching No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. Despite the massive success of this single and a follow-up cover of The Zombies' 'She's Not There', creative differences led to the band's dissolution in 1975 after releasing just two albums.
  • The band's name 'Blue Swede' was a play on words, combining 'blue' (a music genre) and 'Swede' (their nationality), also referencing the 'blue' suits they sometimes wore.
  • Their cover of 'Hooked on a Feeling' featured the unique 'ooga-chaka' chant inspired by Jonathan King's 1971 UK version of the song, which Blue Swede heard on Swedish radio.
  • David Bowie reportedly disliked their cover of 'She's Not There', feeling it sounded too similar to his own 'The Jean Genie'. Björn Skifs later stated they deliberately tried to mimic Bowie's sound.
  • Despite their massive US success, Blue Swede never achieved significant chart success in their native Sweden.
  • The band's original lineup included Björn Skifs (lead vocals), Michael Areklew (guitar), Bosse Liljedahl (bass), Jan Guldbäck (drums), and Hinke Ekestubbe (keyboards). Benny Andersson (later of ABBA fame) joined as keyboardist for the second album.