Blue Swede

Blue Swede (originally Blåblues) was the first Swedish band ever to top the charts in the US. They did so in 1974 with their version of B.J. Thomas' "Hooked on a feeling" (including the famous "Ooga Chaka" chanting). The single wasn't even supposed to be released in the US, but a radio station got hold of a copy and started playing it. The listeners soon called in to request it, and that got the ball rolling. The Swedish record company had no idea how to cope with a successful single in the US. They decided it was important for Blue Swede to finish their tour of Sweden before they flew over. So 6 months after their big hit (too late) they started touring. The show centered around a viking ship that turned out to be so big that they couldn't transport it. Even though they had another top ten hit with their re-working of the Addrisi Brothers' "Never My Love", they soon disappeared from the charts.

Author Wilson Bryan Key claims in his book "Media Sexploitation" from 1976 that there's more to their #1 hit than you may think

"Though few fans could consciously decipher the banality in the song's lyrics, the melody was whistled and hummed by both teen-agers and even by some of their parents who picked it up unconsciously.
...
At several points in the continuity of the background chant--consciously ignored because attention was focused upon the foreground lyric--the chanted phrase "Ooh-ga-shook-ah" smoothly and very distinctly converted into "Who got sucked off?" The technique has been called metacontrast or backwards masking, much like the magician who tricks you into watching his right hand while he picks your pocket with his left."

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