ABSTRACT
Dance-band music is a genre that is instantly recognizable by almost all Swedes by the sound, singing style, and lyrics. It is as much loved by dancers and fans as scorned or ignored by music and cultural journalists and academics for being blatantly commercial, mass-produced, stereotyped, and insipid. This chapter outlines a short history of the genre, and describes musical, lyrical and other characteristics, as well as the genre's cultural status in Swedish musical life. The analysis mainly deals with the classic dance-band style of the 1970s and 1980s with outlooks. The popularity of dance band has varied over the years. After the great success of the 1970s, the state of the market for dance band became harder at the end of the decade and in the 1980s because of the competition from disco. Original songs for dance bands are usually provided by a cadre of specialized songwriters.
