{"id":8663,"date":"2020-07-08T02:54:17","date_gmt":"2020-07-08T02:54:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/?p=8663"},"modified":"2020-07-08T02:54:17","modified_gmt":"2020-07-08T02:54:17","slug":"barfotavisan-the-perfect-summer-ballad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/barfotavisan-the-perfect-summer-ballad\/","title":{"rendered":"Barfotavisan – The Perfect Summer Ballad"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Credits: Faramarz Gosheh\/imagebank.sweden.se<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201c<\/span>Barfota utan strumpor och skor <\/span><\/i>\/ barefoot without shoes or socks.\u201d Ahhh, what a feeling! Midsommar<\/em> may be over, but sun and fun are still in full-swing for Swedes. Vacationing at the sea and in the countryside are popular this time of year, when folks have weeks of vacation to use at a time. My first post of the month is always music-themed so this week, we\u2019ll sing an ode to that blissful summer feeling and learn the beloved classic, \u201c<\/span>Barfotavisan <\/span><\/i>\/ The Barefoot Ballad\u201d by Mats Paulson.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Mat

Mat Paulson, oil painting “Sk\u00e4rg\u00e5rdsmotiv.”<\/p><\/div>\n

82-year-old Mats Paulson is from the Linkoping area and is known for his classic troubadour songwriting style. He is <\/span>a painter, poet, and musician, penning many songs for other artists through the years. He released his first <\/span>album Tango i Hagalun<\/span><\/i>d\u00a0 in 1964. It was ten years later that he wrote his most popular song by far,\u00a0 \u201c<\/span>Barfotavisan<\/span><\/i>\u201d or \u201cThe Barefoot Ballad.\u201d This song held a spot on the Swedish chart <\/span>Svensktoppen<\/span><\/i> for six weeks. He has continued to release music throughout his life, with artists like <\/span>Alexander Rybak<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>H\u00e5kan Hellstr\u00f6m<\/span><\/a> covering his songs for broader Scandinavian audiences.<\/span><\/p>\n

I was first introduced to our song of the week by one of my Scandinavian Studies professors, Roland Thorstensson. A Swedish expat living in <\/span>Minnesota, he played this song on repeat for students during spring semester of his retirement. I think it made him feel especially nostalgic that year for summer memories of Sm\u00e5land.\u00a0 Spring turning into summer happens in Minnesota much like it does in Sweden; everything comes to life in a rather quick and glorious fashion. It\u2019s captivating, and before we know it, we’ve kicked off our shoes and made our next move barefoot. Roland took quite a few barefoot walks around campus that spring\u2026 and is even known to run a barefoot mile each year on his birthday, although it\u2019s been a few years since I have confirmed that tradition.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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According to Wikipedia, Mats Paulson took inspiration from the song <\/span>“<\/span>Bl\u00e5sippor<\/span><\/a>” which has the lyrics:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Anders

Anders Tedeholm \/ imagebank.sweden.se<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cNu f\u00e5r vi g\u00e5 utan strumpor och skor<\/em> \/ <\/span>Let\u2019s walk now without socks or shoes.” <\/span><\/p>\n

In “Barfotavisan<\/em>” he also mentions the common tradition of picking smultron, <\/em>or wild strawberries. Swedes gather them and string them on a strand of grass, before devouring the sweet, small berries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJag plockar smultron vid v\u00e4gens kant<\/em>
\n\u00a0<\/em><\/span>och tr\u00e4r sen upp dem p\u00e5 str\u00e5n<\/em>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI pick wild strawberries on the roadside
\n<\/span>and then string them with straw.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Okej! Now let’s enjoy the song. Follow along, and then by the last chorus you should be able to sing along \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n