Sweden Rock Magazine presents the unofficial European Championship song “Nu jävlar!”.
Sweden’s national football team (soccer for those of us in North America) has a rockin’ new anthem courtesy of several of the country’s prime heavy metal musicians. The song is called “Nu Jävlar!” — the term’s a kind of Swedish profanity — and it features members of Soilwork, King Diamond, Candlemass, Europe, Liv Sin, At the Movies and more.
Commissioned by Sweden Rock Magazine ahead of this summer’s UEFA European Football Championship, for which Sweden has qualified along with several other national teams, the tune was recorded last month and produced by participants Björn Strid (Soilwork, The Night Flight Orchestra), Mike Wead (King Diamond) and Simon Johansson (Wolf). There’s also an accompanying music video highlighting the performers.
This summer, Sweden Rock Magazine turns 20 years old. This summer, it’s also time for the European Football Championship for men. This celebrates Sweden’s only hard rock magazine by presenting the unofficial European Championship song “Nu jävlar!”. – In these gloomy times, it is liberating to be able to shout “Nu jävlar!”, Says Sweden Rock Magazine’s editor-in-chief Martin Carlsson.
We have put together a fantastic group of musicians from Europe, Soilwork, King Diamond, Candlemass, Liv Sin, Pretty Maids, Wolf and Doomsday. Sweden Rock Magazine has gathered parts of the Swedish hard rock elite and the former national team striker and hard rocker Jörgen “Schweden-Bomber” Pettersson for the unofficial EC song “Nu jävlar!”.
Jörgen “Schweden-Bomber” Pettersson was a striker in the national team 1995-2002. He has been an avid hard rocker since childhood and while the other players in the national team listened to disco and dance bands, he played hard rock. The football team sings in “Nu jävlar!” and has the match analysis ready for them: – “Nu jävlar!” is the absolute best football song ever made. Nu jävlar, now it’s chips and dip!
“Nu jävlar!” has been written by Björn Strid, singer in the internationally successful bands Soilwork and Night Flight Orchestra. – I have always liked football songs for championships, says Björn Strid. It started with Denmark’s “Vi er røde, vi er hvide” 1986 and then “Olé olé olé (the name of the game)” which is primarily associated with the European Championships in 1988. They got stuck in the brain and never let go. With “Nu jävlar!” I wanted to create something with a damn drive that still settles. A song that you can roar with both at home on the TV couch and at the football stadium, without it becoming boring and predictable. The result was extremely uplifting and really heavy.
Ian Haugland is the drummer in Sweden’s largest rock export Europe. He makes an outstanding effort behind the drums in “Nu jävlar!”. – I stopped playing football in 1971 and in the same crank I discovered Deep Purple and Black Sabbath. “Nu jävlar!” is my revenge on the football bullies who put me in goal because I was fat and filled the goal. Here you are! says Europe’s drummer Ian Haugland and laughs.
Singer Liv Jagrell from Liv Sin contributes with cruel Halland song in “Nu jävlar!”. – Finally a football song with features that is also sung in various swedish dialects. To be able to share a recording with all these awesome musicians is just a bonus. lets fucking beat them, this motherfucking summer! says Liv Jagrell. “Nu jävlar!” premieres on all streaming sites on Wednesday 14 April, exactly two months before Sweden’s European Championship premiere against Spain. For all in the world, do not miss Jörgen “Schweden-Bomber” Pettersson’s football arts and pep dance in the music video “Nu jävlar!” – the missing link between the Twisted Sisters “We are not gonna take it” and “Vi er røde, vi er hvide”.