I’m in the mood for Swedes warbling about birds. I blame The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
If you’ve missed Game Informer’s coverage here, here and here, make sure to head on over to check it out, along with their latest magazine issue which contains huge amounts of information on Bethesda’s latest life-eating elf sim.
Before you do so, let’s take a moment to appreciate some of the other fine things Sweden has given us in addition to (part of) the inspiration for what will undoubtedly be 2011’s Game of the Year.
ABBA – Eagle
One of the least-known songs by ABBA, the 1977 track was inspired by the book Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach, although it’s also thought to be a tribute to the band The Eagles. This video shaves a good two minutes off the original’s near-six-minute running time, but gives a fair impression of the sophistication of the song, which always made it one of my favourites. It has a very light psychedelic touch which makes it surprising that it’s not more beloved by rock fans.
… in fact, it’s similar in my mind to If I Could Fly by Helloween, who are German (not Swedish), but are singing about nature in all its majesty and all that.
Hello? … Hello? It’s OK, you can come back. I promise not to play you any more German power metal. How about Kate Bush – everyone likes her, right? Cloudbusting. (Is anyone else thinking of Utah Saints right now?)
I know that It’s Not Easy Being Green, but Kermit the Frog makes it memorably appealing.
I suppose Albatross by Fleetwood Mac was a fairly inevitable choice. It hasn’t got any bloody flavour, has it? It’s a bloody sea bird …
… Hey! Where are you going? Come ba-
Reinspired 