Popscene: Europop

Classic Pop takes a look at Europop – the feelgood genre that doesn’t take itself too seriously…

Isn’t it just typical of the UK to refer to Europop as something only from other countries, even when we’re part of Europe geographically and were members of its political bloc for nearly 50 years. But no, the sound, it was decided, was entirely separate, even when Brit-born artists got caught up in its sparkle.

Allmusic describes the Europop genre as, “a style of pop music that was deliberately lightweight, silly, and slickly produced”. The term can be used, then, in a pejorative way to describe something that’s utterly trivial, or that’s talked about approvingly as, well, something fluffy and fun.

Frivolous Fun

That’s not to say that absolutely all Europop is inherently “lightweight and silly”. ABBA, who are often seen as Europop, may be slickly produced but you’d hardly call lyrics referencing the Battle of Waterloo witless. But though ABBA are indeed pop and, yes, from Europe, that’s not the sound most of us have in our heads when we think Europop. For that, we have to head to a band like Aqua. The Danish-Norwegian quartet’s Barbie Girl is the quintessential Europop track, with its bouncy dance beats and joyously frivolous lyrics.

Unlike most genres we feature here, Europop doesn’t have a sound that’s rooted in cement. It can be slickly produced, until it’s not (Right Said Fred), summery and silly, until it’s not (All That She Wants) and squarely aimed at the dancefloor – until it’s not (Fernando).

So, it’s best to look at those songs that absolutely are, without a shadow of a doubt, Europop, in the way most of us think of it. Forget the outliers, cast aside the artists with weight and respect – here we give you the cream of the Europop crop, in all their frothy, insubstantial, camp glory.

Essential Names

Army Of Lovers

Formed in Sweden in 1987 by Alexander Bard, Jean-Pierre Barda and Camilla Henemark, Army Of Lovers were one of the most visually distinctive bands of their era, with their campily outlandish costumes mostly designed by fashionista Camilla Thulin. Masterminded by sex worker-turned-economics graduate Bard, the band was formed from the ashes of bubblegum outfit Barbie, hitting the UK chart (if at the lower end) with such songs such as Obsession and Ride The Bullet. They split in ’96, reformed in 2001, disbanded again in 2009 before reuniting in 2012, releasing their latest album, Sexodus, in 2023.

Ace Of Base

Dismissed at the time as the poor man’s ABBA, mainly because they were a two-woman, two-man pop outfit from Sweden, as if no one else was allowed to form a band there, Ace Of Base enjoyed a solid tally of five Top 10 hits in the UK during the 1990s, including a No.1 with the frankly brilliant All That She Wants. Consisting of siblings Jonas, Linn and Jenny Berggren with Ulf Ekberg, they are – and this is no small feat – the third most successful Swedish group of all time, behind ABBA and Roxette. In fact, they are so titanic in their native Sweden that just this year, a three-part documentary about the group’s rise and fall was released, titled All That She Wants: The Unbelievable Story Of Ace Of Base.

Modern Talking

When you’re debating Germany’s most popular pop duo (and when are we not discussing that?), it’s hard not to bring up Modern Talking. From 1983 to 1987, they were responsible for a series of silken pop tracks that lit up the charts around Europe, even if Britain remained unseduced. Debut single You’re My Heart, You’re My Soul went Top 10 right across Europe, including in their homeland (though it would go no further than No.56 in the UK). The blissfully infectious Brother Louie would be their biggest British hit, peaking at No.4 in 1986.

Essential Singles

Aqua – Barbie Girl (1997)

Despite Aqua fans hoping that the band’s signature song would feature in last year’s box office-busting Barbie movie, Barbie Girl wasn’t actually used, at least not in its original form, with Mattel choosing to soundtrack a new song, Barbie World, that only sampled Aqua’s original. Still, the ’97 version, with its compulsively catchy chorus, has still had something of a resurgence in the past 12 months, thanks to the success of the Margot Robbie-starring blockbuster.

Whigfield – Saturday Night (1994)

Sannie Charlotte Carlson’s debut 45 entered the UK Singles Chart at No.1 in 1994, dethroning Wet Wet Wet’s 15-week chart-topper Love Is All Around. Also reaching the summit in Ireland, Germany, Spain and Switzerland, and going Top 10 in Austria, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, it’s fair to say that Saturday Night was a bona fide Euro hit. Even today, we’re guessing, there are countless fifty-somethings who are prone to spin this as they’re getting ready for a night on the tiles.

Ace of Base – Happy Nation (1993)

Ace Of Base’s title track from their debut album wasn’t their first hit (that honour goes to the UK No.3-charting All That She Wants), but the band’s third 45 is one of their best, hinting at a depth that few critics at the time ever acknowledged, though People magazine did admit that the song “proves Ace Of Base to be more substantive than a mere ABBA clone.”

Vengaboys - Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!! (1999)

Vengaboys’ cover version of the haunting Leonard Cohen original… oh, we’re joshing of course. With lyrics like “Boom, boom, boom, boom/ I want you in my room/ Let’s spend the night together/ From now until forever”, nobody here was going to win a Euro equivalent of an Ivor Novello Award. In fact, the wittiest thing this Dutch Europop group ever did was title their debut album Greatest Hits! Part 1. Other than that, it’s cheerily moronic stuff, and hit No.1 in the UK in June 1999.

Army Of Lovers – Crucified (1991)

Army Of Lovers’ first single from their second album was their first to chart in the UK, even though it only made No.47. It deserved better, as did frankly all of their 45s, which took Europop to new, dizzyingly camp heights. The song was, however, a huge club hit in 1991, while its video, by Swedish directors Fredrik Boklund and Martin Persson, was a favourite of MTV and also BSB’s short-lived music channel The Power Station.

Read more: Your at-a-glance guide to Hi-NRG