The song Lykke Li said sounded like “sex and ghosts”
Sweden has always been one of the bastions of popular music. From ABBA to Refused, the country has produced many notable acts emerging across the spectrum of genres. One of the most innovative and, indeed, distinctive artists hailing from its shores is Lykke Li, who fuses indie and electropop to full effect.
Of course, it makes sense that Lykke Li should craft such inventive sonics. Her father, Johann Zachrisson, is also an artist of note and is the lead guitarist of the influential punk-reggae outfit Dag Vag. Accordingly, from the outset, Li was exposed to a world of transcending barriers and connecting forms that many had thought antithetical. This punk spirit has seen her establish a five-album oeuvre that has gradually rebelled against tradition.
An ardent experimentalist, Lykke Li fuses the forms she loves seamlessly. Of course, her most famous effort is the 2011 hit single ‘I Follow Rivers’, and although it might now just be seen as the entry point to many of her longtime fans, even it, with its gothic but dance-infused and euphoric take on pop, stands out in the pantheon of contemporary music.
Famously, Li first found success in 2007 with the release of the EP, Little Bit. She then released her debut album, Youth Novels, in 2008 and followed it up with 2011’s Wounded Rhymes and 2014’s I Never Learn. Following the release of this first trio of albums, she underwent an artistic metamorphosis, where the musical palettes would become more stark, brazen and affecting than before. From the broad themes to sonic exploration, Lykke Li’s most recent efforts, 2018’s So Sad So Sexy and 2022’s Eyeye, are masterpieces of postmodern songwriting.
Naturally, the Swedish songwriter has many favourite artists from across music’s timeline, but somewhat surprisingly, she has a lifelong affinity for the classics. One man she has also taken a lot from is Elvis Presley, and one of his songs made a particular impact on her. After the revelation, the picture of her creative approach starts to form more clearly, given its often swooning tendencies.
The song in question is 1962’s ‘That’s Someone You’ll Never Forget’ from Pot Luck. Tellingly of her distinctive approach to music, she thinks it sounds like “sex and ghosts,” a strange description you could also use to describe her sounds. “I stumbled across this track and now I can’t live without it”, she once said. “It makes life better and more cinematic in every way possible.”
Regarding the potent harmonies, she continued: “The harmonies, oh the harmonies! This is what sex and ghosts sound like I suppose,” Li added.
Listen to ‘That’s Someone You’ll Never Forget’ below.
