A night out in Denmark comes with its own soundtrack, and The Local Denmark has compiled 14 songs that newcomers should know if they want to join in. The list, by Emma Pouncey, runs from 1980s crowd pleasers to recent party anthems and takes in pop, rap and dance music. Most of the songs are in Danish, which is part of the point: knowing the words is how newcomers can join in.
First on the list is Hot by Nik og Jay, which the writer compares to Flo Rida’s Low or DJ Casper’s Cha Cha Slide and whose choreography, she jokes, might as well feature on the Danish citizenship test. Medina, one of the country’s biggest female pop stars, appears with Kun for mig, while Rasmus Seebach, son of the Danish music great Tommy Seebach, is represented by Natteravn, described as the one song you will almost certainly hear on a night out. Danseorkestret’s Kom Tilbage Nu, released in the 1980s, is picked as an older favourite.
Among newer tracks, Stor Mand by Tobias Rahim featuring Andreas Odbjerg is named one of the biggest party songs of this decade. Rahim is known for unexpected collaborations, including Den Danske Sommer with 78-year-old Birthe Kjær. TopGunn’s Kongens Have is a breakup song that still gets people dancing, and KESI’s Søvnløs is likely to be played in most Danish nightclubs. APHACA’s En drøm om et menneske, a song about dreaming of finding a soulmate, is singled out for slow dances at weddings.
The list also reaches back for older hits. Emmelie de Forest’s Only Teardrops, which won Eurovision in 2013, remains a favourite for many Danes, and Sanne Salomonsen’s Hvis du forstod from 1989 appeals to older generations as well as millennials and older Gen Z. Safri Duo’s Played-A-Live (The Bongo Song) has no lyrics, and the writer calls it a Danish version of Darude’s Sandstorm. Natasja’s Gi’ mig Danmark tilbage is a patriotic rap song that tackles drug abuse, social decay and social conflict in the climate of the mid-2000s.
Modern pop closes the selection. Du ligner din mor, by Benjamin Hav featuring Lukas Graham, translates as you look like your mum, and Lukas Graham is also known for 7 Years. The final pick, Scarlet Pleasure’s What A Life from 2019, is the only English-language song on the list and gained a wider following after it featured in the Danish film Another Round.
