In Sweden, it's common for people to say "vi hörs," which literally means "we hear each other" (instead of saying "we talk" or “see you”).

If that same idea were applied to music and to life, we would understand each other better.

A Scandinavian Story

Guitar – German Herlein

Ending voice – Lena Månstråle Lindqvist

Filmed in January 2020 by Stockholm Walks – YouTube: Stockholm Walks

Fader Höks Krog (Father Hök’s Tavern)

Next to the inn Klubben in Mälarhöjden during the times of Bellman, there was a more humble tavern described in Fredman’s Epistle No. 49, where the innkeeper was called Father Hök. It welcomed travelers arriving by boat on Lake Mälaren, which hosted many other vessels—one of the settings frequently and lovingly portrayed by the poet. Famous are the words “Minsta vinkel osar finkel” (“Every corner smells of spirits”), referring to the slow-boiled liquor stills inside the house, which perfumed the shores far and wide.

I composed this music sitting on the bench by the red (faluröd) cabin of Fader Höks Krog, on the shore of Lake Mälaren. It is one of my magical places on this planet, where I met my friend Lena (whose voice you hear at the end of the music)—an incredibly inspiring person, whose best friend and soul guardian is nature itself.

That place holds a special scent and energy that I can still feel. I would have never imagined its history back then, while I was composing with my guitar, sitting on that very bench—perhaps the same one Carl Michael Bellman once sat on.

The artist Eka Acosta witnessed that moment, sitting on the same bench.

I found the Stockholm Walks footage exactly 19 years later, contacted them, and felt the desire to bring it all together in this video.

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Carl Michael Bellman

Composer, musician, poet, and Swedish artist. He is a central figure in the Swedish song tradition and remains a powerful influence on Swedish music and Scandinavian literature.