Two Swedish Gentlemen - Hüsker Dü

 We're doing something that we've rarely done here at Big And Tall Records; issuing two different recordings of the same work at the same time. If you want to read about the recording of  the original version of this song, you can read it here, so we'll stick to the Two Swedish Gentlemen version in this post.

This is the second song the Two Swedish Gentlemen have recorded with us, the first being Lutefisk, issued just before Christmas in 2024. Ollie and Sven (can't get much more Swedish than that!) are still kind of a mystery as we don't know a lot about them. Not that they're secretive at all, they're just super busy. They play a lot of gigs through the years, and usually go back to Sweden and take a month or so off. They have told us they've got some more songs to record, so maybe we can get info about them then. 

If you really want to know what the lyrics say, you most likely will have to follow along. It's sung in an accent that is clear one moment, confusing the next. Hüsker Dü is the name of a popular memory game published first in the 1950's, and that is still available today. During the 1970's, the game's advertising contained subliminal messages that had the words 'buy me' running throughout the ad. Whether these kinds of things actually work to get people to buy is still open for debate, but it is illegal to insert them into ads. There were complaints to the FCC about them, and the game's manufacturer took them off the air. 

There was also a Rock Band by that name in the 1980's. 

When you don’t know where are the keys to your car, 

Aren't sure which coat belongs to you? 

And you don’t have a clue where you are, 

Then we say these words HÜSKER DÜ 

 

Hüsker Dü, where are you? 

You must try to remember who are you 

Hüsker Dü, if you don’t know 

Then we will tell you HÜSKER DÜ 

 

 Imagine you are sittin' at home 

And you want to call your brother 

Reach in your pocket for your phone

 But it isn't there or in any other 

 

Hüsker Dü, where is it Y

ou must try to remember where is it 

Hüsker Dü, if you don’t know 

Then we will tell you HÜSKER DÜ 

 

I saw an old man at the bus stop 

He asked me if I knew where we were

 I told him Hey don’t you know, Pop! 

If you don’t then I'll say HÜSKER DÜ 

 

Hüsker Dü , where are we? 

You must try to remember where we are 

Hüsker Dü, if you don’t know 

Then we will tell you HÜSKER DÜ 

 

He told me ‘Listen, shit face! 

I just ask a question to you 

I want to know if I'm in the right place 

So don’t give me sass with HÜSKER DÜ 

 

Hüsker Dü, I'll smack you

 If you get smart ass with me again 

Hüsker Dü, if you can't tell me 

THEN I WILL TELL YOU HÜSKER DÜ! 

 

The old man was gettin' kind of steamed, 

And I figured he didn't have a clue 

So I see how mad I can get him, 

So I tell him HÜSKER DÜ! 

 

He got very angry, call me names 

And there where none of them that were true 

So he held his fist close to my nose, 

I laugh and tell him again, 

as he smacked me on chin, 

there bleedin' I begin  HÜSKER DÜ! 

 

He say ‘Hüsker Dü. fuck you! 

I teach some manners to you Hüsker Dü 

You made me see red 

You bleed in your head 

This come to pass, 

 Shove Hüsker Dü up your ass 

 And that's all I got to say to you! 

Hüsker Dü