"Mälarö kyrka" is a 1968

song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

in Swedish, written by Swedish TV man

Sven Lindahl Sven Gustaf Lindahl (born 25 June 1937, in Stockholm) is a Swedish journalist, songwriter, radio and television presenter. As a teenager, he played in a boogie-woogie band. After leaving school, he worked briefly as a welding apprentice in Luton ...

. The song text is about a young man sneaking into a

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

late at night to play

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...

and

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

on the

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

. The inspiration to the song text is from the church Adelsö kyrka, and the song was originally recorded by Lenne Broberg and released as a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

. The song stayed at

Svensktoppen ''Svensktoppen'' () is a weekly record chart airing on Sveriges Radio. Until January 2003, the songs had to be in the Swedish language. Svensktoppen has aired since 1962, except for the years 1982–1985. In the years leading up to the January 20 ...

for seven weeks during the period 24 March-5 May 1968. On 7 April 1968, his version of the song entered the #1 on Svensktoppen. It has a similar

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural, or simply changes) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from ...

Pachelbel's Canon Pachelbel's Canon (also known as Canon in D, P 37) is an canon (music), accompanied canon by the German Baroque music, Baroque composer Johann Pachelbel. The canon was originally scored for three violins and basso continuo and paired with a gigu ...

Cover versions

In 1979,

Magnus Uggla Per Allan Magnus Claësson Uggla (pronounced ; born 18 June 1954) is a Swedish entertainer, composer, actor, and occasional radio host. He is known for his satirical lyrics. Uggla was born in Stockholm. He was the lead singer of the hard rock ...

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of ...

the song on his EP '' Magnus Uggla band sjunger schlagers''.

Åsa Jinder Åsa Tindra Jinder (born 9 October 1963) is a Swedish nyckelharpa player, composer, producer, songwriter, author and lecturer. She has scored Sverigetopplistan, album chart successes in Sweden. She lives in Stockholm. 2006-2017 she lived in Acktj ...

recorded ''Mälarö kyrka'' with her

nyckelharpa ''Nyckelharpa'' (, roughly "keyed fiddle" in Swedish language, Swedish, , plural: ) is a "keyed" Bowed string instrument, bowed chordophone, primarily originating from Sweden in its modern form, but with its historical roots scattered across med ...

, scoring a

hit for seven weeks during the period 27 November 1993 – 29 January 1994.Svensktoppen - ''1994''
/ref> A

Finnish language Finnish (endonym: or ) is a Finnic languages, Finnic language of the Uralic languages, Uralic language family, spoken by the majority of the population in Finland and by ethnic Finns outside of Finland. Finnish is one of the two official langu ...

version, ''Vanha Holvikirkko'', has also been written and been recorded by among others Finnish musician Eero Raittinen and punk band Klamydia. The song was also covered in 2010 by the

dansband (; "dance band"), or in Norwegian and Danish, is a Swedish language, Swedish term for a band that plays (; "dance band music"). ' is often danced to in partner dance, pairs. Jitterbug and foxtrot music are often included in this category. T ...

Rolandz on their album '' Jajamen''.

References

1968 singles 1968 songs Magnus Uggla songs Songs in Swedish Swedish songs RCA Records singles {{1960s-song-stub