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What is the song in the heart of Gothenburg?

Situated by Kattegat strait on the west coast of Sweden, Gothenburg is the capital of the Västra Götaland region and the second largest city in Sweden. It is an important industrial, cultural and educational centre, but above all – Sweden’s most sports-crazed city. Listen to how Göteborg sounds!

The song “Vi vill leva, vi vill dö i Göteborg” (“We want to live, we want to die in Gothenburg”), by Katarina Hemlin is the official song for Gothenburg’s 400th birthday!

When Gothenburg celebrated its 350th anniversary, new songs were created to celebrate the city. As Gothenburg will be celebrating its 400th anniversary in 2021, in preparation, a competition was announced back in 2019 to choose the official 400th anniversary song of the city. All residents had could vote for their favourite song. The votes were then added to those of the jury and in January 2020 Katarina Hemlin’s song was announced as the winner.

The song “Vi vill leva, vi vill dö i Göteborg” is available on Spotify in 2 versions: the original in Swedish and the English language version.

The recordings are available HERE

Katarina Hemlin will also record her song with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, the National Orchestra of Sweden.

The song portrays modern Gothenburg - its identity and history. It reflects the city’s heart and soul in beautiful words and music. It is the official song of Gothenburg’s 400th anniversary and will remain its lasting memory. 

Download lyrics [Swedish and English]

You can find more information and interesting facts about Gothenburg HERE