Month: April 2026

A Swedish mistake that led to a language change – and a huge hit!

Posted on by Neil Shipley's watching the Swedes

Musical cabaret legend and cruising enthusiast, Jane McDonald, is having somewhat of a revival in the UK, with her new album rocketing up the charts.

One song she covers in her repertoire is DNCE’s ‘Cake by the Ocean’. In her naivety, she thought it meant ‘having a cup of tea and a slice of Victoria sponge while looking out over the sea’, when in fact its meaning is something much more salacious.

That ‘cake by the ocean’ has become a euphemism for having sex on the beach is the fault of a couple of Swedes. According to singer Joe Jonas, the phrase originated from Swedish producers Mattman and Robin mistaking the cocktail name “sex on the beach” for “cake by the ocean”. And the name stuck enough to have a song written about it! It was intended to be a fun, funky, and sexually charged party anthem.

Upon its release in 2015, the song became a top-ten hit in multiple countries, including the US, the UK, Sweden and Japan.

According to Jane McDonald, it is her most requested number when she performs live.

https://youtu.be/PRgnAGd4ux0?si=DDSzGNPcq5VYOgaz

    Swedish Long Friday, English Good Friday

    Posted on by Neil Shipley's watching the Swedes

    Today is ‘Long Friday’ in Sweden, ‘Good Friday’ in English-speaking countries. If you hold to the Christian belief, it’s the day Jesus was crucified on Golgata, outside of Jerusalem.

    Why the differences in names for this day? In English-speaking countries, there are differences of opinions as to why it’s called Good Friday. Some people claim Good is an old English word meaning Holy – so Holy Friday. Others say it’s a development of the word God. And other theories say it is good because it is the day Jesus, dying on his cross, was victorious over sin, death and the devil and took upon him all the sins of Mankind. Heavy stuff.

    In Sweden, it is called Long Friday as it was said to be a day of mourning for the long day of suffering that Jesus endured will being crucified.

    In Sweden, today is a public holiday, though all the shops and places of entertainment are open. Some people go to church to pay their respects, some paint boiled eggs and decorate Easter trees with colourful feathers, some prepare food for Easter Saturday. For many, it is a day of travelling the sometimes-long distances to visit relatives.

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