Play Shoreline Monument

The Swedish alternative rock band Broder Daniel’s hit song “Shoreline” became an instant classic when it was first played on the talkshow Sen kväll med Luuk in 2001. Soon it became the soundtrack of a generation, and in turn, a much debated monument in a park in Gothenburg.

When “Shoreline” was first played to the public in 2001 it had not been released on any album. It became the most downloaded bootleg in Sweden until it was released two years later, and fans would ask DJs to play “Shoreline” over and over again. Broder Daniel split up in 2008, but the phrase “Play Shoreline” (“Spela Shoreline” in Swedish) lives on.

The phrase is still heard—and seen—throughout the country. There are stories of it being shouted at philosophy classes at Uppsala University, Iron Maiden concerts and nightclubs playing dance music. There’s even a bar where they play the song right before closing time every day it’s open. And in 2014, a Play Shoreline memorial with a plaque engraved with “Spela Shoreline” suddenly appeared in the park Slottsskogen in Gothenburg on the site of Broder Daniel’s final concert. No one knew where it came from, but it became extremely popular among the band’s fans.

Unfortunately the monument violated the rules of the city’s Park and Nature Administration and was set to be removed. This stirred protests among fans, but also among well-known cultural figures in Sweden. A Facebook group called Låt Shoreline-Stenen VARA KVAR (“Let the Shoreline-rock STAY!”) was formed and 5,000 users joined in the first two days.

The city decided to let the monument stay, but soon found it lying on the ground—it’s unknown whether as a result of vandalism or if it just fell over. The stone was removed and soon another monument dedicated to the Norwegian metal band Mayhem was erected at the same spot. This monument was also to be removed and another Facebook group was formed to save it, though it didn’t attract at all as many members.

In the end the Play Shoreline was returned to Slottsskogen park and placed 20 meters away from its original position. The soundtrack of a generation finally has a monument to their beloved hit, at the site where the song was played by Broder Daniel for the last time.

Update August 2018: The monument is no longer there. As of May, it was being temporarily held in a museum.