"Flickorna på TV2" ("The Girls on Channel Two") is a song by Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider, written by their vocalist Per Gessle and guitarist Mats "MP" Persson.

It originated in a song named "Farlig terräng" ("Dangerous Terrain") and was inspired by Elvis Costello and the Attractions single "Watching the Detectives" (1977).

Musically, "Flickorna på TV2" is a reggae rock song with elements of Gyllene Tider's usual power pop and new wave sound which features a "danceable beat" and a 40-second-long improvised guitar solo by Persson.

The revue, named Glaset i örat (The Glass In The Ear), featured a song by Hasse Alfredson called "Hon och jag" ("Her and Me"),[1] which featured the comedic dirty line "Det enda jag får sätta på är teveapparaten" ("The only thing I get to turn on is the television set").

[9][10] "Flickorna På TV2" was initially recorded as a demo that was the eleventh track of a cassette tape that Gessle mailed to EMI in Stockholm.

[4][5] On the cassette label, he wrote that he regarded the song as a bonus track merely intended to showcase the productivity of him and Persson, as "Flickorna" greatly contrasted in sound and style of their other music.

[3][5] "Flickorna" was recorded during Gyllene Tider's second week at EMI's studio 2 in Skärmarbrink and was put to tape on 13 August 1979.

[16] Musically, "Flickorna På TV2" features an uninterrupted, 40-second-long guitar solo overdubbed at the end of the second chorus that was entirely improvised and shredded by Mats "MP" Persson.

[17][19] However, the electric piano contributions are largely buried in the mix, whereas his organ parts provide nothing more than the basic rhythm, primarily only playing chords across the song, with brief exceptions during the chain modulations.

[19] The lyrics tell the story of a young man, who, after being exhausted from work and the city, decides to turn on Channel Two on the TV, eagerly longing to see the presenters after the weather forecasting and sports reports.

[18][10] During the choruses, the protagonist declares that the TV presenters on Channel Two are "what makes the world go around", as he gets increasingly sexually aroused with every verse.

[18] Prior to the release of "Flickorna på TV2", Gyllene Tider had a clash with their record label EMI over a suitable debut single.

[20] Gyllene Tider were persistent that "Flickorna" would be issued as the single, while EMI, reluctant over the song's lyrical content and reggae style, were unconvinced over its commerciality.

[12][25] It took until their television debut on Måndagsbörsen, alongside a promotional stunt where Gyllene Tider and their friends and relatives sent in 300 postcards to radio show Poporama requesting a re-play of the single, that it began taking on.

[32] Often confused with being an error left into the track, Gessle explained that it was a recording of an audio engineer Gyllene Tider found during their time at EMI's studio and thought was cool enough to include on the album.

[38] Dagens Nyheter gave praise to Andersson's drum performance and Persson's guitar solo but found the reggae-styled song strange in general, particularly highlighting the lyrics for their vulgarity.

[8] The reviewer from Dagens Nyheter wrote that several people boycotted Sweden's Radio due to them playing "Flickorna" on a regular basis.

[25] Most of the record shops that boycotted the single eventually relented and started selling it once it was clear it would be a hit, but some continuously refused to keep it in stock "to send a message".

[25][12] However, according to Wikström, most of the controversy was "overblown" by EMI, who solely were worried about "Flickorna"'s commercial appeal but held no personal objections to the song's lyrical content.