Musically, "Ska vi älska" is a boogie rock power pop song characterized by a repeating guitar riff and organ hook.

Lyrically, the song features several references to popular culture and is about a woman who wants to make love listening to the music of Buddy Holly, who is mentioned by named during the chorus.

The single was boasted by the success of "Flickorna" and their debut album, peaking at number eight on Swedish charts Topplistan and selling 10,000 copies in Sweden, despite being called a commercial failure by the band.

According to Gyllene Tider's lead vocalist Per Gessle, he wrote the lyrics for "Ska vi älska, så ska vi älska till Buddy Holly" in February 1979,[1] a month which coincided with the 20th anniversary of Buddy Holly's death in what would be dubbed the Day the Music Died,[2] and was additionally part of a songwriting marathon embarked on by Gessle following a January 1979 phone call by EMI's A & R man Kjell Andersson expressing interest in Gyllene Tider's music.

[9] The lyrics tell the tale of a man meeting a woman who looks like American celebrity Jimmy Dean, who has listening to 1950s rock 'n' roll and particularly records by Holly as requirements for him to make love to her, repeated in the choruses.

[9] The Rolling Stones "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (1965) is mentioned in the same verse as one of Gyllene Tider's biggest inspirations Elvis Costello and the Attractions, both of which are referenced to as "modern shit" in a tongue-in-cheek manner.

[13][14] At the time the studio used a 16-track recorder, which the band used to their advantage by utilizing it for several overdubs,[13] especially for Fritzon who played both electric piano and Farfisa organ on the track.

[15][19][nb 2] The original Parlophone release was a double A-side on yellow vinyl coupled with "(Dansar inte lika bra som) Sjömän" ("(Don't Dance As Well As) Sailors").

[24] Additionally, Poporama, who's host had disqualified Gyllene Tider because of a publicity stunt involving "Flickorna på TV2",[25] labelled "Ska vi älska as a "smash hit", reaching number one on their chart.

[33] In Expressen, "Ska vi älska" is named as a suitable follow-up to "Flickorna på TV2", but is considered a weaker track than the predecessor.

Daniel Claeson of Hallands Nyheter stated that "any song with 'making love' referenced twice in the titled written by teenagers with moped moustaches" should be "disqualified from public events".

[37] On the contrary, rock critic Per Bjurman notes that "Ska vi älska" is a gem in "an obscure" sub-genre of tribute songs dedicated to other artists that were recorded in the Swedish language.

[38] A & R man Kjell Andersson opinioned that "Ska vi älska" was the first song that exposed the wider Swedish public to the "pop culture reference-filled" writing of Per Gessle, even though "Flickorna på TV2" had partially done so before.

[27] According to Mats "MP" Persson, this was a "panic idea" created from boasting over appearing on television with celebrities, with the band attempting to upstage the other guest performers.