Apoca
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This is one of the all time greats to never win it. 2008 was a YEAR of wonder, it really was.
ButterTart's 100 Greatest Melodifestivalen Songs - 2002 to 2024
- Thread starter ButterTart
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This is one of the all time greats to never win it. 2008 was a YEAR of wonder, it really was.
ButterTart
Succulent Chinese meal
48. Shirley Clamp – Burning Alive (2014)
Heat 3 - 6th place
Heat 3 - 6th place
“It's like she's dressed by people who hate her.”
RobotBoy, 14/02/2014
“By now, I ought to know what you will do to me. Not new to me, new to me”
The way she’s blatantly addressing the public in that one depressingly self-aware lyric
There’s SO MUCH to love about Burning Alive that I can’t help feeling quite sad that it’s been utterly consigned to history. When I saw her at Nalen last year, it was the ONE song she didn’t perform and I felt like confronting her about it during our chat afterwards.
I really love Big Shirl’s vocals here, live performance notwithstanding (and I appreciate that’s kind of a big thing to notwithstand). I especially like the way she hits ‘alive’ in the chorus – it just does it for me
. Actually, the more I think of it the more I realise Shirl’s quite fit. @D5K I’m going to need you to back me up on this.Again, lyrics are a key strength of ‘Burning Alive’. By Melodifestivalen standards, it has a bleak, almost visceral pessimism; the title alone is proof enough of that. You know by now I’m a slut for a banger line and they don’t come much more bangery than ‘there’s fire on the ceiling of the world’. What a way to bridge into the chorus
Burning Alive has a spectacular build and it really feels like Shirley rips the arse out of it in studio form. That was the version I first heard and I was shocked that it was a non-qualifier until I saw the performance. Big Sexy has an undeniably great voice and I think she sounds pretty good, the problem is that NOTHING HAPPENS for the three minutes she’s on stage. The liveliest part of the whole thing was she was bundled into that off-brand Renaissance Fair get-up before she went on stage.
Presentation aside, this is a fantastic, shamefully maligned smasher. My campaign to have it reassessed may be fruitless though, as apparently even Shirl herself forgot it existed if her Nalen appearance is anything to go by.
Dark Carnival
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49. Maria Sur – When I’m Gone (2024)
Finalist - 7th place
“Maria's was a lot of smoke and mirrors. It's like they threw everything at nothing.”
@Raining on Me, 11/02/2024
God, you people were really awful about this song a couple of months back. Terrible things were said about poor Maria while I was a loyal champion and definitely loved When I’m Gone from first listen. Don’t go back and check the threads, you’ll just see that I’m right and you’ll feel foolish.
Anyway, this came alive for me when I saw it live. She may be @kratz’s hated nemesis but I have to give Maria credit; she properly sells the track and seems far more comfortable doling out slaggy bangers than dismal ballads.
When I’m Gone is full-on modern trance which owes a lot more to the late 90s/early 00s than the ongoing EDM phase the contest is in. It does take a while to get going but when it arrives… Jesus wept
The staging also lends itself to that feel; volleys of lasers piercing the darkness and Maria herself tarted up in pleather with naught but a couple of tassels hiding her Reg Varney. It’s a striking visual that does a lot to establish that THIS, and not that shite from last year, is the artist Maria is supposed to be. And thank FUCK for that.
Maria owes a debt for Marcus & Martinus for laying the groundwork for this type of song, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they’d been given first refusal. If this is the direction the contest is going in with young artists then I’m fully on board. Interminable acoustic nothingness has done fuck all to nurture fledgling careers, so going to the absolute other end of the spectrum just makes perfect sense.
This has made it onto the DC 2024 National Final Faves playlist. I can hear some Faithless influences in there and I love it.
ButterTart
Succulent Chinese meal
Absolutely this. It's the kind of stuff the UK should be doing.
ButterTart
Succulent Chinese meal
47. Rickard Engfors feat. Katarina Fallholm - Ready For Me (2005)
Heat 4 - 8th place
Heat 4 - 8th place
“Thank god that tuneless drag shit is out.”
RobotBoy, 18/12/2008
First and foremost, can we agree that, in the video above, Katarina is introduced as ‘Katarina Bumhole’?
Honestly, I have absolutely no idea what the FUCK this is, I’m just glad it exists. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a group of disgustingly-dressed reprobates outside of X-Factor pre-live show makeover photoshoots. I understand the need to be bold and stand out but they look like the fucking Raggy Dolls.
Ready For Me is the sort of glorious, perfect nonsense that could ONLY exist in a national final. It’s ridiculous and excessive with no expectation of heading to Eurovision and determined to shoot its shot while it can. Rickard himself contorts and struts, contributing spoken-word verses that could be from any drag queen song ever – he’s charismatic, but he’s not the main event.
The song belongs to featured artist Katarina Bumhole. Dressed like a child’s drawing of Widow Twankey, she belts out a truly magnificent, soaring chorus. I mentioned earlier that I love the Eurovision-exclusive novelty of popera and K-Bum absolutely smashes it out of the park. Special mention needs to go to her facial expressions throughout, all gleeful gurning and knowingly camp. In fairness, she’s dressed like THAT and collaborating with HIM so it’s shrewd to lean into the ‘I’m in on the joke’ schtick. Katarina’s absolute marvel of a chorus is why Ready For Me lands as high in the rate as it does; it’s such a euphoric moment I actively look forward to listening to this just to hear it.
I can find FUCK ALL about Katarina online, so I have to assume she’s either dead, in witness protection or, most absurdly, just not that famous.
The less interesting Rickard has a little more information available and apparently he was a member of After Dark, but the Wikipedia entry on them is only a stub so I don’t know whether he took part in any of their three stabs at Melodifestivalen.
I feel like this is a DIVISIVE song around here and I can sort of see why but, for my money, THIS is what national final season is about. Melodifestivalen as a whole would have been a lot poorer over the years had it not given in to a bit of delirious stupidity every now and again.
ButterTart
Succulent Chinese meal
46. De Vet Du - Road Trip (2017)
AAC - Lost to fucking FO&O
AAC - Lost to fucking FO&O
“Just no. Literally everything that is terrible in 3 minutes.”
@GinAg (39), 04/02/2017
All of the #FUN4BUTTERS shit is crawling out of the woodwork now
I don’t think a more Tart-coded song has ever been entered into Melodifestivalen, so it’s a testament to how good the rest of the songs on this list are that this isn’t top ten.
I listened to this obsessively back in 2017, to the point where I knew it word-for-word. By ‘word-for-word’, I of course mean crude phonetic approximations of the actual lyrics:
Biscotti road trip
Nana, do you feel me?
Biscotti road trip
Nana, do you feel me?
Crab car outing for endless chorus
Menu ska vito Road Trip Eeyore
I had to barbecue Max and Tina
Menu ska vito Road Trip Eeyore
De Vet Du have buckets of charisma and really sell this gleefully cheesy Europop like the all-male version of Aqua they basically are. The staging concept is brilliant, and just the subtle change from heat to AC between frowning and smiling during the music breaks was enough for me to absolutely lose my shit during the latter performance. Let's also take a moment to appreciate the fact that they took time to include a belter of a key change here. Dear 2020s-era; even novelty songs could shoehorn in a key change in 2017 so you really have NO EXCUSE for your many failings on that front.
Road Trip is an obvious JOY which got viciously fucked over at AC by FO&O, who entered with the most lifeless, boring song to appear in the contest until the invention of Faith Kakembo. I don't think De Vet Du could have done this any more justice - it's memorable and perfect but they simply weren't young, androgynous or blousy enough to get the fizzy fanny vote.
I really though Road Trip was to be the first of many Melodifestivalen appearances for De Vet Du; they’re still together and still releasing music that I desperately want to send to ASFM in what can only be described as a suicidal impulse. Sadly, seven years on from this they’ve yet to make their return. Come ‘ome, lads.
ZenGiraffe
Who is SHE though?
46. De Vet Du - Road Trip (2017)
AAC - Lost to fucking FO&O
“Just no. Literally everything that is terrible in 3 minutes.”
@GinAg (39), 04/02/2017
All of the #FUN4BUTTERS shit is crawling out of the woodwork now
I don’t think a more Tart-coded song has ever been entered into Melodifestivalen, so it’s a testament to how good the rest of the songs on this list are that this isn’t top ten.
I listened to this obsessively back in 2017, to the point where I knew it word-for-word. By ‘word-for-word’, I of course mean crude phonetic approximations of the actual lyrics:
Biscotti road trip
Nana, do you feel me?
Biscotti road trip
Nana, do you feel me?
Crab car outing for endless chorus
Menu ska vito Road Trip Eeyore
I had to barbecue Max and Tina
Menu ska vito Road Trip Eeyore
De Vet Du have buckets of charisma and really sell this gleefully cheesy Europop like the all-male version of Aqua they basically are. The staging concept is brilliant, and just the subtle change from heat to AC between frowning and smiling during the music breaks was enough for me to absolutely lose my shit during the latter performance. Let's also take a moment to appreciate the fact that they took time to include a belter of a key change here. Dear 2020s-era; even novelty songs could shoehorn in a key change in 2017 so you really have NO EXCUSE for your many failings on that front.
Road Trip is an obvious JOY which got viciously fucked over at AC by FO&O, who entered with the most lifeless, boring song to appear in the contest until the invention of Faith Kakembo. I don't think De Vet Du could have done this any more justice - it's memorable and perfect but they simply weren't young, androgynous or blousy enough to get the fizzy fanny vote.
I really though Road Trip was to be the first of many Melodifestivalen appearances for De Vet Du; they’re still together and still releasing music that I desperately want to send to ASFM in what can only be described as a suicidal impulse. Sadly, seven years on from this they’ve yet to make their return. Come ‘ome, lads.
TOO FUCKING LOW
ButterTart
Succulent Chinese meal
Right? The problem was I couldn't justify putting any of the rest below it
ButterTart
Succulent Chinese meal
45. Samir & Viktor - Bada Nakna (2016)
Finalist – 12th place
“god I hate straight people so much”
@Penelope, 06/02/2016
Charisma reservoir Viktor Frisk is back, back, back again to dazzle us with his diverse range of facial expressions (Afraid! Nervous! Thinks he may have just followed through!).
Bada Nakna is another string in Samir & Viktor’s bow of limitless versatility. Their debut, Groupie, was Tom Petty-style acoustic pop with a social message, and with Bada Nakna they tread a more Springsteen-esque path with a crowd-pleasing stadium banger. This is an altogether much bigger sound than their last effort but the anthemic chorus about getting one’s balls out in a fountain is a shrewd move; it features such plentiful backing vocals that any inadequacies in Sam ‘n Vik’s live singing are entirely drowned out.
The performance itself is as memorable as it is canny. Borrowing Jessica Andersson’s ‘if in doubt, get ‘em out’ methodology, the boys wisely realise that their best chance of making the final is to take their clothes off. They certainly understand their demographic – who wouldn’t resort to bawdy tactics to court the power of the under-12 female vote?
Bada Nakna is an absolute barnstormer and one which I have no guilt in admitting to being a big fan of. Fan sentiment seems to be quite divided on this and I’ve seen it described as their weakest entry (of their proper attempts – nobody counts their Fathers 4 Justice shambles of an appearance earlier this year). For me, this is exactly what I wanted from them and exactly the way I want to remember them. The talented twosome aren’t quite finished with this rate yet, so I’m sure I’ll dip more into misty-eyed nostalgia for this era of Melfest a bit more when we see them next.
Incidentally, DO NOT attempt to bada nakna in Sergels Torg in real life; I tried and ended up being sectioned. Can’t help thinking that was significantly more insulting than if I’d just been arrested.
ButterTart
Succulent Chinese meal
44. SaRaha – Kizunguzungu (2016)
Finalist – 9th place
Finalist – 9th place
“This does feel weirdly racist.”
@GinAg (39), 12/03/2016
Of all of the journeys taken by the songs in this top 100, Kizunguzungu’s is easily the most wholesome and heartwarming. Nobody expected a thing from this, yet it qualified to Andra Chansen where it beat the much-favoured ‘I Will Wait’ to secure a place in the final, becoming a firm fan-favourite along the way.
Being a song in Swahili by a white Swedish-African woman, this had a huge and perilous mountain to climb – is it a bit problematic even though SaRaha actually IS Tanzanian? It’s testament to the sheer effervescence of the great woman that she not only overcame this but went on to be one of the true successes of the 2016 contest.
I loved this from the moment I heard it; it’s just so different. There’s a palpable JOY to Kizunguzungu which makes it impossible to deny as a contender. The vocals aren’t amazing and the dancing isn’t flawless, but when it’s delivered with such genuine, almost naïve enthusiasm it’s hard to resist its charms.
Kizunguzungu is pure pop with a stonking chorus and a top drawer key change. Beyond the vaguest possible nod to Afrobeat, there are no bells and whistles here; it’s pure, insanely catchy fun which captured the attention of the Swedish public for those very reasons.
SaRaha has yet to return to the contest, which is surprising considering she had an undeniable smash on her hands and reached the final on her first go. Maybe that’s for the best, mind. There’s something brilliantly nostalgic about Kizunguzungu, and about SaRaha’s once-and-done record in the contest. This could never be repeated without sounding contrived, so why bother trying?
ButterTart
Succulent Chinese meal
=43. Eric Saade – Popular (2011)
WINNER!
WINNER!
“Vocals so bad they break glass!”
@FetchFugly, 19/02/2011
It’s rare among Melodifestivalen winners that their strongest song is the one they end up taking to Eurovision. Martin, Sanna, Måns, Dr Anna, Marcus & Martinus, Loreen (yes, I went there) have all had better showings than the ones that made it to the ‘big league’ (I actually much prefer Melfest to Eurovision these days, but one must show reverence). Popular TOTALLY bucked the trend on this front – it’s the Marquis de Saade’s finest hour, a worthy winner even among the elite of that jaw-dropping 2011 contest. So influential was Popular that Norway even tried to get away with sending a blatant cover to Europe the following year.
Watching Eurovision 2011 with real muzak friends, this was the runaway favourite of the evening. It’s a PROPER banger, a moment of catharsis for Sweden that served to exorcise the demons of the previous year’s… incident, and returned them to their rightful position as major players.
Popular doesn’t let up for a second. It’s unrealistically ambitious given Eric’s slightly squeaky vocal but he fucking smashes it. Quite literally, I mean – that breaking glass moment before the final chorus is MINT, an iconic moment of the modern contest. It helps that Eric has charisma to spare; like ‘Sting’, this is not a song with a particularly likeable lyric and could have been insufferable in different hands. Actually, why does he always field songs which make him sound like either an immature prick or an entitled arsehole? And why was he dressed like Ian Botham in the ‘Every Minute’ performance? Sorry, lost my train of thought.
The tl;dr version is that Popular was a massive return to form for Sweden and cemented Eric Saade as a legend of the modern contest. We all have songs from Melodifestivalen 2011 we prefer more, but I think we all have to concede that Popular made for a very worthy winner.
ButterTart
Succulent Chinese meal
43. Arc North, Jon Henrik Fjällgren feat. Adam Woods - Where You Are (Sávežan) (2023)
Finalist – 4th place
Finalist – 4th place
“We just... Don't NEED joiking ever”
@Tisch, 04/02/2023
I feel like I’m descending into Moopy villainy just by including this ANYWHERE in the top 100, let alone well into the upper half.
I actually found 2023 to be a pretty strong year overall, and Where You Are is one of my MVPs. Finally daring to tread where KEiiNO had already ploughed a furrow four years previously, this is the joikbanger I think we all expected JHF to deliver eventually.
This has been EMBEDDED in my brain since last year and I find myself randomly singing it constantly. Just the other day, I was making a brew at work and realised I was loudly joiking in the process. We already had proof of concept that this combination could work, and the lads fully deliver here. Diminutive powerhouse Jon Henrik looks smug as fuck, Adam Woods impresses enough to bag himself a return appearance at the 2024 contest, and Arc North is also there.
I feel like Melfest bangers over the past few years have tended to err towards restraint so I was pleased to see that Where You Are proper goes for it in the final chorus. The boys give this some right welly, delivering a satisfyingly huge pay-off to an already anthemic song and FULLY JUSTIFYING their presence in the final (And I’ll hear no arguments on that front, thank you. I know you were all Rejhan stans).
I have a fairly rocky relationship with Jon Henrik’s MF discography – my main complaint is that, for the most part, they’re meant to be live performances and just don’t work in studio form (‘En värld full av strider’ is the worst offender on that front, it feels completely EMPTY on Spotify). That complaint is addressed here as Where You Are feels like a fully realised song which works as effectively as an audio-only banger as it does a live spectacle.
Penelope
striking, unique, 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘳
Alas, she progressed to Stage 4 kizunguzungu not too soon after. Terminal kennel fanny as well, died in a Pret
ButterTart
Succulent Chinese meal
I knew about the kennel fanny, apparently the whiff was unbearable in the green room. Shocked and saddened at the rest.Alas, she progressed to Stage 4 kizunguzungu not too soon after. Terminal kennel fanny as well, died in a Pret
ButterTart
Succulent Chinese meal
42. H.E.A.T - 1000 Miles (2009)
Finalist – 7th place
“A bit like a limp dick in your face trying desperately to find some sort of opening.”
@Suomi, 13/02/2009
I mean, COME ON, Moopy… that key change! If you can sit through that without needing stitches then you clearly have no soul for me to heal with this rate.
In 2009, H.E.A.T delivered one of the strongest examples of a metal band blatantly repurposing schlager, becoming one of my favourites in that needlessly stacked year. It’s an urgent, thumping and, most of all, fucking GREAT fun rock effort that I refuse to believe you all don’t secretly love.
Singer Kenny Leckremo, who for some reason always reminds me of latter-day Samantha Fox, absolutely batters this out of the park. He fully leans into the attendant campness of any good stadium rock song and does justice to 1000 Miles’ schlager heritage on that gargantuan chorus. There’s also the matter of the aforementioned key change, which is such a brute that any, more Moopy friendly song would be lucky to have it.
I have a chequered relationship with Mello rock, surprisingly. Some of it is so clearly a refitted pop song that it rings a bit hollow, yet more just comes off as forced and preoccupied with aesthetic (Looking at YOU, Yohio). 1000 Miles strikes a perfect balance for me – schlagery while still sounding like hair metal, brilliantly performed without looking contrived or pretentious.
Again, this was a once-and-done affair for H.E.A.T who sailed through to the final and never troubled the contest again. They’re still very active so I’ve no idea why they’ve never returned – maybe they thought they couldn’t top perfection.
I know you can make it, why you gotta break it baby?
Dark Carnival
Serving cunt
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I might have something similar with Sanremo this year. Except at least it’s actually good.
Dark Carnival
Serving cunt
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Anyway, Popular could be placed higher.
ButterTart
Succulent Chinese meal
I've been struggling with Eurovision for a bit - I don't know if I can bring myself to accept Sanremo as a surrogate, mind. I don't know, it just leaves me quite cold. Last year I loved being there but the Saturday was my least favourite day. I actually got a taxi back to the AirBnB during the show because I couldn't be arsed watching it.
Velvet Skies
I'm a liar, playing the game of desire
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And I for one think nothing can quite match the grandeur of UNA VOCE PER SAN MARINO
ZenGiraffe
Who is SHE though?
And I for one think nothing can quite match the grandeur of UNA VOCE PER SAN MARINO
Soldi
Πάμε put your hands up
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Sanremo has absolutely outsold Melfest in terms of song quality the last few years! (Although we still got Hold Me Closer, Tattoo etc etc I KNOW)
ZenGiraffe
Who is SHE though?
I would like to express my displeasure.
Since this post reminded me of the existence of this song, I have had it playing on loop and it will literally not leave my brain.
I'll be sending you the bill for the shock therapy I will shortly be undertaking
ButterTart
Succulent Chinese meal
Did I literally give you kizunguzungu?
ButterTart
Succulent Chinese meal
41. Klara Hammarström - Run to the Hills (2022)
Finalist – 6th place
“this sounds like something from the waltzer circa 2006.”
@Pingu, 24/02/2022
Stop! It’s Hammar time.
Klara added an exclamation mark to her run of consecutive Melodifestivalen appearances with ‘Run to the Hills’ a song that was hyped as a big deal and actually lived up to the promise.
Wisely acknowledging the growing buzz around Gabry Ponte’s ‘Thunder’, a song widely regarded to be the greatest pop culture moment of all time, Klara borrows from it liberally to complete her ascent to Melodifestivalen immortality.
Klara bagged a much-deserved pimp spot in the series-rescuing fourth heat of the 2022 contest, going DTF for the first time with a song that literally made me gasp when I first head the clip.
Dressed in her customary Disney-era Power Rangers villainess garb, Klara employed every weapon in her arsenal to secure her ticket to the final; telekinesis, fratricide, ambitious and very nearly successful long notes… this was a real moment for her.
Run to the Hills is a BANGER. Like, a PROPER banger. It felt so refreshing on the night because it wasn’t trying to be anything other than a fucking good time to be had by all. It’s fair to say it was a rousing success on that front. This is a song that was clearly destined for my all-time favourites list; you can’t put this much of a donk on it and expect me to turn up my nose. Klara really gives it some welly, too. There are parts which seem very much beyond her vocal capabilities and, while she proves that to be true, the overall strength of the performance means they’re easy to forgive. This was a star-making turn from the metallic chanteuse, make no mistake.
Klara competed thrice in successive contests so it makes total sense that she’s had a couple of years off but I can’t imagine it’ll be too long before she pops up again. She may not have the lungs to transition to schlager perennial but she has an ear for a chunky pop song which should stand her in good stead for a good few invitations in years to come.
ButterTart
Succulent Chinese meal
40. Arvingarna - I Do (2019)
Finalist – 7th place
Finalist – 7th place
“The lead singer of Arvingarna is a bit sleazy.”
@Kala, 23/02/2019
In hindsight, 2019 probably wasn’t the most thrilling of years to mark my first visit to Sweden. Looking back at that final line-up, there really was fuck all for me to hang my hat on. Thank CHRIST for Arvingarna, then, who gave me a song I absolutely LOVED from the first listen, meaning I finally had something to properly loon for on the night.
Because ‘I Do’ soundtracked my first taste of Sweden, I have no shortage of dewy-eyed nostalgia for it. That it is, in itself, a very nostalgic sounding song definitely helps on this front. There’s an irrepressible joy to ‘I Do’ – it’s so glaringly obvious that it won’t get anywhere near the win so Arvingarna just get to have fun without expectation. It bounces along at a jaunty pace, building to such a delightful final minute you’d actually have to be a sociopath to not enjoy it.
I have to give Sweden credit for being the sort of country where a throwback ditty by four middle-aged club singers can end up being as camp as tits. We should all aspire to be this unburdened by self-awareness; they’re having the time of their lives up there and it really shows.
I’ve been to three more finals since 2019 (THANKS FOR NOT MAKING IT FIVE, COVID) and, true, some songs have come along which I’ve gone even more giddy for than I Do, but this was the first. This was when I realised I was actually there, it was actually happening and I was actually watching these steaming old crooners performing a song I love RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. I mean, sure, I had to sit through Bishara and Nano but Arvingarna made it mostly worth it. I'm a sucker for a bit of nostalgia and this delivers the goods for me every time I hear it.
ButterTart
Succulent Chinese meal
39. Martin Stenmarck - När änglarna går hem (2014)
AC – Lost to Linus Svenning
AC – Lost to Linus Svenning
“Shit outfit. Disgusting face. Shit performance.”
RobotBoy, 09/02/2014
Martin, if you’re reading this, can you set the record straight on something that’s been nagging away at me for years? If you’re capable of serving up something like THIS, then what the FUCK was Las Vegas all about?
Seriously, När änglarna går hem is fucking BREATHTAKING. Just now, I’ve had to convince myself that I’m not placing it too low – bear in mind it’s reached my top 40 AS IT IS. It’s the second greatest redemption arc of the 2014 contest, just behind Janet Leon storming to victory with Hollow and donating her spot at Eurovision to Sanna Nielsen out of respect for her seven decades in showbiz (Thanks @Suomi for that factoid!).
När änglarna går hem is a pure anthem, possessing one of the most rousing, satisfying builds in this entire rate. In three minutes it evolves from an understated intro to a Swedish language cover of Katy Perry’s ‘The One That Got Away’ to a full-on ‘get the fuck up a clap, you bastards’ BARNSTORMER. There’s a power and an intensity here which could only come from someone realising he stole a win several years ago and desperately wanting to make amends. The vocal is great, the performance is stunning and the whole package just deserves as much credit as it’s possible to give.
There’s something about the song and the performance that puts me in mind of Linda Bengtzing. Martin smashes this out of the park but I feel like she could absolutely kick the tits off it. I think it’s the final 30 seconds and the earnest gesticulating – it’s very Linda-coded.
Las Vegas remains a skidmark on the y-fronts of Melodifestivalen, but if När änglarna går hem is Martin’s way of apologising then all is forgiven. I need to post this write-up immediately before I decide I’ve undermarked it and shove it another fifteen places up the list.
Suomi
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Yes, this is a really special song - probably in my top 5 Melfest of all time I think! Amazing lyrics and an unusual song structure, for me it joins Statements in the list of songs that were too good and complicated to get an easy ticket to the final.
ButterTart
Succulent Chinese meal
I think I've definitely put it too low. I'm starting to regret giving Addis Black Widow every spot in the top ten as a joke.
Apoca
ASCENDENTE
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And God knows I think Tå Mig and Hela Natten are incredible.
Pretty awesome year for Swedish entries, really.
D5K
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You forgot to mention it coming 5th in Eurovision 2023!
ButterTart
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ButterTart
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38. Charlotte Perrelli - Still Young (2021)
Finalist – 8th place
“I have literally gotten 20 years of my life back from the pure youth of it”
@RJN, 18/02/2021"
If I’m being honest, I don’t know how much of this placing is my love for the song (and don't get me wrong, I love the song) and how much is my love for that entire heat 3 Moopy thread and the unfiltered euphoria in there when she went DTF. Honestly, there are two threads I go to when I need a morale boost and want to experience happiness in its purest form – the 2021 heat 3 thread and the Steps – Scared of the Dark thread.
In honour of that, I will let the community reactions to the moment she qualified serve as my write-up for this one.
Actually SHRIEKED with joy!
I've just spontaneously become a skinny 16 year old with emo hair.
STILL YOUNG EVERYONE.
WE DID IT LOVES
Live scenes
Absolutely fucking deserved. The Girl is a Hero. #StillYoung
VoR
Take it or leave it
Truly life affirming. My only sadness is that it happened in Covid year so she didn’t get a roaring crowd to share the joy with her.
ButterTart
Succulent Chinese meal
Penelope
striking, unique, 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘳
That 2021 heat three thread really is a classic from START TO FINISH
SOMEONE PUT IT IN MOOPY GOLD!
SOMEONE PUT IT IN MOOPY GOLD!
ButterTart
Succulent Chinese meal
37. Dilba – Try Again (2011)
Heat 1 – 8th place
Heat 1 – 8th place
“CHEER UP and SING UP you miserable cow!!”
@Pingu, 05/02/2011
Dear Future Melodifestivalen Scientists,
If you’re reading this then this rate has no doubt become a sacred text for the followers of the church of Jessan Christ and my pioneering work has become an invaluable resource to further the understanding of the ancient contest. At this point in the rate, I feel I must address the confusion and terror you’re no doubt experiencing. Having viewed the primitive footage of Dilba’s performance of ‘Try Again’, you must be wondering how in the name of Immortal Mechabengtzing I could have placed it at 37 on this list of my all-time favourites.
Yes, Dilba delivers the song with the intensity and enthusiasm of someone trying to slowly let out a discrete trump at a dinner party. Yes, the studio version contains a thrilling final minute of runs and big notes Dilba doesn’t even acknowledge - let alone attempt – in the live performance. But you must understand the social context of our era.
You see, in the early 21st century we assessed our musical preferences using Doctor Tisch Lizardman’s Fuck-Slappery Index. You may not have heard of this as Dr Lizardman was largely discredited following his conviction for a catalogue of horrific murders, but it was invaluable for calculating a song’s worth by how much if fucks, slaps, bangs and fizzes. ‘Try Again’ scores 88.7 on this index which, when you consider it only goes up to 12, means it’s what we would refer to as ‘a universe destroying megabanger’.
So absolutely amazing was it, the live performance became legendary by proxy. The juxtaposition of a thumping electro banger and the visual of a maiden aunt barely concealing her irritation at being asked to work on a Saturday led to ‘Try Again’ being revered as high art, attempted several years later by the prophetess Kadiatou but never equalled.
I understand that ‘Try Again’ reaching no. 37 is likely to have caused you considerable distress and for that I apologise. I hope I’ve gone some way towards explaining why, by the time you're reading this, Pope Soldi IV will have formally acknowledged Dilba as the Patron Saint of disinterested shuffling.
You’re welcome
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ButterTart
Succulent Chinese meal
=36. Lena Philipsson - Det Gör Ont (2004)
WINNER!
WINNER!
“frankly I don't see what the fuss is about don't like the song much at all.”
Flames, 03/03/2006
I’ve talked a fair bit throughout this rate about the impact being in Sweden has had on my perception of certain songs; there are some which just hit different when heard on home soil. Det Gör Ont is by far the biggest beneficiary of this effect.
Being honest, I was entirely ambivalent to ‘It Hurts’ – I didn’t like or dislike it, I just sort of existed contemporaneously to it. Then, on the first night of my first visit to Sweden in 2019, I heard ‘Det Gör Ont’ in a bar and it just CLICKED. I mean, it probably helped that I was arse about face on pear cider and it was one of the few times in my life I’d ever heard Eurovision songs played in a public venue up to that point, but I was absolutely sold on it from that moment on.
Funnily enough, I’m still not in anyway fussed about It Hurts even though I consider the original Swedish language version to be an absolute beast. Lol, how quirky of me.
Det Gör Ont is just excellent schlager. It’s poppy and anthemic but it has this sort of melancholic quality to the choruses. I think that may be why I prefer it in Swedish – it feels like it has a darker tone than ‘It Hurts’. It’s an obvious banger but there’s this undefinable edge to it which properly sets it apart.
Then, of course, there’s the live performance. Lena Philipsson is a fucking star and makes us very aware of that fact with every shimmy and knowing facial expression. She tosses off that mic stand with reckless abandon and just EXUDES charisma. 2004 was well before my time but I’d be hard pressed to believe this wasn’t the runaway favourite from the moment it debuted.
It may have taken me a while to warm up to it, but I’ve come to realise that Det Gör Ont was an utterly tremendous moment in time for Melodifestivalen.