Melodifestivalen Posted by Marcus Cederström on Mar 11, 2011 in Culture
Saturday night is that time again. The time of the year that schlager lovers throughout Sweden wait for. It’s Melodifestivalens final. Finally.
For those of you who might not be lucky enough to have experienced schlager first hand in Sweden, you are, quite simply, missing out. It’s an amazing experience that tends to involve a lot of wind machines, flashing lights, and bad music. All in all, it’s an assault on the senses that should not be missed.
It took me a while to accept the cultural phenomenon that is Melodifestivalen. My first year in Sweden was spent watching in disgust. My second year in Sweden was spent watching in fascination with a few adult beverages on hand. My third year in Sweden was spent at Globen watching in person. I had become a convert. And it was well worth it.
This year, being back in the US though has left me a bit disconnected. Unfortunately. Luckily for schlager fans across the world, SVT streams Melodifestivalen on their website. And not only that, they offer a recap of previous performances of this year’s finalists. So even if you haven’t been keeping up, there’s still time!
This year’s finalists are (with links directly to their performances on SVT):
- Danny Saucedo – In The Club
- Swingfly – Me And My Drum
- Sanna Nielsen – I’m In Love
- Brolle – 7 Days And 7 Nights
- Eric Saade – Popular
- The Playtones – The King
- Linda Bengtzing – E det fel på mej
- Nicke Borg – Leaving Home
- The Moniker – Oh My God!
- Sara Varga – Spring för livet
And finally, if you want to watch live, check out SVTPlay.
Enjoy!
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About the Author: Marcus Cederström
Marcus Cederström has been writing for the Transparent Swedish Blog since 2009. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Scandinavian Studies from the University of Oregon, a Master's Degree in Scandinavian Studies from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and a PhD in Scandinavian Studies and Folklore from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He has taught Swedish for several years and still spells things wrong. So, if you see something, say something.
Comments:
Jan:
What does this have to do with the Swedish language ?
Marcus Cederström:
We try to write about a wide array of subjects that relate to both the language of Sweden and also the culture.
Jan:
Melodifestivalen does not relate to the language. Well, the Swedish destroyers of European culture show me again that I should keep a lot of distance from this country.
Melodifestivalen shows me how I should hate Sweden.
Marcus Cederström:
I think youll find that plenty of people believe music in general has quite a bit to do with language. It is especially interesting in Sweden how so many of the entries are in English. It definitely shows how the language is evolving. But regardless of that, the show definitely does have a lot to do with the culture in Sweden, and the culture of the country is something we cover a lot here.
Luckily, not everyone needs to agree!
Kenia:
The readers of this blog are very happy to read not only about the language but also about the culture, that is what has made this blog so popular and great over the 3 years (almost) that it’s been up. So keep it like this Marcus, we appreciate every single post you guys write. I believe if someone feels like they should hate Sweden, they should not be reading this blog in the first place.
Marcus Cederström:
Glad to hear it Kenia, we’ll keep doing what we’re doing!