Today is Sweden’s National Day, and to celebrate the Aussievision team have voted and selected our Top 20 Eurovision entries from the Scandinavian nation.
The National Day itself has been a tradition since 1916 and is celebrated in honour of the election of King Gustav Vasa in 1523.
At Eurovision Sweden’s success has been a phenomenon, since ABBA’s victory in 1974 they have won the contest six times with Ireland being only country with more wins.
Sweden has competed in the contest 59 times since their debut in 1958, only missing the Grand Final once with Anna Bergendahl placing 11th in her semi final in 2010.
So what were our favourites among those 59 entries? Well here are our results in reverse order...
(Voting was Top 5 with points 12, 8, 6, 4 and 2).
= 26th: Tommy Nilsson - 'En Dag' (2 points)
(4th in 1989)
Tommy Nilsson has done it all in Swedish entertainment. Lead singer of a glam metal band, successful solo artist, performed in musical theatre and is to this day an in-demand voice actor. He was also married to ’Wallander’ actress Malin Berghagen, the daughter of 1961 Eurovision entrant Lill-Babs. Nilsson also competed at Melodifestivalen in 2007.
= 26th: Arvingarna - 'Eloise' (2 points)
(7th in 1993)
Arvingarna are stalwarts of Melodifestivalen. Since forming in 1989, the dansband has competed in 1993, 1995, 1999, 2002 and 2019, with their only success coming in 1993. ‘Eloise’ is a song that entails the story of a man who wants to know if a female friend of his would like to pursue a relationship with him. It was one of the favourites to win the Eurovision Song Contest that year, however it failed to score a set of 12 points.
= 26th: Inger Berggren - 'Sol och vår' (2 points)
(7th in 1962)
The only song from the 1960’s to make our list. This up-tempo song tells a story of a young woman meeting a charming man whilst window shopping. He asks her out to lunch, she agrees to his request and they go. At the restaurant and after leaving their coats and her handbag in the cloakroom, the man informs the woman that he needs to make a phone call and excuses himself. Later she is informed by the wait staff that he has left and taken her coat and handbag with him.
= 24th: Fame - 'Give Me Your Love' (4 points)
(5th in 2003)
A few years before Jessica Andersson found her party voice, she was one-half of pop duo Fame with Magnus Bäcklund. Both had participated in the reality television program ‘Fame Factory’ which Bäcklund won. Andersson was later approached to form the duo. They defeated former Melodifestivalen winners Jan Johansen, Jill Johnson and Afro-Dite as well as Alcazar to win their ticket to Riga. After their break up both have gone on to participate at Melodifestivalen as solo artists. Bäcklund also works as part time commercial pilot.
= 24th: Friends - 'Listen to Your Heartbeat' (4 points)
(5th 2001)
‘Listen to Your Heartbeat’ became the subject of controversy when claims came to light stating that it was a plagiarised from ‘Liefde is een kaartspel’, the 1996 Belgian entry. A cash settlement to the Belgian songwriters and the author's organisation followed afterwards once legal action was pursued. Like Fame who represented Sweden in 2003, Friends was a manufactured pop group as a result of a television program.
= 21st: Robin Bengtsson - 'I Can't Go On' (6 points)
(5th in 2017)
Remember in the olden days when we could go to the gym and step on a treadmill? The innovative staging is certainly memorable as Robin Bengtsson walked his way to 5th place in Kiev. Bengtsson went on to compete at Melodifestivalen in 2020. He has been performing since he was 13 years old and finished third in ‘Idol’ in 2008.
= 21st place: Marie Bergman and Roger Pontare - 'Stjärnorna' (6 points)
(13th 1994)
Along with Carola, Marie Bergman holds the record as having represented Sweden at Eurovision the most times with 3 entries. She performed as a member of schlager-pop group Family Four in 1971 and 1972. However, ‘Stjärnorna’ is the only song of hers that features on our list. Bergman was accompanied with Roger Pontare for the duet. More on him soon. Marie Bergman has released 13 solo albums since 1974 and has won a plethora of music awards.
= 21st: Roger Pontare - 'When Spirits are Calling My Name' (6 points)
(7th in 2000)
Not many performers have made such an impression on the Eurovision stage as Roger Pontare did in 2000. Pontare is of Sami descent and his costume was a tribute to his culture with the indigenous population of Lapland in Northern Sweden. ‘When Spirits are Calling My Name’ details the traditions of indigenous peoples and their plight to protect their territories and cultures. Pontare was joined on stage with a Cree Indian dancer, a Thule Eskimo and a Norwegian Sami for his performance. He competed at Melodifestavelen again in 2017.
= 18th: Frans - 'If I Were Sorry' (12 points)
(5th in 2016)
Frans Jeppsson Wall may have only been 17 years old when he sang at Stockholm but his music catalogue dates back to 2006. He is the second youngest winner of Melodifestivalen after Carola when she won in 1983. Other than in Sweden, ‘If I were sorry’ charted in Belgium (Flanders), Denmark, Austria, Netherlands, France, Germany, Iceland, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
= 18th: The Ark - 'The Worrying Kind' (12 points)
(18th in 2007)
Glam rock act The Ark, could be described as Sweden’s Silverchair. A trio forming the band as 14 year olds in 1991. Two more members joined the band in the late 1990’s and another in 2006. The Ark automatically qualified for the final in 2007 due to Carola’s 5th place the year before. ‘The worrying kind’ won both the jury and public vote at Melodifestivalen that year but only managed to finish in 18th place at Eurovision. Although The Ark disbanded in 2011, they are planning a reunion tour later this year.
= 18th: Jan Johansen - 'Se på mig' (12 points)
(3rd 1995)
To many Eurovision fans who follow the national final season, Jan Johansen is most recently known as Thorsten Flinck’s replacement vocalist for ‘Miraklernas tid’ at Melodifestivalen. Johansen is a Melodifestivalen veteran, having entered the competition on four occasions- once with Pernilla Wahlgren, Benjamin Ingrosso’s mother. At Eurovision, ‘Se på mig’ finished on 100 points. Coincidentally, the 1996 Swedish entry ‘Den vilda’ which was performed by One More Time finished with exactly the same result- 3rd place with 100 points.
= 13th: Benjamin Ingrosso - 'Dance You Off' (14 points)
(7th 2018)
The Wahlgren and Ingrosso families are Swedish entertainment dynasties, so it was only a matter of time that Benjamin was given a tilt at the crystal trophy. Benjamin Ingrosso’s mother Pernilla Wahlgren competed at Melodifestivalen numerous times, his cousin Sebastian Ingrosso was a member of Swedish House Mafia. He also called Charlotte Perrelli his aunt for a while. Even though Benjamin was popular with the 2018 Eurovision jury and not so much with the televoters, he still gets some love from us.
= 13th: John Ludvik - 'Too Late for Love' (14 points)
(5th 2019)
Incorrectly announced as the jury winner at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2019, ex-track athlete John Ludvik also finishes in 13th place in our poll. Ludvik has also made his name as a songwriter, writing songs for other Eurovision artists such as Michael Rice (UK 2019) and Tom Leeb (France 2020). This is a name that we are going to hear a lot more of in the future of the competition.
= 13th: Robin Stjernberg - 'You' 2013 (14 points)
(14th in 2013)
Robin Stjernberg may have the lowest finishing Swedish song in the final at Eurovision in the last decade, but he has the distinction of having the first "Andra Chansen" song ever to win the Melodifestivalen final.
= 13th: Herreys - 'Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley' (14 points)
(1st in 1984)
Sweden’s second winning song and despite it not earning any 12 points from our team, the Herrey brothers and their golden shoes are still endearing to us. Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley, is one of three songs that was performed first in the Eurovision final to go on to win the title. It is also the most recent song to do so.
+13th: Brita Borg - 'Augustin' (14 points)
(9th in 1959)
Sweden’s second song in the Eurovision Song Contest and the oldest song in our list of favourites. Brita Borg was pre-selected as the Eurovision contestant, with the national final using a system in which different artists were chosen to present the songs competing. Siw Malmkvist was the singer who sang ‘Augustin’ in the final. She competed for Sweden the following year with ‘Alla andra får varann’. Brita Borg was a singer, actress, and variety show artist. Many of her performances would be deemed as politically incorrect nowadays. Nevertheless ‘Augustin’ is remembered favourably with some in the team.
= 11th: Carola - 'Främling' (16 points)
(3rd in 1983)
Carola’s first foray on the Eurovision stage sits just outside our top 10. Carola was just 16 years old when she performed the Lance Holm penned ‘Främling’ in Munich. She was the youngest winner of Melodifestivalen with this song.
= 11th: Charlotte Perrelli - 'Hero' (16 points)
(18th in 2008)
1999 winner Charlotte Nilsson made her return to the Eurovision stage, she had married Benjamin Ingrosso’s uncle and they chose to go by the surname of “Perrelli’ due to family issues. ‘Hero’ did not automatically qualify for the final as it finished in 12th place in the 2nd semi final. However, the back up jury gave Perrelli the green light in place of the FYR Macedonia entry ‘Let Me Love You ‘which featured Tamara Todevska. ‘Hero’ may have finished in 18th place but it has since become a Eurovision party requisite and just misses our top 10.
10th: Eric Saade - 'Popular' (18 points)
(3rd in 2011)
Smashing his way through a few panes of glass to 10th place is the popular Eric Saade. At the time this was the Sweden’s best result since their win in 1999. Of course, that changed in the following year. Saade went on to co-host the green room during the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest where he proved to have a rather cheeky sense of humour. He was also the Swedish spokesperson for the 2019 contest.
9th: Malena Ernman - 'La Voix' (22 points)
(21st in 2009)
These days Malena Ernman is better known as Greta Thunberg’s mum. ‘La Voix’ is the first Swedish entry to contain French lyrics. It is also the latest Swedish entry to have contained lyrics in another language than English. This operatic dance-pop number is also only the second Swedish entry that has not placed in the Top 20. Justice for Malena has been served. She has finished inside our top 10.
8th: Carola - 'Fångad av en stormvind' (28 points)
(1st in 1991)
Carola graced the Eurovision stage for the second time, this time winning in a decider where she defeated France’s Amina. Both singers received four sets of 12 points, but Carola having been awarded five sets of 10 points to Amina’s two was declared the winner. This is the only time this rule has been used in the contest. No decider was needed here as ‘Fångad av en stormvind’ is our outright 8th favourite.
7th: Carola - 'Invincible' (30 points)
(5th in 2006)
Cue the wind machines. Invincible may have given Carola her lowest result at Eurovision but it is the Aussievision team’s favourite of her three songs. She was one of the raging favourites for 2006 title but a quaint little Finnish quintet who had survived a arockalypse called Lordi changed all that and won the voters hearts. Still an impressive record of three Top 5 finishes over three different decades!
6th: Charlotte Nilsson - 'Take me to your heaven' (36 points)
(1st in 1999)
It’s Charlotte again, this time with her winning song. ‘Take me to your heaven’ with all its ABBA nuances. What can we say, we do love our schlager. In 1999, the EBU changed the rules and removed the requirement for artists to perform in their national language, thus Nilsson was able to perform in English. The song was presented as ‘Tusen och en natt’ at Melodifestivalen. A certain Christer Björkman finished in tenth place.
5th: The Mamas - 'Move' (38 points)
(N/A 2020)
Who said anything about lost songs? Even though 2020 will never have a winner The Mamas will not be forgotten, especially by the Aussievision team. The Mamas were put together to provide backing vocals for John Ludvik’s Eurovision performance in 2019. They proved to be popular with audiences and they announced their participation for Melodifestivelen in 2020, where they famously defeated Dotter by a single point.
4th: ABBA - 'Waterloo' (56 points)
(1st in 1974)
Thank you for the music. Arguably the most famous Eurovision contestants in the history of the contest. ABBA gave Sweden their first win in the competition. Many of us grew up listening to our parents’ records and let’s be honest, we all love a little bit of nostalgia.
In ABBA’s case the winner took it all as they dominated international music charts, particularly in Australia in the 1970’s and early 1980’s. We had a little music program here called ‘Countdown’ that played a great part in their success.
3rd: Sanna Nielsen - 'Undo' (78 points)
(3rd in 2014)
Sanna finishes in third place again. This song was always going to do well with the team. It is an evergreen favourite for a few of the contributors, so no surprises here. Despite finishing third at Eurovision, ‘Undo’ is also the second highest scoring Swedish song under the previous scoring system.
2nd: Måns Zelmerlöw - 'Heroes' (90 points)
(1st in 2015)
Måns Zelmerlöw has the honour of receiving the most votes under the current system of Melodifestivalen with his win. ‘Heroes’ defeated the second placed song by a record margin of 149 points. Zelmerlöw went on to host Eurovision 2016 with Petra Mede and was a special guest performer at Australia Decides this year on the Gold Coast where he performed ‘Walk with me’ with Dami Im, a song which he recorded with Dotter in 2019.
1st: Loreen 'Euphoria' (140 points)
(1st in 2012)
That unmistakable/definitive siren, the modern day classic that set a new benchmark in the contest. For the team it was hard not to go past indie-dance pop queen Loreen and her Eurodance classic ‘Euphoria’. The song reached #36 on Australian music chart (ARIA) and has been voted #1 on ESC Radio’s annual Top 250 poll since 2012.
That is how the Aussievision team voted. Is your favourite on our list? Let us know via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.