What the hell happened, as my friend Straussi, Eurovision Colleague, says… I think Sweden hit a dud on week three, because this semi-final was dissipating, at best. My “favourites” are loose at best, relative to the other heats. Props to the great programleader, Petra Mede for keeping this train-wreck together with some humour.
Velvet – The queen
Personal Favourite
That’s one big freaking dress, but luckily she came out of it in an interesting way. This song isn’t that great, but it’s good enough, and it’s a true Velvet song. It’s got a children’s quality, that also has a good choreography with the dancers. A lot of people thought that she sang poorly, but really it’s nothing bad from a musical aspect. Her voice is clear and not quavering. Personally I feel sorry for her, it’s like the third time that she hasn’t managed to go anywhere with her song. She has a habit of coming 5th but now it’s 6th with this decent song. Swedes need to like her more, because she’s a great performer.
Rigo & The Topaz Sound feat. Red Fox – I got you
Andra Chansen
This song bothers the fuck out of me. It’s annoying and I don’t like the lyrics at all. The main singer just keeps pointing at the camera throughout the show and saying “I got you” blah blah blah. Plus the name of the group is too long and excessive. The black-and-white theme is cool, but when it comes down to it, the hombre doesn’t do it for me. It’s like a dying girafee on steroids, I think. The name of the group is also too long.
Molly Sandén – Så vill stjärnorna Qualified
I seriously thought this was going to be some epic Whitney Huston ballad from the sound of the start. This ballad isn’t that bad. A sixteen year old who can stand alone on a stage and sing a ballad deserves props, but this song is going to get crushed in Globen. Rumours have it that Sarah Dawn Finer has a killer ballad, and frankly there isn’t room for two good ballads in the final. She’ll get pushed, despite her Junior Eurovision Contest success. It just lacks anything, but was performed well. Too much breaking between words and silence for singing, so it’s kind of awkward at times. Not impressed really at all, other than the fact she’s pretty.
E.M.D. – Baby goodbye Qualified Personal Favourite
Boy-band, no boy-band? Who knows really. What matters is that this is one of the better songs of the night, that justly went to Globen. The guys can sing, and (wow) sing their own harmony even decently. That’s quite impressive considering the past attempts. I think that two of them are good, but the third awkwardly looks at the camera and doesn’t seem to know what to do. Despite all this, the top-hats, and choreography is quite good and nice watch. Only thing thing musically that is wrong is the heinously awkward change of key-area, which was in the middle of a belt. I think it’s poor choice, but it still seems to be okay. The canes are sexy, by the way. Never can have too many accessories. Plus they are skitsnygg.
Mikael Rickfors – Du vinner över mig
Uhm, what exactly is this and why did people vote for it? Perhaps the old people came out to vote like last years Christer Sjögren? This song has a lot in common with something I’ve heard before in Melodifestivalen, but I can’t put my finger on it. I just think it bothers me that it’s so bland people like it, even moderately.
Maja Gullstrand – Här för mig själv
She’s cute, and she’s beating to the sound of her own drum. The side-to-side staging sort of makes me think of France’s Eurovision entry Ortal in 2005. It’s cute, but I’m not surprised that anything came of it because it’s just missing so much. The lyrics are cute also, but it doesn’t matter when it’s not got flare. I think that she can sing really well too, but the background dancers on her right bother me.
Sofia Berntsson – Alla International Jury’s Choice Personal Favourite
Thank goodness the jury saved one of the three better songs of the night. Three got dropped and she was saved, possibly, for the final. She’s always had a strange style but I don’t know if singing as song in Greek is a good choice in Melodifestivalen. Henrik Wikström again shows his good arranging but I think that this song has too much going on in the background, and I’m not sure what’s really going on. My mind gets mixed up in the lines of the text with the drums, and different levels of sound. At least she sang better than she did back with Hypnotized. The song ends awkwardly, but it’s not bad at all. Better songs of the evening, but still below-par.
BWO – You are not alone Andra Chansen
What a shame that BWO decided to do a ballad-funk sort of tune this year. I think they would have been better doing an upbeat hit, because this song is going to get lost in the shuffle. He’s a dream-boat, and the space-cadet look is interesting to say the least. The light up staffs are really nifty and as always BWO proves to be a good stage-show if the song doesn’t end up being that good. I think it’s really good to have gone to Andra Chansen, but I don’t see it coming out into the final. Even if it does, I doubt it will win.
So Sweden what happend? Leksand was saved from the train-wreck by Petra, again. She’s funny and I have to make a quote of her interpretation of the contest when explaining to the anglophone in the group:
“Please put your legs together, yes. Ahh, Rigo and the Topaz Sound feat. Redfox… And here we have Mr. Redfox, and you speak English I’ve been told, yes I think you must wonder what is all this circus about really? Yeah, let me applight you a little bit. This all started fifty years ago, plus or minus, with us sending really good songs to Europe to compete and we send lots of artists like Little Babbs, and Lille Svante, and then of course came the Golden Shoes, and the Stranger and over to Dover Calais and now we are here today with all the deltävlinger and Christer Björkman as the king, and the Perrelli, and the Hero. So I think we are here in Leksand and suchforth and I think it’s clearer for you now, yes?!”
I think it’s funny how she gets flustered, it’s a guy who’s clearly not schlager, and refers to Charlotte Perrelli as “The Perelli” and Christer Björkman as the king. I had a good laugh, but it didn’t really look like anyone understood in the greenroom. Nor did people really laugh in the audience. I seem to remember that English speakers in Dalarna are few and far between, but still it’s funny to me. As Petra says herself to monster-name group, all is not lost.
Themes for tonight: reptitious songs, and if I have to hear the word “you” one more time I’ll flip!