Sweden and the Eurovision Song Competition
Hi! I am Jessica Tovesson, owner and instructor at Learn Swedish Now. My students become fluent in the Swedish language by actively speaking and practicing with an online instructor, which gives them that immediate feedback from a native speaker that is so important for the learning process. And they have fun while doing it! I always include interesting topics about Swedish culture and events. For example, Swedish people are very proud of the country's music industry and the many successful artists and producers who have made it to the world stage. And we love the Eurovision Song Contest, which is the topic of today’s blog.
The Eurovision Song Contest (or just “the Eurovision” for short) is a songwriting contest that was first held in 1956 and has taken place annually ever since, with the exception of 2020. Each participating country submits one entry and gets to vote for the other countries in the competition. While this is mostly a European affair, Australia made its debut in the competition in 2015 and has entered 6 times to date. The tradition is for the winning country to host the event the following year which is an opportunity to showcase that country as a tourist destination given all the attention the competition receives every year. Each country has a different process for selecting a song to enter in the Eurovision, but most have televised competitions to select their national entry.
In Sweden, the Eurovision and selecting a song to represent the country has always been a topic of pride and national engagement. Sweden has won the Eurovision six times over the years, and has finished in the top 5 no less than 25 times, making it one of the most successful countries overall. The first, and arguably most famous, win for Sweden came in 1974 when ABBA won the whole competition with their song “Waterloo”. The group created their name from the first initial of the members in the band: Annefrid, Björn, Benny, and Agneta, and went on to have an incredibly successful international career. Since then, Sweden has won Eurovision again in 1984, 1991, 1999, 2012, and 2015 and as a result is the only country to have hosted the Eurovision in five different decades: 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.
The annual competition where the Swedish song entry for the Eurovision Song Contest is selected is called Melodifestivalen (“Melody Festival”) and has some of the highest TV viewer ratings of any show in Sweden. In 2021 more than 3.2 million people watched Melodifestivalen, or almost 1 in 3 Swedes! The format of the competition has changed over the years, with the biggest change introduced in 2002 when multiple heats were added, making the competition last for several weeks before the final winner is selected. The competition is closely followed on social media and in popular news, and there are some familiar themes in the reporting that most Swedes will recognize. One such theme is the complaint that the wrong contribution was selected as the winning entry, which has been reflected in many story headlines over the years (“Fel låt vann!”).
The Eurovision song contest has a special place in cultural and social conversations in Sweden and has helped pave the way on several social issues. The organizers have long worked to be inclusive of, and increase visibility for, members of the LGBTQ+ community. For example, the Israeli singer Dana International became the first openly trans performer to win the competition in 1998, and the 2021 winner, the Italian rock band Måneskin, featured openly bisexual base player Victoria De Angelis. Given the large and diverse audience across the European continent, it is safe to assume that at least some of the advancements made on issues important to the LGBTQ+ community have been helped by the Eurovision.
If you live in one of the countries that do not participate in the Eurovision Song Contest you can still join in the fun by streaming the event and rooting for your favorite song or songs. I can guarantee that you will have a fantastic time with the kitsch, glamour, fun, and drama of the event. And if you want to learn more about Sweden and the Swedish language you can always sign up for a free trial lesson today!
