June 6 marks another Scandinavian National Day - today it is the turn of Sweden. This date commemorates the election of Gustav Vasa as King of Sweden in 1523, as well as the adoption of the constitutions of 1809 and 1974.
2024 marked a significant year for Sweden in terms of Eurovision. The country hosted the contest this year in Malmö. It also was the fiftieth anniversary of Sweden's first Eurovision win by a little known group called ABBA, who triumphed in Brighton in 1974 with 'Waterloo'.
Sweden's dedication to Eurovision is evident in their national selection Melodifestivalen.
In 2024, 30 songs across five heats and a final competed for the right to represent the Nordic nation at Eurovision. It is arguably the biggest and toughest national selection of the Eurovision calendar.
Melodifestivalen songs often dominate the Swedish music charts after the contest. Fifteen of the competing entries made into the Top 20, twelve made it into the Top 10, whilst three topped the charts altogether. They were winners Marcus & Martinus with Unforgettable, runners-up Medina with Que Sera, and Fröken Snusk with Unga & fria (Young and Free in English).
The success of acts like Fröken Snusk outside of Melodifestivalen got us at Aussievision thinking, what are our favourite non-winning Melodifestivalen entries?
Aussievision team's favourites
Ten Aussievision contributors selected an entry, here they are in a random order:
Wiktoria - Save Me
Year: 2016
Result: 4th
"There is so much to love about this entry. It's a great pop song with that fantastic driving beat underpinned by a slight country-influence (in a very Scandi way). Those things combined are right up my alley. Wiktoria nails the vocal and connects with the camera so well, including that cheeky side-eye look she nails before the climax to the last chorus. She manages to hold the audience the whole time while basically standing still. The projections on her bodysuit are really stunning (most of the time) but ultimately the timing a year after Mans's projections for Heroes didn't help. Would I change things, sure, but ultimately I think the song and the performance stand up to this day." ~ Dale
Theo - Mer av deg
Year: 2023
Result: 5th
English translation: More of you
"Is it a bop? Yes! Is it in Swedish? YES! Does it feel authentic to the artist? YES!!! Whilst I fully understand why it wasn’t selected, Mer av deg is on heavy repeat for me. You just can’t feel down when listening to it. It’s like instant sunshine!" ~ Steven
Alcazar - Blame it on the disco
Year: 2014
Result: 3rd
"You can't convince me that this isn't one of the best national final entries of ALL TIME. Bro, they are ICONIC. I'm being serious, nah you see, I'm talking facts here, I don't do ifs, buts and maybes, I do absolutes. The staging is timeless and this is one of the campest earworms of all time. They devoured." ~ Liv 🐎
Oscar Zia - Human
Year: 2016
Result: 2nd
"I love the anthemic build of Human coupled with Oscar's charisma. This would have been a worthy Swedish entry in 2016." ~ Emma
Clara Klingenström - Behöver inte dig idag
Year: 2021
Result: 5th
English translation: I do not need you today
"I remember the first time I saw this I was so taken with it, it’s so well written and so catchy but I thought as Clara didn’t fit the slick and polished Melfest mould, she had no chance of winning. But it was clear others felt the same as I, and this song still appears in Eurovision National final countdowns. I still listen to it all the time! Simple pop - done so so well!" ~ Hayley
Shirley Clamp - Att Älska Dig
Year: 2005
Result: 4th
English translation: To Love you
"I still can't understand how this banger ended up not winning the Melodifestivalen at that time. Heck, it should've placed within Top 10 in 2005, maybe standing a chance against the likes of Chiara, Helena Paparizou, and Vanilla Ninja in the final." ~ John Christian
Ace Wilder - Don't Worry
Year: 2016
Result: 3rd
"Okay I admit that it probably is not the greatest song ever at Melfest. However, that staging is epic and I would have loved to have seen it at Eurovision for that alone. To be honest, it would have made a for a fantastic host country entry.
I do enjoy listening to Don't Worry 8 years on. It's fun little earworm and still gets regular play on my Spotify. It has been a while since we saw Ace Wilder at Melfest. I would love for her to release new material in near future." ~ Fleur
Eva Rydberg & Ewa Roos - Rena rama ding dong
Year: 2021
Result: 3rd in Heat 2, Eliminated in Second chance round
English translation: Clean frame ding dong
"Compressed joy in a Swedish hue, I will never stop loving Rena Rama Ding Dong. It is a perfect example of a song that didn't need to win Melfest to have an impact, and I would be delighted for Eva and Ewa to grace us with their presence every year." ~ Craig
Liamoo - Bluffin
Year: 2022
Result: 4th
"This is the pinnacle of Swedish-plastic-prettyboy-club bangers from Melfest. Everything about this entry was perfection. The staging, the aesthetic, the production and vocals were on point. Controversial take but I rather this over Hold Me Closer… in fact Bluffin is in my top played songs on Spotify of all time, it’s just too good" ~ Cooper
Anna Bergendahl - Kingdom Come
Year: 2020
Result: 3rd
"Before 2020 who knew Anna Bergendahl could do uptempo? Everything about this entry screams perfection and uniqueness to me. A Melfest entry paying homage to Sweden's schlager traditions but with a country twist. Anna's distinct vocal timbre. Her asymmetrical dress. Her army of dancers/ ninjas in kilts who mysteriously leap out of nowhere. And an absolute banger of a track.
Sweden's only Eurovision non-qualifier definitely should have won Melodifestivalen 2020 in my opinion. However, as Anna herself remarked in an interview, had to she won the Swedish national selection, imagine her luck having a second bite at the cherry only for Eurovision 2020 to be cancelled. Hopefully she will come back to Melfest one day, take the trophy and ticket, and avenge her undeserving result from Eurovision 2010." ~ Sam
___________________
So there you have it, our ten favourite non-winning Melodifestivalen entries. Acts from Melodifestivalen 2016 seem particuarly popular amongst our contributors. Only one act - Anna Bergendahl with This is my Life in 2010 - has made it to the Eurovision stage so far (though Andreas Lundstedt from Alcazar represented Switzerland in 2006). We hope to see some of these artists listed represented their country one day in the pan-European contest.
We wish all our Swedish readers and followers a Happy National Day!
For continued updates on all Eurovision Song Contest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. All the links can be found at: https://linktr.ee/aussievisionnet
In geometry dash meltdown, let's feel the heat and conquer the challenges! Feel the perfect jumps flowing as you glide across flaming landscapes. Run along with the beat! Prepare to groove to the fiery melody of unquenchable passion in Geometry Dash Meltdown! Open out to your inner rage and allow it to explode to the sound of infectious music. A voyage filled with peril around every corner is what you have in store.