Thanks for Reading!

Artist Terese Fredenwall's participation in Melodifestivalen sparked my trip to Sweden and the subsequent writing of this blog.

Her song, "Breaking the Silence", is now out on iTunes. If you enjoyed following my Mello journey, please consider supporting my favorite Mello artist of 2013 by adding her song to your Spotify or Wimp playlists, or by buying the single on iTunes.

Thanks for reading Semlor and Song!

Semlor and Song: Cultural Connectors

I went into this journey thinking Melodifestivalen would be celebrated like the Super Bowl. The TV viewing numbers say as much. Almost half the country watches. I thought people would be pumped about the contest and all its trappings - and everybody would watch. I imagined people would sit down with friends and family to see the spectacle with a big spread of food and everybody would be talking about it - for six weeks straight.

It was sort of like that, but not quite. The final show in Stockholm followed a Super Bowl-like pattern, minus the commercials. Almost everybody watched and many people gathered together with food during the final show. There's no doubt everybody was talking about it the next day. The previous five weeks of the contest were... a bit more muted.

Things aren't always the way I expect them to be in Sweden, even though I'm familiar with the culture. It's good to know there are still surprises to be found after more than a decade of study.

Even though I look at Sweden through an experienced frame of reference, I still filter it through American eyes (or maybe Swedish-American eyes). I expected Melodifestivalen to be a well-loved party where everyone celebrates the contest and the artists in a big way. I expected an excited and positive response when I mentioned blogging about the show. The biggest response I got was, "That's kinda crazy" followed by "I don't watch the show." I thought the host cities would hold parties and large events for the general public. Karlstad tried to promote the show, although you could have stayed in Stockholm and Malmö without ever knowing Mello was happening just a few minutes from your location. Like I said, it was muted. Or, muted in an American sense. It was not what my American self had in mind.

A popular show, but not in the American sense.

I learned the show isn't so much a well-loved party as it is a well-known cultural touchstone. Everyone knows about it and has a relationship to it, either positive or negative. The show itself fills many cultural and social functions throughout its six week run. It's a way for people to escape from the daily grind for a few hours each weekend. People also use the contest to share thoughts and opinions. They use it to find new music and artists for their playlists. Using it for an excuse to party is also popular, although Swedes don't have much trouble finding reasons to go out on a Saturday night. All these functions have one thing in common - connection.

Melodifestivalen connects people. Whether you love or hate the show, you are connected to other people through its appearance every year. It gives people the opportunity to talk with each other and build relationships around the things they experience, whether that be a shared love of the contest and the songs or a shared dislike of the entire phenomena.

Folk 'n' Rock, a popular cafe in Malmö. It's a combination cafe and music store. A good place to make connections, both personal and musical.

It's the same story for semlor and Swedish food, apparently. Connection is the key. In Italy or France, the taste of the food and the experience of eating is held in high regard. In Sweden, the food isn't the star of the show. It's the people you're sitting with while you eat. Taking a coffee break, aka fika, or sitting down with a meal gives people the opportunity to relax and really connect with the person sitting across the table. Semlor play a special role in such connections since their appearance is seasonal. It brings something special to your fika time since the traditional pastry tends to bring back memories and events from previous years. What were you doing when you ate your last semla? How has your life changed since then? Such thoughts pop into your mind. They make for good discussion topics with others as you connect over food.

Helena Wahlman/imagebank.sweden.se

Cinnamon rolls are also popular fika food.

While the contest has ended and semla season is soon over, the memories remain. Next year, the same process will repeat. People will eat and listen - and connect. Old friendships and relationships will be strengthened. New ones will be formed. And the culture will grow richer because of it. All this because of a little semlor and song.

Semlor - making connections between people in Sweden for centuries.

__________________________

I connected with many people during my stay in Sweden. Food and music played a vital role in each encounter. Many people opened up their hearts and their homes to me during my stay as well. My gratitude cannot be expressed in words, but I must say thank you anyway:

Thank you to Nordstjernan for giving me the opportunity to contribute to your publication. And to everyone I spoke with during my stay, I say thank you for your insight into the contest and the culture!

A special thank you goes to CouchSurfers Michael, Emma, Christian and Alexander, along with Sara and the entire congregation at Missionskyrka in Gnosjö for giving me a place to call home while on the road.

Another big thank you to dancer and actor Ausben Jordan, Pia Andersson from Melodifestivalsklubben, Ann-Charlotte from Ave Produktion, singer and author Jenny Berggren, and Andreas at the Swedish-American Center in Karlstad for sharing your time, insight, and knowledge with me during our longer discussions. You provided in-depth insight into the contest in a way I could not have reached otherwise.

A final thank you to everyone reading the blog. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Maybe one day you'll go to Sweden to see Melodifestivalen yourself. If you do, be sure to eat a few semlor for me!

New Video Uploads

I will update my YouTube account this evening with new videos from Melodifestivalen and my trip. The video link below will include those updates automatically.

After that, there's only one post left. I'll wrap up the entire experience - and finally tell you what I've learned during my adventure in semlor and song.

The Full Results

The final placement of all 32 songs in Melodifestivalen 2013:

1. Robin Stjernberg – "You": 166 points in the final
2. YOHIO – "Heartbreak Hotel": 133 points in the final
3. Ulrik Munther – "Tell the World I'm Here": 126 points in the final
4. Anton Ewald – "Begging": 108 points in the final
5. Louise Hoffsten – "Only the Dead Fish Follow the Stream": 85 points in the final
6. Sean Banan – "Copacabanana": 78 points in the final
7. Ralf Gyllenhammar – "Bed on Fire": 73 points in the final
8. David Lindgren – "Skyline": 69 points in the final
9. State of Drama – "Falling": 68 points in the final
10. Ravaillacz – "En riktig jävla schlager": 40 points in the final

11. Martin Rolinski – "In and Out of Love": 183,694 total votes in the Second Chance round
12. Behrang Miri – "Jalla Dansa Sawa": 168,679 total votes in the Second Chance round
13. Erik Segerstedt & Tone Damli – "Hello Goodbye": 70,523 total votes in the Second Chance round
14. Caroline af Ugglas – "Hon har inte": 35,234 total votes in the Second Chance round
15. Cookies N Beans – "Burning Flags": 25,826 total votes in the Second Chance round
16. Eric Gadd – "Vi kommer aldrig att förlora": 14,164 total votes in the Second Chance round

17. Terese Fredenwall – "Breaking the Silence": 57,492 total votes in the semi-finals
18. Felicia Olsson – "Make Me Number 1": 55,049 total votes in the semi-finals
19. Janet Leon – "Heartstrings": 50,251 total votes in the semi-finals
20. Mary N’diaye – "Gosa": 23,436 total votes in the semi-finals
21. Eddie Razaz – "Alibi": 19,476 total votes in the semi-finals
22. Amanda Fondell – "Dumb": 18,488 total votes in the semi-finals
23. Swedish House Wives – "On Top Of The World": 17,172 total votes in the semi-finals
24. Army of Lovers – "Rockin' The Ride": 16,867 total votes in the semi-finals
25. Sylvia Vrethammar – "Trivialitet": 13,609 total votes in the semi-finals
26. Michael Feiner & Caisa – "We're Still Kids": 12,098 total votes in the semi-finals
27. Lucia Pinera – "Must Be Love": 9,219 total votes in the semi-finals
28. Anna Järvinen – "Porslin": 8,689 total votes in the semi-finals
29. Rikard Wolff – "En förlorad sommar": 7,785 total votes in the semi-finals
30. Elin Petersson – "Island":7,494 total votes in the semi-finals
31. Joacim Cans – "Annelie":7,069 total votes in the semi-finals
32. Jay-Jay Johanson – "Paris":5,526 total votes in the semi-finals

Random Memories

A collection of random photos from the journey:

Chairs and programs nicely set out and waiting for their owners to arrive for the Malmö practice round.

The Melodifestival camera crew has a healthy sense of humor. This flag is posted on a boom camera. Another camera used for fast movement had an angry bird key chain hanging from it. 

Spare tyger? Is it a joke or tech speak for a piece of equipment? I'm not willing to find out.

Time to shut down the lights in Malmö. An empty arena after Friday's practice round.

Traveling by train presents the opportunity to take in the landscape. This reminds me of the Midwest. Maybe that's why so many Swedes moved there. Could it have reminded them of home?

A street in Gothenburg that many Swedish immigrants walked before leaving for America. This street was once called Sillgatan. It had a bad reputation for crime and underhanded dealings, so to release the stigma, the locals renamed it Postgatan. It's now a quiet street leading to the harbor.

The Swede who created the Coca-Cola bottle. A contest was created to design the first Coke bottles. Today's design is based off of the original from Alexander Samuelson.

A beautiful blue and chilly day in Karlstad before the Second Chance round.

Fika street. Get your sweet goodies for your coffee break. These pastries are popular all over the country.

Club Ritz in Örebro before the Friday concert.

Inside Club Ritz just as it opened around 10 PM.

Is that a spaceship in the background? Nope, it's just a water tower - an Örebro landmark.

A gothic style church in Örebro.

Bernts is a cafe & bakery in Gnosjö. Their goal is to make a million semlor every season, the sign says. I learned this place was voted as having the best semlor in all of Sweden. Unfortunately, it opened up at 1 PM when my bus was leaving, so I didn't get a chance to try it out. Maybe next time.

A common sight in Sweden - a house painted in Falun red. The color is named after a town in central Sweden, home to an old copper mine, hence the deep red color you see. 

English influence on the language is evident on this sign. Check becomes checka.

A media jukebox in a Stockholm library. You upload ebooks and audiobooks for free. Just put your flash drive in the machine, choose your item, and it uploads in seconds. I made good use of this feature by filling up my entire USB stick - twice.

Blue skies all around on Sveavägen in Stockhom.

Sweden is environmentally conscious. This Big Bag is for items that can be recycled. A crane truck picks it up and takes it away to be recycled.

The entrance to the Stockholm public library. The building is a round dome-like structure.

The Stockholm public library is a very cool place, but a place for pickpockets, too. Creepy eyes remind you to watch out for your stuff.

A beautiful sunset with Stockholm's city hall in the background.

Swedish tourist guides: ABBA, Elk, and the Millennium trilogy. Where's the Ace of Base guide? ;o)

The Royal Institute of Technology library. It sits in between four buildings. They added a glass roof up top and bolted it to the buildings to make the library.

Mini semlor. Great if you're not too hungry, but who's not hungry for semlor?

Colorful Easter feathers, a traditional way to celebrate the holiday in Sweden.

People relaxing in the sun in central Stockholm.

Fresh fruit stands dot Hötorget in downtown Stockholm. PUB in the background is a shopping center. Greta Garbo once worked there.

It isn't all pop music in Sweden. Rock and heavy metal are big genres here, too. The Sweden Rock Festival is a well known place for big bands to perform.

Girls getting pictures of their favorite singers during Melodifestivalen's Friday practice round in Stockholm.

Confetti everywhere after the final practice round!

The Royal Library in Stockholm is housed in a magnificent building.

Shopping is popular on Kungsgatan, or King Street.

Wearing apparel with American flags is trendy right now. Many people had scarfs, shirts, and jackets with American flags.

A loppis, or flea market, in Stockholm. A great place to find some bargains.

Books and more books!

Stickers for sale. Another way to say Wannabe Swede up top. The bottom sticker says, "Be happy, even though you are Swedish". Have I mentioned the Swedish penchant for self-deprecating humor?

New! Buy the Melodifestivalen 2013 CD now! The CD is for sale everywhere around town.

Stockholm Central. People rushing around to get where they need to be. One person is interested in free samples of a new fruit drink. Free sample stations can be found in many places. In Malmö, I was given free samples of yogurt while walking down one of the main streets.

A weapon and ammunition amnesty is in effect. If you turn it in from March to May, you can remain anonymous and won't be charged with any crime. The poster reminds people to make sure the weapon is unloaded before transportation. 

The view from Stockholm's central station early in the morning.

I've seen some unusal signs in Sweden, but this one is new. No ballons, no fun. It's posted in an underground train platform in Malmö on the way to Copenhagen. A ballon getting lose could cause some serious consequences by shorting out electrical connections to the trains, hence the ban. 

Love It or Hate It

Just like the competition factor, the opinion factor can help explain Mello's popularity in Sweden. Everyone loves to tell you what they think, whether they love the show or hate it.

One of the hosts, Gina Dirawi, was interviewed in the official program magazine about her thoughts on the contest. When they asked her what she liked about it, she said, "What's nice about Melodifestivalen is that you can hate it as much as you like and you can love it as much as you like. And I like that such a contrast exists." I was schooled in that contrast when I talked to people. There's no real in between. People either love it or hate it.

If you love the show, you'll find yourself in the arena watching it live in person.

People who love the show and follow it had detailed opinions on the artists, their numbers, and who should win first place, such as Pia from Melodifestivalsklubben. People who don't watch, or claim they don't, felt strongly about the contest as well. They focused on the trappings of the show instead. They told me about the politics, the humor, the way the artists were chosen, the type of music involved, and so on. I found no lack of opinion, no matter who I asked. Everyone had a strong sense of what they wanted to say.

Some people had informed opinions. Others did not. One gentleman told me all the artists are fake and don't sing their own songs, nor do they write their own songs, which is patently false. He had no qualms about giving me his highly uninformed, yet highly entertaining, opinion anyway.

If you hate the show, you'll find yourself scanning this QR code. "Don't care about Melodifestivalen? Neither do we! Come and dance with us on Saturday instead!"

The contest is also a good forum for complaints, which is a common part of Swedish culture. Some say Swedes are the biggest complainers in the world, which might very well be true. And Mello is a complaint magnet. A sampling of the many complaints from this year's show: The show is too long. The artists are no good. The co-host can't pronounce English properly. The comedy sketches are offensive. The wrong song won. We shouldn't have an international jury. And so on. It's almost a national sport here, which goes to prove if you don't have any major life issues to complain about, you'll find something. It's just human nature.

This unusual relationship with the program caught my attention. Everyone has a connection to it and therefore a relationship to it at the same time. Whether you watch or not, you will hear about it. You will know who the winner is and you will hear the song played throughout the next year. You cannot escape its presence, no matter who you are. This inability to escape its shadow might have created the ill will some feel against the program. The show is everywhere and to escape it is nearly impossible. It's on TV, in the news, in the stores, on the radio, talked about in the office, at school, on the streets, in the subway. If you love it, you're in luck. If you don't care, you will hear about it anyway. So, why not form an opinion of it? You might as well. And it seems everyone has done just that.

Melker Dahlstrand/imagebank.sweden.se

There's no escaping Melodifestivalen - even underground. Every single person sitting within earshot of me on the subway was talking about the results of the final show an hour after it had ended. An estimated 4.2 million people watched it - almost half the country's population.

As for myself, after following the show for six weeks, I can see how a person could burn out on it since you can't escape it. Regardless, I still love the show and the circus surrounding it. It might be easier for me to handle since I mostly get blank stares from anyone in the States who has never heard of it. I'm not bombarded by all the promotion in the same way, either.

For anyone who hates it, you could move to the US, but I'm sure you'd feel nostalgic after a year or two. You would start missing it, then you would end up in a karaoke bar singing ABBA's Waterloo at the top of your lungs, "Waterloo, I was defeated, you won the war. Waterloo, promise to love you for ever more. Waterloo, couldn't escape if I wanted to. Waterloo, knowing my fate is to be with you," which might secretly prove you love Melodifestivalen after all, no matter what you might say about it.

Ola Ericson/imagebank.sweden.se