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
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