That Schlager Thing Again

There's one "schlager" song in the contest today. I hesitate to write the word without quotation marks. It's because most people would not consider it a true schlager song. It's a song called En Riktig Jävla Schlager ("A D*mn Good Schlager")  by Ravillacz, a group made up of older singers who've had success in Sweden. One of the artists even competed in Melodifestivalen years ago.Yes, the song has the tempo and the correct layout of a schlager. It's catchy and hard to forget, even if you don't speak the language. It gets stuck in your head. However, the song's lyrics are making fun of the genre. 

The lyrics are cleverly written, yet it is still making fun of the genre, the fans, and even the song contest itself. Longtime fans of the contest are typically not fans of this one. That and the song has a cuss word in it, which is repeated many times. This hasn't played well with some families watching the show, as it is billed as a family program. The song doesn't have a chance of winning, but it will probably do well in the charts. It's the only entry this year in Swedish.

True schlager is rare in the contest these days, yet it was the dominant genre over many, many years. Some fans hope for a comeback, but it seems the contest will be filled with a modern blend of uptempo, pop, rock, and rap for at least the next several years.