Showing posts with label Melodifestivalen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Melodifestivalen. Show all posts

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Melodifestivalen 2008 - Carola Not So Invincible?

I missed yesterday's Melodifestivalen heat to wake up with the shocking news that three time Eurovision entrant Carola didn't make it to the final straight away. Well, tough luck, she, with her singing partner Andreas 'Glorious' Johnson, will get another chance to sing their One Love in the Second Chance round.

Carola's Eurovision history is one of success and glamour. Her first appearance at a national final in 1983 resulted in a maximum vote from all 11 regions' judges, something that hadn't happened before.
The song, Främling (Stranger) went on to Eurovision in Münich and ended third.
Carola recorded the song in Swedish, English, German and even in Dutch. The latter, Je Ogen Hebben Geen Geheimen (Your eyes have no secrets) scored a top 10 hit in the Dutch charts. Främling was only a # 5 hit in the Swedish charts but has become a classic over the years and is the third most covered Swedish Eurovision entry behind winners Waterloo (1974) and Diggi Loo Diggi Ley (1984).

In 1990 Carola tried again and ended 2nd in Melodifestivalen with Mitt I Ett Äventyr. Great pop song and another # 5 hit in the Swedish charts. The winner Som En Vind by reli band Edin Ådahl bombed at Eurovision (16th) and in the charts (only a 15/2 hit)

Carola's revenge came in 1991 when she won Melodifestivalen and the Rome Eurovision with Fångad Av En Stormwind (Caught by a storm) an energetic power pop schlager stunner for which Carola introduced the windmachine to the Eurovision stage.
Runner up with the equal amount of points was Amina's Le Dernier Qui A Parlé for France, but Carola was declared the winner on a high point count.
The song charted in Sweden (3/6) but failed to impress the international record buyers.

Via an almost return in 2003 with När Löven Faller (which she withdrew from the competition) 2006 saw Carola singing Invincible (Evighet at the MF) at the Athens Eurovision Song Contest. Melodifestivalen was a piece of cake, but in the international final she 'only' ended fifth (a result many other countries would start a war for).

Carola is a superstar in Sweden. She had her ups and downs, scandals and celebrations. A tabloid career ranging from religious fundamentalism and anti gay remarks to liberation trough divorce and really really loving her stylists and hairdresser. All s#@t came her way but somehow most Swedes forgave her, bought her Christmasalbums by the truckload and voted Carola as most popular Swede after the royals.
Is Carola not making it straight to the final a sign of a love that's beginning to crack or do we just blame Andreas Johnson?

I made a Carola Document (updated version september 2011) for your entertainment and information. You can find details and some picture sleeves on all Carola's versions and releases as taken from the Eurovision Collectors Guide.
You'll also find lists of coverversions from the 10.000 coverversions project. If you have any addition or correction, please let me know.
It's a Word Document and you can download it here.

Carola's page at BeaRecords offers various releases of her entries including vintage vinyl, cdsingles and several CDalbums.

http://www.carolainternational.com/ is a great site about Carola with biography, discography, news and lots more.

Here's a few coverversions of Carola's three Eurovision songs.
First up there's Främling by Marjana Derzaj, a recording in Slovenian (Tujci) from the CD Za vse poletne noci! (2001, RTVS ZKP DD 0173). The Stormwind is covered by Dutch kids project Ministars as Een Nijlpaard In De Achtbaan which translates as A Hippo In A Rollercoaster. Last is Evighet by South African boyband Hi-5. Their Afrikaans version 'N Ewigheid is from their CD Versoeking (Select musiek) which includes 6 Eurocovers in Afrikaans.


You can find another version of Främling in the last years Eurocovers post about Døsty Cåwshit. You can find a Chinese version of Le Dernier Qui A Parlé, the song that Carola beat in 1991, in this post.

Saturday, February 09, 2008

CD news: Festivalfavoriter - Internationella Hits På Svenska

It's Melodifestivalen* season and next week sees the release of a highly anticipated CD in Sweden Festivalfavoriter - Internationella hits på svenska (EMI) . It's a CD with 26 Swedish Eurocovers with songs from 1957 to 1977. Well known songs are there (Volare, Piove, Dansevise, Poupée de cire, Congratulations) but also some almost forgotten gems like L'amour s 'en va (Originally by Francoise Hardy), Finnish favorite Tipi Tii and Dutch Classic De Mallemolen. All covered in Swedish.
Artists like Gitte, Gunnar Wiklund, Alice Babs and Eurocovers favorite Marie Dieke all feature on this great collection.

Big kudo's go to Leif Thorsson, who used all his charm and pressure to make this CD release possible. Leif Thorsson is the author of the ultimate Eurovision / Melodifestivalen book Melodifestivalen Genom Tiderna**.

I'm also extra pleased with the inclusion of Doris' (Svenssons) version of Boom Bang A Bang.
Doris Svenssons' cult LP Did You Give The World Some Love Today Baby (in English), is a must hear and was reissued on CD with a load of bonus tracks, but not Boom Bang A Bang.

The Favoriter CD is out 11-02 and available soon at BeaRecords and other sources. At a snip! (6,50 at BeaRecords). See the full tracklist below.
* Melodifestivalen is the mammoth Swedish preselection for Eurovision. regarded as one of the best national finals and with all shows (6) in the top 10 most viewed TV shows of the year in Sweden.
Tonight is the first round for 2008, read more at the SVT Melodifestivalen site (In Swedish & English)

**Melodifestivalen Genom Tiderna (2006 edition Premium Publishing ISBN 91-89136-29-2) has been issued in 1999 with an updated version issued in 2006. The book is in Swedish but still extremely enjoyable if you don't read the language. Many unique photo's, picture sleeves and all results tables you need about more than 50 years Eurovision ánd the Swedish preselections. All in a large glamourous hardcover volume. I'd almost say Melodifestivalen Genom Tiderna is the only book you need, but I'd be selling myself short: of course a serious collector also needs the Eurovision Collectors Guide.

Tracklist Festivalfavoriter - Internationella Hits På Svenska
01 Doris - Boom Bang-A-Bang
02 Lars Lönndahl - I Det Blå (Volare)(Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu)
03 Carl-Erik Thörn - Säg Små Vackra Ord Till Mig (Say Wonderful Things To Me)
04 Marie Dieke - Om Våren ('N Beetje)
05 Alice Babs - Sov Min Älskling (Dors, Mon Amour)
06 Bertil Englund - Ring -A-Ding (Ring -A-Ding Girl)
07 Gunnar Thim - Säg Att Jag Drömt (Net Als Toen)
08 Gerd Persson & Tosse Bark - Sjung Lilla Fågel (Sing Little Birdie)
09 Carli Tornehave - Piove (Ciao Ciao Bambina)
10 Lars Lönndahl - Tina Och Marina (Zwei Kleine Italiener)
11 Marie Dieke - Åh, Ifall Jag Vore Du Ändå (Uh, Jeg Ville Önske Jeg Var Dig)
12 Gerd Persson - Tom Pillibi
13 Carli Tornehave - Angelique
14 Kicki Oscarsson - Vi Möts Och Vi Skiljs (L'Amour S'en Va)
15 Bertil Englund - Tipi-Tii
16 Gitte Henning - Det Kan Väl Inte Jag Rå För (Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son)
17 Carl-Erik Thörn - Du Är Som Skapad För Mig (Uno Per Tutte)
18 Anne Lie Rydé & Sös Fenger - Drömdans/Dansevise
19 Gunnar Wiklund - Mercie Cherie
20 Gitte Henning - La La La (Lyckolåten)
21 Marianne Kocks - Simsalabim (Jack In The Box)
22 Pastallerna - Ler, Ber Och Bönar (Beg Steal Or Borrow)
23 Rasmus - En Bit Av Mig Själv (Tu Te Reconnaitras)
24 Emigranterna - Tom Tom Tom
25 Gitte Henning - Vi Gratulerar (Congratulations)
26 Small Town Singers - Äntligen Har Jag Kommit Hem (De Mallemolen)

Thursday, February 08, 2007

VII: Melodifestivalen - Anne-Lie Rydé

Swedish songstress Anne-Lie Rydé teams up with a Eurovision veteran for this years Melodifestivalen in the Göteborg heat this weekend.
Rydé participated in the Swedish selection of 2004 with Säg att du har ångrat dig and with Så nära in 2005 and now she's trying again with Svante Thuresson, who's 1966 duet with Lill Lindfors Nygammal vals resulted in a 2nd place, back then the best result for Sweden ever.
The song is called Första gången and considering the Swedish public just (or only?) love the big names, a place in the final awaits.
Go! Anne-Lie! Go! Svante!

For Eurovision covers fans there's two Anne- Lie CDs of interest.
First up there's the 1992 LP/CD Stulna Kyssar which features a jazzy interpretation of the 1963 winner Dansevise (In a Swedish Danish mix) and a lovely version of the 1963 entry from Sweden En gång I Stockholm*, originally by Monica Zetterlund. The album also includes a version of Zetterlunds När min vän (1962)

The 1994 CD Primadonna has two winners: Poupée de cire, poupée de son (Luxemburg 1965) and Merci Cherie (Austria 1966) and especially the first one is a slice of fantastic energetic super pop.

Stulna Kyssar - EMI 4750252 - 1992
Primadonna - EMI 4751012 - 1994

Denmark 1963 - Drömdans / Dansevise - LP/CD Stulna Kyssar
Sweden 1963 - En gång i Stockholm - LP/CD Stulna Kyssar
Luxembourg 1965 - Det kan väl inte jag rå för (Poupee de cire) - CD Primadonna
Austria 1966 - Merci Cherie (in Swedish) - CD Primadonna

Denmark 1963 - Sweden 1963 - Luxembourg 1965 - Austria 1966


* For Grethe & Jörgen Ingmanns version of this personal favorite go here