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.

1973: Lars Forsell (1928-2007) - Breasts like swallows

I just read at ESCtoday that the Swedish author Lars Forsell has passed away at age 79.
Lars Forsell earned his accolade in Eurovision History with the lyrics for the Swedish entry of 1973 You Are Summer (You Never Tell Me No) by Nova.

Both the English Eurovision version and the original Swedish version Sommar'n Som Aldrig Säger Nej (with the band going under the name Malta) got their place in the history books on the shelf for being the first Eurovision song ever to mention breasts. (Your breasts are like swallows in nestling).
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In todays Eurovision it's not uncommon to hear about popping cherries, something to suck on or all kinds of candy being handed out, but for its time the mention of any parts of the female anatomy was not done and at least something for the press to rant about.

The best illustration for this is the set of coverversions of the song made by the Bendik Singers from Norway. They covered the song in Swedish, with the original lyrics, breasts included, but in their Norwegian version Du Er Sommer the mention of breasts is replaced for something less provocative like happiness or so.
The Bendik singers themselves represented Norway in the 1973 contest with It's just a game.
Their versions of the Swedish entry appeared on 70's hits LP's like Svensktoppar. (exact details welcome)



Lars Forsell at Svenska Akademien (in Swedish).

VII: Year Of The Puppet - Siw Malmkvists Sprattelgummas

Sprattelgumma is the Swedish version of Puppet On A String. The Year Of The Puppet continues with none other than Siw Malmkvist.
Siw Malmkvists first appearance on the Eurovison stage was in 1960 when she sang Alla andra får varann to a 10th place in London. But her first Eurovision related venture was when she won the Swedish preselection in 1959 with Augustin. Thát song was sung at the contest by another singer: Brita Borg. But Siw Malmkvist recorded it in Swedish, German, Danish, Norwegian and maybe even Italian, although the Eurocovers detectives are still out on that last version.
In 1961 she won the Swedish selection again, this time with April April but she was replaced for eurovision by Lill Babs*.
In 1969 Siw performed Primaballerina at the contest in Madrid, but now representing Germany.

* Thanks Frank!

(All details and links on the German Colour TV LP with a rare version of the song have been removed, but here is a Youtube, as long as it's there)
Sprattelgumma single (Metronome J45-743)

A superb Siw Malmkvist Discography is at http://jazzbacillen.com/


Not only has Siw Malmkvist appeared in several national selections, she also has been active on the international Eurocovers front.
U.K. 1967 - Puppet on a string - Sprattelgumma (Swedish)
Luxembourg 1967 - L'amour est bleu - Blå, blå är Kärleken (Swedish)
Luxembourg 1971 - Pomme Pomme Pomme - Ett rött äpple (Swedish)
Monaco 1971 - Un banc, un arbre, une rue - På en gammel bank
Yugoslavia 1992 - Ljubim te pesmama - Ein Hauch von Florenz (German)
Yugoslavia 1992 - Ljubim te pesmama - Ge mej en doft ifrån Rom (Swedish)
Croatia 1995 - Nostalgia - Musik ist wie ein Freund (German, with Lidija Horvát Dujnko)
Croatia 1995 - Nostalgia - Musik är ingenting för mig (Swedish with Siw Wennerberg)





Related Eurocovers Posts. Three Swedish coverversions from 1959 by Marie Dieke, including a version of Augustin.

Eurovision covers by Swedish MF regular Anne-Lie Rydé


Swedish Winner Waterloo in Feathers and in Spandex

The Year Of The Puppet celebrates the 40 year anniversary of Sandie Shaw's Eurovision victory with Puppet On A String. Introduction to the series in this Eurocovers post.
Other versions already featured are from France, Singapore (Mandarin-Chinese), Jamaica. Yugoslavia, Estonia, U.K. (Comedy), Iceland, Lithuania, USA (Musical), Spain, Brasil, UK punk, Norway (gloom) Norway, Turkey, Portugal, Basque country Organland, Tirol, Denmark, CzechoSlovakia, Hungary, Russia, Yugoslavia (Slovenia), Chile/Argentina/Mexico