Introduction

• Participant(s): The Mamas
• Song: Move
  
• Writer(s): Herman Gardarfve, Melanie Wehbe & Patrik Jean
• Composer(s): Herman Gardarfve, Melanie Wehbe & Patrik Jean
• Broadcaster: SVT
• Social media:   
  
• Team review: 

This year’s candidates from Sweden are no stranger: The Mamas. They have supported last year’s participant John Lundvik as a background choir with “Too Late For Love” in Tel Aviv, where they reached the fifth place. Out of 28 participants this year, the Mamas have made the race on their own. With the song “Move” they would have gone to Rotterdam to represent Sweden again. Unfortunately, the ESC has been cancelled due to the Corona crisis. The Swedish broadcaster SVT has announced that there will be new Melodifestivalen 2021 and that the Mamas are not automatically set. Maybe they have a chance to get a direct spot in the final show with a new song. That would be a fair way to treat the singers.

The Mamas are a quartet, which originally consisted of four members, the founder Paris Renita has left the group after the performance in Tel Aviv last year. Now there are Ashely, Loulou and Dinah left, not a background choir anymore, a real American-Swedish gospel soul trio.

The song “Move” is thrilling and groovy and it makes you feel good. And that the purpose of the song, which is about building somebody up with an optimistic attitude moving through all ups and downs in life:

“'Cause there ain't no ocean
Deeper than my love for you

And there ain't no fire
That I wouldn't run right through”

The Swedish song would have had great chances in the final and a serious chance to reach a top position for Sweden again. Especially in these days such an optimistic song helps to get over the crisis and look into a bright future.

History

• Debut: 1958
• Participations: 60
• Victories: 6
• Finals: 58 (15 since 2004)
• Top 10: 41
• Chances for Top 10: 68%
• Chances for Final: 88%

Sweden had its debut in 1958 with “Lilla Stjärna” sung by Alice Babs, which made a fabulous 4th rank in Hilversum. But the first victory took a while, in 1974 ABBA could surprise the Europeans with the very contemporary song “Waterloo” for that decade, the song is still played in the radios around the world. Unfortunately, the ABBA hype did not start immediately, but some years later in Sweden and Scandinavia and even beyond. ABBA made a world career, they have had many #1 songs even in the USA, Japan and Australia.

The style of ABBA music has often been copied and many Swedish ESC songs sounded like ABBA and furthermore even other countries copied that style. Not many people know that ABBA have even tried to enter the ESC with “Ring Ring” , which only came 3rd in the Melodifestivalen 1973.

After that big success the popular Swedish music, a new music genre was born: “Swedish Schlager”. Especially in Sweden there are “Schlagerkvälls” (only Swedish schlager is being played) in discotheques and bars. This is a very worthy experience for everybody. There is a certain enthusiasm for Eurovision in all Scandinavian countries, that’s why these countries have extensive pre selection shows.

Over the years, Sweden has become one of the most successful countries in Eurovision with six victories, right after Ireland with seven victories. Not even the winning songs became hits, also the lower ranked songs made it into European charts. Sweden hosted the ESC for six times, 3x in Stockholm, 2x in Malmö and 1x in Gothenburg. The Swedish entries mostly shape up very well. There is a chance of 88% to reach the Grand Final and 41 Swedish songs made it into the Top 10. Since 2014 Sweden always can take home a place in the Top 10. Only one time Sweden did not qualify for the Grand Final in 2010 in Oslo, when Anna Bergendahl could not convince with “This Is My Life”.

Biggest successes

• 6x 1st place
  “Waterloo” | ABBA (Brighton 1974)
  “Diggi-loo Diggy-ley” | Herrey's (Luxembourg 1984)
  “Fångad Av En Stormvind” |Carola (Rome 1991)
  “Take Me To Your Heaven” | Charlotte Nilsson (Jerusalem 1999)
  “Euphoria” |Loreen (Baku 2012)
  “Heroes” | Måns Zelmerlöw (Vienna 2015)
• 1x 2nd place
  “Nygammal Vals Eller Hip Man Svinaherde” |Lilly Landforms & Svante Thurston (Luxembourg 1966)
• 6x 3rd place
  “Främling” |Carola Häggkvist (Munich 1983)
  “Bra Vibrationer” |Kikki Danielsson (Gothenburg 1985)
  “Se På Mej” |Jan Johansen (Dublin 1995)
  “Den Vilda” |One More Time (Oslo 1996)
  “Popular” |Eric Saade (Düsseldorf 2011)
  “Undo” |Sanna Nielsen (Copenhagen 2014)

Video Nostalgia

• “Härliga Sommardag” | Family Four
  Rank 13, Edinburgh 1972
  
  
• “Dag Efter Dag“ | Chips
  Rank 8, Harrogate 1982
  
  
• “I Morgon Är En Annan Dag” | Christer Björkmann
  Rank 22, Malmö 1992