National finals are the battlegrounds of all the potential Eurovision songs, and due to the simple fact that only one song can represent a nation, it’s only natural to see handfuls of incredible songs missing out. In previous years, although difficult, we have been able to fit all our favourites in one Top 5, however the 2017 season proved to be a challenging one as we couldn’t decide between a whole bunch of songs we loved! As such, we decided to break this into three parts. A few weeks back we discussed our Top 5 national final songs from the Big 6 nations, and today we’re putting the spotlight on our favourite Scandinavian national final songs!
5. Hildur – Bammbaramm
In previous years, I’ve always found a song or two in the Icelandic national final that have stuck with me beyond the national final season, and this year, that award went to Hildur, the hipster queen. This is a song I’ve listened to countless times, but admittedly hadn’t seen the national final performance until now. I can see why this didn’t win the national final. I thought Svala was robbed at Eurovision, as I loved her performance, but I can’t say that the performance of Bammbaramm would have done better. The national final performance didn’t feel right for the song, and the vocals felt a bit off. Saying that, there is a reason that this song is in my Top 5, and that’s because it’s an incredibly catchy tune. Out of the English and Icelandic versions, the Icelandic is definitely the version that I prefer, as it sounds more natural. It’s a great song, just didn’t quite click on stage.
4. Ida Una – One
This was another one of those songs that I discovered after the contest as I was so caught up in Anja’s winning song for the Danish national final, but going back to this song made me realise how much I enjoy it. It has slight Only Teardrops vibes with the backing music, but with a different set of uplifting lyrics. As much as I do like this song, I do think that ultimately Anja was the right selection for Denmark purely due to the vocals, as both songs for me were stand out pop entries. This is not to say that Ida is not a capable artist, but Anja’s vocals are out of this world. If this song had won, I think it would have translated well to the Eurovision stage in terms of the stage performance, and had a lot more potential than was shown in the national final. I must also say, the acoustic version of this song is beautiful as well!
3. Ulrikke – Places
Admittedly, it wasn’t until the national final in Norway was over that I found this song, but it didn’t take long to fall in love with this catchy tune. The song is that token pop song that you love to love. I don’t think this song is revolutionary or unique in any way, but it’s a definite earworm that I personally have gone back to listen to over and over again. The performance at the national final elevated the song immensely, and I think if the same sort of stage performance was used on the Eurovision stage, it would have come across as the most polished and impressive performances. More importantly than the stage performance was Ulrikke’s vocal performance, which was on point for the entire three minutes. It’s the entire package!
2. Nano – Hold On
It was the early favourite to represent Sweden at Eurovision, and part of me still does think that Nano was robbed of the win at Melodifestivalen. Although he’s not number 1 on my list (although he missed out by a hair), Nano really was deserving of the win more than Robin, in my eyes. This is a simple stage performance, but an incredibly moving song performed by an understated performer with an incredible voice that would have been unique in the field of Eurovision songs. This song creates an atmosphere like no other song did this national final season, and that’s why it’s so memorable to me. If this had represented Sweden at Eurovision, this would have matched Robin’s placing at the contest, if not climbed further up the Top 5. It’s just another entry to prove that Sweden really understands music!
1. Benjamin Ingrosso – Good Lovin’
Out of all the national finals of all the countries, of all the artists, Benjamin Ingrosso is the most excited I’ve been about a young, emerging artist. I had no clue of his talent until his Melodifestivalen appearance this year, but now I keep up to date with all his new releases, all of which I am in love with. His national final song Good Lovin’ is easily one of my favourites across all of the 2017 national final songs as it’s incredibly catchy, but also polished in the way that Swedish songs seem to always be. The national final performance, much like all the Melodifestivalen performances, was well thought out and well-choreographed. Beyond the stage performance, Benjamin’s live vocals were impressive, which makes this the complete package, and why this is my number 1 of this week’s Top 5!