UPDATE: This post has been updated to reflect the 10/1/20 running order reveal
Will it be seventh time lucky for schlager legend Linda Bengtzing at the Scandinavium arena in Gothenburg on 8 February 2020?
- Read on for reasons including Dotter and Anna Bergendahl who also appear in this 2nd heat
Not if the title of her co-penned effort (details below) is to be taken at face value. But Bengtzing is the star who shone brightest during her best finishes in 2006 (7th, immediately below and picture above Jag ljuger så bra, English translation I lie so well) and 2008 (5th below that Hur svårt kan det va?, English translation How hard can it be?).
Linda Bengtzing Alla mina sorger (All my sorrows) (Yvonne Dahlbom, Jesper Welander, Adam Jönsson, Linda Bengtzing)
We don’t yet have a running order (Linda’s on 5th) but it’s been diminishing returns for Bengtzing since 2008 with a final appearance three years later and then entries in 2014 and 2016 which did not even trouble Andra Chansen.
All my sorrows doesn’t sound like the title befitting the triumphant schlager of old but she does lie so well …
Anna Bergendahl Kingdom Come (Bobby Ljunggren, Thomas G:son, Erik Bernholm, Anna Bergendahl)
Bergendahl remains Melodifestivalen’s least successful winner after her failure to reach the Eurovision final in neighbouring Oslo in 2010 with This Is My Life.
Much better was her Melodifestivalen return nine years later with Ashes To Ashes (watch below) boasting the same writing team as this year’s entry which finished 10th in the finalen.
We said then: ‘While Ashes to Ashes is 1 of our personal favourites, we don’t think Sweden will be quite so receptive. Beautiful garden staging and a fine country-infused return for Melodifestivalen’s least successful winner.’
Anna closes the show.
3. Dotter Bulletproof (Dino Medanhodzic, Johanna Jansson, Erik Dahlqvist)
Dotter, real name Johanna Jansson, has co-written two Melodifestivalen finalists, A Million Years which finished 4th for Mariette in 2017 and last year’s Victorious which was 11th for Lina Hedlund.
We said of A Million Years: ‘A gorgeous piano motif to open and impressive build but the chorus is a little too laid-back for our liking. We prefer it to Mariette’s last MF success Don’t Stop Believing and the elastic gymnastics is memorable but on the whole this is underwhelming.’
And of Victorious: ‘The 1 we were most excited for before we heard the songs and this doesn’t disappoint. Missing the schlager that made MF so joyous in the 00s? Looking for this year’s Party Voice? This looks like our best chance. Lina’s already enhanced Alcazar no end and proved she can do it solo in this competition. It’s 1 of our personal favourites but not an entry we’re expecting to fare well because some might think it dated.’
Dotter’s only actual entry Cry was a pre-contest favourite which failed to make it out of its heat in 2018 (see below). We said then: ‘We’re reminded of Bjork’s Oh So Quiet by the 1-minute clip. This is quietly devastating heartbreaking pop that stands out a mile in the in-your-face hoopla that is Melodifestivalen. The first woman to make the 2018 final?’
4. Méndez feat. Alvaro Estrella Vamos amigos (Let’s go friends) (Palle Hammarlund, Jimmy Jansson, Jakke Erixson, Leo Mendéz)
Méndez made 2018’s finalen finishing 12th with Everyday (watch below) featuring three of the four writers of his 2020 entry which bodes well for something similarly upbeat and party-like.
The same adjectives could be used to describe his only previous entry, runner-up Adrenaline (watch below) from 2002.
Three new entrants also feature in this heat and for more details about these artists we’d recommend one of our favourite sites (Scandipop) if you want to know more.
- Klara Hammarström Nobody (Erik Smaaland, Palle Hammarlund, Klara Hammarström)
2. Thorsten Flinck Miraklernas tid (The time of the miracles) (Thomas G:son)
6. Paul Rey Talking in My Sleep (Paul Rey, Lukas Hällgren, Alexander Standal Pavelich)
Keep an eye out for monstagigz.com as we’ll be previewing all 28 songs after we’ve heard them and predicting how they’ll do in the run-up to their heats. We’ll also predict the qualifiers in each heat in anticipation of Saturday’s show. MF: #GreatestShowOnEarth
Find our Heat 2 predictions on Friday 7 February 2020 at monstagigz.com. Heat 1, Heat 3 and Heat 4 previews.
Our next preview for Heat 3 will appear at monstagigz.com on Friday 17 January 2020.
monstagigz 
4 comments