“Heroes” (It Could[‘ve] Be[en])…
[Video]
[5.12]
Scott Mildenhall: Where to start, with a near-wordless song from a country in which you don’t live, representing a small, indigenous culture you’re even further removed from? There’s probably nowhere better than this sign-language interpretation of it, beautifully betraying all the “universality” so often desired, if not required from minority groups. It’s a dodgy concept, universality, but even if there are those of the opinion that this is a “Disneyfication” of Jon Henrik and Sami people — and this as a Melodifestivalen runner-up is noticeably different to even the joik that led to him winning Sweden’s Got Talent last year — he seems pretty sincere when he talks about the different elements of the song and its stage performance, and how they and he stand for what they do. It’s about more than just feelings — take this reflection upon it in conjunction with the rise of the Sweden Democrats, for one thing — but far beyond the few hundred people who will understand the language of the few spoken words, the feelings are quite nice.
[8]
Anthony Easton: The backstory is so exotic and so strange that to work through the extensive layers of indigeneity and trans-global, post-colonial baggage seems both necessary for context and a kind of distraction.
[4]
Iain Mew: I do feel bad that my associations for this amount to bad tourism adverts, but the key change would be more than I could take regardless.
[3]
Jonathan Bogart: I guess there’s a reason all the Scandinavian pop I’ve loved from the last twenty years has been sung by women.
[3]
Patrick St. Michel: Based on some YouTube clicking, guy has a great voice. But it seems to get drowned out here by trying to be “epic,” or at least earning a spot on some European festival’s side stage.
[4]
Edward Okulicz: This mostly-wordless song in the Sami tradition would be more effective overlaid on shots of glaciers and mountains (fjäll even means “mountain”, you know?) on an advertisement encouraging me to visit Swedish Lapland, which looks very beautiful. I don’t say that to condemn it, because every Swedish Eurovision entrant works as an advertisement in some way — Måns Zelmerlöw, Loreen, Sanna Nielsen, Eric Saade, Carola Häggkvist, Lena Philipsson, literally everyone that won Melodifestivalen in the last 15 years had different words and music but still fit in with the task of promoting Sweden’s facade of gleaming, harmonious perfection. That image is attractive people, accomplished pop confections, efficiently showcased to show Europe that they’re the best in the business, and this isn’t that much of a departure; it’s even got a key change! It’s mildly rousing, but it’s not extremely rousing, and the key change feels obligatory, as if you having heard most of what the song has to offer halfway in, it has to run its final lap as fast as it can to win the crown. It’s OK, I suppose.
[5]
David Sheffieck: Overpoweringly obvious — if you told me you predicted halfway through that there’s be a bird screeching at the end I’d believe you — but charming enough about its complete lack of shame that I’m finding it easy to give in. I about lost feeling in my fingertips because of the wind today, but this is sunny enough that it could keep me using my phone the whole walk back from the train station.
[6]
Brad Shoup: That group chant, that melody line, is astounding. It dissolves into Fjällgren’s robust ululations very well, but every time past the first it’s clear that it’s the whole show. And take it from someone who underrated “Saxofuckingfon”: that’s absolutely fine.
[8]