Melodifestivalen Favorites: Magnus Carlsson - Live Forever

"All the stars in heaven will shine for me"

Leading up to the 2014 final this Saturday, I thought I'd flash back to some of my favorite Melodifestivalen songs this week, starting with one from the 2007 contest. I was first lured to MF in 2007 due to my love of the Ark, who went on to win the whole thing that year. I still remember the horribly grainy video online, buffering every few seconds. In that sense, it was a bit of a slog to get through the broadcast, but I hardly noticed. I was so enraptured with the idea of Melodifestivalen. As an American, I had nothing to compare it to. In fact, I'd only discovered Eurovision one year before, when I'd been living in the UK. I remember that 2007 final being quite a strong one, but I was definitely surprised and annoyed that this little gem didn't make it through (it placed fifth in its heat). Live Forever is some euphoric synth pop. It's like A-Ha's Take On Me on steroids and would have made one hell of a winner. I still listen to it quite a bit.