Melodifestivalen 2009 - Semi Final 02

The Second Semi Final of Melodifestivalen 2009 was full of returning favorites, much celebrated newcomers more than a few surprises. The Second Semi Final saw the return of 4 MF veterans. The biggest ones were (of course), the heavy favorite, Måns Zelmerlöw. Other much vaulted returning artists were Lili and Susie, who was last seen at MF 1989, and Amy Diamond, who placed 8th in MF 2008 despite being a favorite to win. Also, Lasse Lindh was in there somewhere. He had previously competed in whatever MF (i honestly can't be bothered to look it up) with some sort of non descript  song. Swedish comedian/rapper/singer/jack of all trades Markooilo finally gave MF a shot, given the spot as the SVT "Joker". Other newcomers were Jennifer Brown, who i guess is somewhat famous in Sweden for a few hits in the late 90's and *Allegedly* (according to her wikipedia, which i'm sure she writes and lies on) has had a few "European" Hits and H.E.A.T., a Swedish rock band who had some lukewarm hits in 2007.

The HUGE (just overwhelming) Favorite to win this SF was Måns....and he didn't disappoint. Pretty much everyone thought that it was basically the other 7 songs competing for the other Finalist spot and 2 Second Chance Spots....cause Måns had the whole SF locked up. Lili and Susie, Amy Diamond and Jennifer Brown were also tipped to do quite well. When all was said and done, Måns won the Semi Final, winning each round of the voting and surprisingly H.E.A.T. got the other Finalist Spot. Amy Diamond managed to get 3rd and Lili and Susie CREAKED into 4th place (just barely), after getting 5th in the first round. Cookies 'N Beans surprised quite a few people getting all the way to the Second Round. Markooilo got 6th, Jennifer Brown failed to meet expecations and only managed a 7th place and Lasse shocked absolutely no one by getting dead last.

Songs -
01 - Show Me Heaven - Lili And Susie 

02 - Jag Ska Slåss I Dina Kvarter (I Will Fight In Your Neighborhood) - Lasse Lindh And Bandet

03 - Never Been Here Before - Jennifer Brown

04 - 1000 Miles - H.E.A.T.

05 - Kärlekssång Från Mig (Lovesong From Me) - Markoolio

06 - It's My Life - Amy Diamond

07 - What If - Cookies 'N Beans

08 - Hope And Glory - Måns Zelmerlöw

My Selection -

01 - Show Me Heaven - 50 735 - 96 985 - 2nd

02 - Jag Ska Slåss - 9 645 - X - 7th

03 - Never Been Here Before - 43 452 - 77 571 - 3rd

04 - 1000 Miles - 9 084 - X - 8th
05 - Kärlekssång - 14 704 - X - 6th
06 - It's My Life - 33 490 - 64 613 - 5th

07 - What If - 30 813 - 70 081 - 4th

08 - Hope And Glory - 74 821 - 129 621 - 1st


Round 03 -
Match 01 -

01 - Show Me Heaven - 89 631 - 1st

02 - Never Been Here Before - 69 204 - 2nd

Match 02 -

01 - What If - 67 849 - 2nd

02 - Hope And Glory - 107 523 - 1st

Comments -

This SF was WAAAAAAAAAY easier to do than the first SF. I mean, clearly "Hope And Glory" is the for sure winner here and has been since I first heard the songs. It's a simply brilliant dance song and has just the best build and spirit. Not to mention....it's Måns. He performs the whole song with an amazing amount of energy and despite all his dancing, his vocals NEVER suffer. Plus, he looks hella cute in his tuxedo. And those slides across the stage? PERFECT! Plus the "Dont! Stop!"! Ugh! inspired. My Second Place has ALWAYS been "Show Me Heaven". Lili and Susie are just AMAZING! Great start...perfect build...amazing beat. I mean the chorus alone "Gimme, gimme, gimme/Moments forever/Gimme, gimme, gimme/Minutes of love/Gimme, gimme, gimme/All that i'm dreaming of/Show me heaven" is just orgasmic perfection. And when they break it down right before the key change, i just lose it! Way back in 2009, "It's My Life" was my 3rd place song and i grudginly gave my 4th place to "Never Been Here Before". "What If" wasn't even on my radar. But it's all different now. I. Fucking. Love. "Never Been Here Before". It's just such an amazing and goregous ballad and has such a fantastic build. Jennifer performs it perfectly. I mean, who on earth can resist throwing their arms out and shouting "Don't go and break my heart/Don't tear this dream apart/ I need you now/More than you know/I've never been here before"? I just can't get enough of it! The newest addition to my top 4 is "What If"...i can't believe i was blind to this song for so long! It's a phenomenal ballad with just the right mix of country spirit. The lyrics are profound and fantastic and i just LOOOOVE the clapping. It for sure get's a Second Chance and one day may even get to the Final. 

As my "International Jury Selection" I chose "What If" by Cookies 'N Beans