Why did you send this?: Sweden 2009

Sometimes you have to wonder what's going through the minds of countries when they select their entrants to the Eurovision Song Contest.  The voters in Melodifestavalen, Sweden's contest to determine their entrant to the ESC, decided that Malena Ernman, a Swedish opera singer with Harlow blonde hair warbling over a disco beat straight out of the 1990s.

Malena Ernman  "La Voix"

The song came in 21st out of 25 entries in the final and rightly so.

What's even more frustrating it that the first runner up in the contest that year has become one of my favorite Eurovision songs, even though it didn't make it to the finals.

Caroline af Ugglas  "Snälla, snälla"

Yes instead of techno-opera, Sweden could have sent a bluesy song about a woman begging her lover not to leave her for another woman.  And a song sung with more emotion than Ms. Ernman, an opera singer, could muster.

It probably wouldn't have won, but my god, it could have been the classiest song in the contest.  And considering France sent chanteuse Patricia Kaas, that's saying something.