page_title: Schlager music
section_title: Sweden
hierarchical_section_title: Schlager music / Variations by country / Sweden
caption_attribution_description: Svenska: Melodifestivalen 2014 Friends Arena
context_page_description: Schlager music is a style of European popular music that is generally a catchy instrumental accompaniment to vocal pieces of pop music with simple, happy-go-lucky, and often sentimental lyrics. It is prevalent in Central, Northern and Southeast Europe, and also in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the UK. In the United States it is also known as 'entertainer music' or 'German hit mix'.
  Typical schlager tracks are either sweet, sentimental ballads with a simple, catchy melody or light pop tunes. Lyrics typically center on love, relationships, and feelings. The northern variant of schlager has taken elements from Nordic and Slavic folk songs, with lyrics tending towards melancholic and elegiac themes. Musically, schlager bears similarities to styles such as easy listening.
  The German word Schlager is also a loanword in some other languages, where it retained its meaning of a " hit". The style has been frequently represented at the Eurovision Song Contest and has been popular since the contest began in 1956, although it is gradually being replaced by other pop music styles.
context_section_description: In Sweden, schlager has waxed and waned in popularity since at least the 1930s. It still enjoys a large place in Swedish culture. Although the original schlager was heavily influenced by operetta, cabaret, variety-style music, and jazz, this started to change in the 1960s, when schlager music became more pop-oriented. Since the early 1990s, schlager songs have included elements of rock and techno. Therefore, modern Swedish schlager little resembles that of the 1940s. Despite this, many old schlager tunes are still popular; they are performed by many artists and at the Allsång på Skansen.
  The Melodifestival (which selects the Swedish competitor at the Eurovision Song Contest) is popularly also called Schlagerfestivalen ("the Schlager Festival") or Schlager-SM (Swedish schlager championship), since it has traditionally been characterised by schlager songs. The Eurovision Song Contest has also been called "Eurovisionsschlagerfestivalen" (Eurovision schlager festival) or schlager-EM ("European schlager championship"). The amount of Swedish schlager has decreased in recent years, but schlager is still the most likely genre to win the competition ("Evighet" (English: "Invincible" in 2006 by Carola and "Hero" by Charlotte Perrelli in 2008, for example). Melodifestivalen is the most popular TV program in Sweden. It is broadcast annually, and in 2006 an estimated 47 percent of the Swedish population watched the final. In Sweden "schlager" is often used to refer to Eurovision-participating songs.
  Two characteristics of Swedish schlager are a pronounced key change before the final chorus and their three-minute length (the maximum song length permitted at the Eurovision Song Contest). Some Swedes dispute the meaning of "schlager" with respect to Swedish music; it may be used indiscriminately to describe popular music, Melodifestivalen songs, Eurovision songs, dansband music, and any song with a catchy chorus. Both Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of ABBA were influenced by schlager early in their careers.
caption: Melodifestivalen, often features modern Schlager hits, giving it a second name by some: Schlagerfestivalen
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