Image Credit: Thomas Hanses
If youâre involved in a conversation surrounding Sweden’s Eurovision entries in the 2010s, one that isnât favourably spoken about is 2017âs âI Canât Go Onâ by Robin Bengtsson.
Now there is some criticism towards this entry that isnât Robins’s fault – he canât control who votes for him – and this criticism is fair. People were bored of the Swedish male pop tracks that were consistently being chosen since MĂĽns ZelmerlĂśw took the contest back to Stockholm after âHeroesâ won in 2015. But why is âI Canât Go Onâ always singled out as the entry disliked by most when we look at the Swedish entries of the last decade?
Defending a song that finished 5th probably does sound a little strange because obviously it was liked, otherwise, it wouldnât have done so well. However, as someone who has seen multiple criticism’s surrounding this entry, I think it deserves someone to fight its corner.
Melodifestivalen 2017
Following on from what many have described as one of the strongest Melodifestivalen finals in 2016, all eyes were on 2017 to deliver. The list of names had people excited – we were introduced to acts such as FO&O, who have all gone on to enter solo in further editions with varying degrees of success in the contest (Felix Sandman more so than Oscar Enestad and Omar Rudberg), Benjamin Ingrosso, who went on to win Melfest 2018 with âDance You Offâ and Nano, who was a favourite in both 2017 and 2019. We also had a large pool of returnees, some of which included Ace Wilder, who came 2nd in 2014 & 3rd in 2016, Wiktoria, who came 4th in 2016, Mariette, who came 3rd in 2015, 2016 7th placer Lisa Ajax, Finlands 2013 Eurovision artist Krista Siegfrieds, 1999 & 2008 winner & Melfest veteran Charlotte Perrelli and of course, 2016âs 5th placer Robin Bengtsson.
Now, this list of names is impressive and in any other year, thereâd be varying degrees of hype for each. However in 2017, if the winner was based on fan reaction, no one else would stand a chance. If youâve noticed, one name didnât appear in the list above, cause quite frankly she deserves her own section. But why was there so much hype?
Because Loreen was back.
I need not remind you she won Melfest 2012 with âEuphoriaâ, which is still regarded as one of the greatest Eurovision winners, and one that changed the course of the contest for the future. Her return sparked excitement, and with her performing last in Heat 4 with âStatementsâ, it was clear she was being marked as one to watch.
Then the unthinkable happened. âStatementsâ only made it to Andra Chansen. Now, only one song has won from AC, 2013âs âYouâ by Robin Stjernberg. Not to worry, because she was against Anton Hagman, whose song âKiss You Goodbyeâ wouldnât sound out of place on a Shawn Mendes album. It was almost obvious she was going to the finalâŚuntil the results came in. Anton had beaten Loreen.
I could write a whole other article about this & the reaction that entailed, and with this article focusing on another act that year, I wonât dwell on that result too much. With the song & artist penned to be the biggest threat to win now out of the contest, who was taking the 2017 Melfest title? Cue Robin Bengtsson.
Robin Bengtsson was a newcomer to Melfest in 2016, and his song âConstellation Prizeâ is still today widely regarded as his best entry. There was some hype over him coming back, but no one really saw him as a likely winner. When youâre up against fan favourites like Ace Wilder, Wiktoria & Mariette, you can find yourself not at the forefront of discussion. Going into the final, Robin was third in the odds to win, behind Nano & Wiktoria, and just ahead of Jon Henrik Fjällgren & Anina. His win shouldnât have been a surprise, and it wasnât – but not for the reasons of it being tipped to do well, but because it was classic Sweden at Eurovision. Theyâd found their formula in 2015, which seemed to be a good looking guy sending a radio-friendly pop song, so why would they stray from that? It clearly worked for them.
Eurovision 2017
Eurovision 2017 isnât a year fondly discussed by fans when looking over the last decade. Itâs often paired with 2013 and 2011 as the âworstâ contests of the decade, taking into account musical quality, staging and hosting. It was quite obvious by the week of Eurovision that Portugalâs momentum had grown to a point where their win was set in stone before the shows had even started, despite âAmar Pelos Doisâ being behind Bulgaria’s âBeautiful Messâ in the winning odds – which came 2nd in the contest. For every other country, the contest was wide open. Moldova coming 3rd was a shock to many, the UK got their second-best result of the 2010s & 4th best result since 2000, Spain & Germany once again found themselves towards to lower end of the right side of the scoreboard & Italy came 6th – a result that any country should be proud of, but when youâre consistently called a potential winner in the lead up to the contest, not making the top 5 is a surprise.
Sweden flew a little under the radar that season. They were 6th in the odds to win, which is not a bad place to be. They opened Eurovision 2017, placing 3rd overall in Semi-Final 1 with 227 points (3rd in jury/4th in televote). In the final, they were at the other end of the running order, performing in 24th, coming after favourite Belgiumâs âCity Lightsâ, and before âBeautiful Messâ from Bulgaria. A strong run of songs, and with both Bulgaria and Belgium having a little more momentum than Sweden, it had the potential to get lost. However, by the end of the voting, âI Canât Go Onâ had placed 5th with 334 points (3rd in Jury/8th in Televote). This was Sweden’s 4th consistent top 5 placing, 24th top 5 and 9th time placing 5th in the contest since their debut back in 1958. They were continuing their dominance as a powerhouse in Eurovision.
After the contest, Robin came under fire for an Instagram post in which he congratulated winner Salvador Sobral, but also made opposing comments about Salvadorâs speech that he made after receiving the trophy.
We live in a world of disposable music; fast food music without any content. I think this could be a victory for music with people who make music that actually means something. Music is not fireworks; music is feeling. So letâs try to change this and bring music back.
Salvador Sobral, Eurovision 2017
Now, we all have our opinions on Salvadorâs comments & I think most of us have probably expressed them. However, many found it disrespectful that Robin said his comments were âbelow the level of a true winnerâ & generally were just shocked that an artist who took part in the same contest would criticise the winner so soon after their victory. Music and opinions are subjective, and whether you agree with Robin or Salvador, it isnât an excuse to attack either. Robins’s music style was exactly the type Salvador was taking a stance against, so his criticism of those comments is understandable – he was purely just defending his musical style. He also did praise Salvador, so the outrage may have been slightly taken out of proportion. This however did seem to turn the fandom’s opinion to be more negative towards him, and his Eurovision entry.
You can see what Robin had to say after the contest below.
Why Am I Defending âI Canât Go On?â
Iâm defending this song for three reasons.
Firstly, as mentioned at the start of this article – itâs my winner. The conversations Iâve had with people about 2017 usually end in them questioning why exactly this song is my first place. As someone massively into Swedish Male Pop music, I think itâs pretty self-explanatory – itâs exactly to my taste.
Secondly, after finding myself as one of the very few Melfest viewers this year who actually really liked Robinâs entry âInnocent Loveâ, and as someone who loves what he sent in 2020 (âTake A Chanceâ) & 2016 (âConstellation Prizeâ) too, I was inspired to take a look back at the one song that is often ranked towards the bottom of his entries by fans, even though that was the one that won Melfest.
Finally, it gets an unnecessary amount of hate, often not warranted. If you donât like it then that is fine, but is it really the worst output from Sweden in the last decade? Are people just projecting because it beat their Melfest faves? Itâs not Robinâs fault that he is successful with what some may describe as paint-by-numbers pop tracks, he may have entered Melfest with the intention to do well but heâs not responsible for the voting or results the other contestants received. Personally, for me, I know what itâs like to lose your favourites in national finals, especially in Melodifestivalen, where many of my own personal favourites havenât made it to the final, or to the higher end of the scoreboard. However I do think after the national final ends, we need to start realising that despite not being able to continue to support the songs we liked most all the way to Eurovision, we donât have to worry about their chances in the contest, and whether or not theyâll qualify – we get to enjoy the songs without the stress of pending results for almost 2 months. You have to look at songs in the Eurovision context after a national final is over, and compare them to those that are competing in ESC that year. When you look at âI Canât Go Onâ, I do not think it is the worst entry of 2017, even without bias. Itâs a well-produced pop song, with a solid performance. Robin has admitted himself that heâs not the best dancer, so yes, having to do even the most simple choreography on a treadmill for almost three minutes whilst ensuring your vocal is stable, in my opinion, deserves praise.
I could end the article here, but thereâs just one thing I think may have slightly redeemed Robin in people’s mindsâŚ
Robin Bengtssonâs Twitter Account
Now, for two years âI Canât Go Onâ faded into Eurovision history. That was until January 28th 2019.
I could not do this article, without briefly mentioning this. If youâre not an active member of the Twitter fandom, itâs likely you either may not be aware of this specific Tweet or if you are, itâs probably been used as a reaction image of some kind.
Robin will regularly reply to fans and people who have something negative to say about him on Twitter, even if he isnât mentioned directly. One interaction, regarding his Melodifestivalen 2017 result, provided something that has been quoted time and time again by the fandom ever since and inspired the excerpt of this article.
This reply still makes the rounds today and is used in a lot of different contexts. After this, ironically, Robin’s Twitter seemed to go silent for two years, with him returning slightly in 2021.
In 2022, he came back. Heâd made it to the Melodifestivalen final. His song âInnocent Loveâ divided opinions, and Robin came back stronger than ever to make his thoughts known about tweets people had made about him. He has admitted himself heâs there on Twitter to mainly reply to the rude tweets about him – which is a great way for him to deal with some of the abuse he gets from Eurofans.
Whatever you think of his song, his Twitter account has really made an impression & for a couple of days in February heâd returned himself back into the minds of fans, and his self-awareness does not go unnoticed, even if people donât want to admit it. Being able to interact with an artist in any capacity through social media is fun & when theyâre willing to give as good as they get back, it can often have a positive influence and change the minds of those who were originally a little less open to enjoying content from that person.
Overall, I think we need to start appreciating âI Canât Go Onâ a lot more. Sometimes we just have to enjoy music on its surface. I doubt Iâll change the mind of those who are so vehemently against it, but I hope to give others a different perspective. As he says himself, we take these contests more seriously than the artists, so letâs take a step back from our constant rankings and analysis and accept thatâs whatâs done is done, results canât be changed & begin giving âI Canât Go Onâ a lot more love in future.
What do you think of Sweden’s 2017 entry? Let us know in the comments & follow Phoenix social media to keep up to date with all the latest Eurovision news!
