The Dark Story Behind Eurovision’s Måns Zelmerlöw’s Song Heroes

Måns Zelmerlöw Heroes
Måns Zelmerlöw Heroes

Måns Zelmerlöw’s ‘Heroes’ won the Swedish leg of the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday. 3.7 million Swedes watched the final, when Måns beat out all competition. He’s sure of one thing, “I will win Eurovision,” according to an interview with Swedish news daily Expressen.

In addition to a great song, the show was also really spectacular. As you can see in the clip, there’s a cartoon guy appearing on stage. According to arena rules, the light projection show might not be allowed at the Austrian arena.

 

Måns Zelmerlöw – Heroes

He might, however, have to leave [the cartoon guy] at home. “I believe and hope that we can bring it,” he says to the TV breakfast show Gomorron Sverige. Despite the voting chaos, Måns was the superior winner. And he is confident that ‘Heroes’ may go all the way in Vienna.

Bullied As a Child

The cartoon guy portrays the singer as a bullied child at home. It’s obvious that the show means a lot to Måns Zelmerlöw as he has been very opened about the meaning of ‘Heroes,’ and the rough child upbringing.

ALSO READ: DID MÅNS ZELMERLÖW BORROW FROM DAVID GUETTA?

The cartoon guy is called Måns Petter. “It was me, in school when I was bullied buy this guy in my group of friends. From being part of something, I was being left outside. I was ashamed of being alone. And that still lives within me. That’s why I have a need to be seen and scared of being alone. David (Nordström) and Benke (Fredrik Rydman), who are the creative duo behind the show, has done a fantastic job in producing the show and draw the story,” says Måns Zelmerlöw.

This is not the first challenge Måns has faced. He has been accused of borrowing a bit too much of David Guetta’s ‘Lovers on the Sun,’ and even the light show has been accused of plagiarisim.

It has obviously not stopped the song’s popularity. It’s among the favorites at the European betting odds. The songs is currently climbing the Swedish official singles chart.

 

Did Måns Zelmerlöw Borrow from David Guetta?

Måns Zelmerlöw
Måns Zelmerlöw

Måns Zelmerlöw will defend Sweden in Vienna come May. Upon Måns’ performance, comments about the similarities with David Guetta’s hit ‘Lovers on the Sun’ became a discussion in social media. Add that Måns’ voice is quite similar to Sam Martin who is featured on the Guetta track.

Måns Zelmerlöw rose to fame as he was one of the finalists in Sweden’s Idol in 2005. This is the third time he competes in Melodifestivalen. ‘Cara Mia’ (2007) finished third, while ‘Hope and Glory’ came fourth in 2009. In addition, he led the contest in 2010 adding other presenter duties in Sommarkrysset, Allsång på Skansen and Lilla Melodifestivalen.

 

Måns Zelmerlöw – Heroes

‘Lovers on the Sun’ was issued in June 2014. It is included on his latest studio album “Listen,” and features the US singer/songwriter Sam Martin. He also sings on ‘Dangerous,’ and has added vocals on songs with Sultan + Ned Shepard and Dirty South.

ALSO READ: THE DARK SIDE BEHIND EUROVISION’S MÅNS ZELMERLÖW’S SONG HEROES

My opinion is that Måns Zelmerlöw managed to create a truly contemporary EDM hit, style-wise very close to Avicii, Alesso, Swedish House Mafia and Sebastian Ingrosso. While, I don’t expect Avicii to ever compete in Melodifestivalen this could crossover as a pan-European (even global?) EDM hit!

 

David Guetta featuring Sam Martin – Lovers on the Sun

UPDATE

Måns Zelmerlöw’s track moved 16-2 in its second week on the official Swedish singles chart, ahead of his victory. 3.2 million viewers saw the Melodifestivalen final this Saturday.

The Story Behind Mark ’Oh’s Smash Tears Don’t Lie

Mark ’Oh
Mark ’Oh’s ‘Tears Don’t Lie.’

One of the greatest rave and EDM tracks of the 1990s is no doubt ‘Tears Don’t Lie.’ Recorded by German DJ Mark ’Oh, the track became a HUGE hit in Sweden and Germany where it topped the charts. Née Marko Albrecht, he was born in the German town Dresden in 1970.

Rising to fame as a Eurodance DJ and producer, Mark ’Oh actually started out in the rock band Line Up. Turning Marko to Mark ’Oh, the DJ chose rave over rock.

In 1993, he charted with ‘Randy (Never Stop That Feeling).’ Taken off the debut album Never Stop That Feeling, the set included the aforementioned title track, ‘Love Song’ and ‘Tears Don’t Lie.’

Mark ’Oh – Tears Don’t Lie

Samples Michael Holm’s ‘Tränen lügen nicht’

‘Tears Don’t Lie’ became a massive hit in Germany and Sweden in 1994/1995. The track was inspired by Michael Holm’s ‘Tränen lügen nicht.’ According to WhoSampled, Michael Holm’s sample is found after 1:11 minutes. But hey, wasn’t this track an Italian track from the beginning? Actually, there are plenty of stories behind this prime rave track.

Michael Holm – Tränen lügen nicht

Let’s take it from the beginning. In 1974, ‘Soleado’ was released by Daniel Sentacruz Ensemble. This composition contained no words and was composed by Ciro Dammico with the artist name of “Zacar.” ‘Soleado’ was, in its way, based on the composition ‘Le rose blue’ from 1972.

Daniel Sentacruz Ensemble – Soleado

The Michael Holm song was recorded the very same year as ‘Tränen lügen nicht,’ but it was also available in French by Mireille Mathieu (‘On ne vit pas sans se dire adieu,’ 1975). It was made to fame in an English version by Johnny Mathis in 1976 with the title ‘When a Child Is Born.’

In Sweden, Mark ’Oh’s ‘Tears Don’t Lie’ spent two weeks atop the Swedish singles chart, amassing 15 weeks in total on the chart. A remix version peaked at No.18 just weeks after, concluding the DJ’s run of hits in 1996 as his cover of Visage’s ‘Fade to Grey’ peaked at No.45.

Clean Bandit’s Rather Be Most Streamed Track of 2014

According to The Official Charts Company, Clean Bandit’s ‘Rather Be’ was the biggest streaming track of 2014 in the United Kingdom. It was streamed 39.7 million times on streaming services such as Deezer, Google Play, Napster and last but not least Spotify. Approximately 15 billion songs were streamed last year according to the trade body BPI. That’s a lot! Back to, Clean Bandit. The giant hit features Jess Glynne on vocals and was initially released in December 2013. Dubbed baroque pop on Wikipedia, the song succeeded the previous single ‘Dust Clear.’ The song was a huge a huge international success, reaching No.1 in Sweden among other markets. It even crossed over to the UK – peaking at No.10 – making a hugely successful year for the Brits. It is nominated as “Best Dance Recording” at the 2015 Grammy Awards.

Clean Bandit – Rather Be ft. Jess Glynne [Official Video]

Make sure to check out Clean Bandit’s complete album via Spotify below.

Clean Bandit – New Eyes

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...