Eric Saade "Girl From Sweden" - Review

Despite falling prey to the usual Swedish blunder of releasing Melodifestivalen singles without a proper music video, Eric Saade is back with his follow-up single, "Girl From Sweden." Lyrically, the song tells a story of Saade-the-superstar who despite having enormous opportunities to jet set around the world, would be far more content to return home to Sweden and be with his 'girl from Sweden.' It's certainly a unique approach to constructing a narrative for a radio-friendly pop single. Admittedly, we had to bite our tongue to keep from laughing our way through the lyric, "high like a ceiling." But given Saade's history of questionable similes, "flyer than wind" for one, we'd expect nothing less than another hilarious lyric to add to the list. There's even a self-reference to "Hotter Than Fire"; no better time to self-promote your past hits like the present!

But all jokes aside, it is a much better song than "Sting." The brass instrumentation is better utilised, the melodic hook is catchier, and the whistle riff is a nice touch too. The attitude is more understated, and if this song is any indication of what's to come for Saade's next musical era, our interest is piqued. If marketed and promoted properly, this could be one of the big summer hits in Sweden.

Final point of discussion is the music video itself. Saade storms out of a red carpet that looks to be taking place in some sort of a warehouse despite what the exterior shots would have you believe, to jump on his bike and take off running through Sweden. What follows next is a compilation of some Swedish cultural points that range from milkmaid backup dancers, sweeping shots of nature and landscapes, girls in work-out gear (the accuracy of including Swedes' obsessive gym regimens is so deliciously real), dirty hipsters displaying an affinity for cultural appropriation, a cafe to fika in, Viking helmets, and even a MOOSE is thrown in for good measure! We so enjoy the humour of it all but the more subtle point we admire is the greater ethnic diversity amongst the girls presented on Saade's long-running journey. Given Sweden's shifting demographic make-up, it's important that more of Sweden's media content reflect this so as to not exclude or Other those who do not have the stereotypical Swedish phenotype. For that, we'll tip a hat to Eric Saade (or whomever cast/directed the video).

What are your thoughts on "Girl From Sweden"? Will this be on your summer-playlist? Check out the music video below!