Oscar Enestad’s I Love It crashed out hard at Melfest, coming in last (despite coming in 6th in the televote). Enestad’s Eurovision dreams are over for 2019 (unless Poland calls for that duet with Margaret.)
So why am I still obsessed by this song? It’s accounted for at least half of my Spotify listening over the past few days (the other half being streams of Soldi). Given that I need to catch up with Montenegro and Romania and a gazillion other countries, why am I spending so much time on this Melfest washout?
Maybe it’s because I’m so fascinated by song as intention vs. song as presentation. In the leadup to Melfest, I read all the news about how Oscar intended this to be a song about his May-September romance with Cecelia Dahlbom (he’s 21, she’s 50.) And I was excited about the chance to hear Enestad explain, in his own words, his experience of the relationship, which has now been going on for four years (or roughly 1/5 of Enestad’s life.)
But then I heard the song, and it never mentions her. Not just not her name, but not even the pronoun her. In fact, in the lyrics, the term ‘you’ is used only once, in the line “Without you, I ain’t living.” In contrast, “we” or “us” are used about six times, and “I” or “we” about eight times (and no, I’m not counting every single time he says ‘I love it’). So if it’s a love song to her, she’s remarkably absent from it.
And that’s most evident in the chorus, in which Enestad sings, “I love it” after a verse full of sexual imagery, rather than “I love you” or “I love her” which scan just as easily.
So we’re left with the impression that what Enestad really loves is boning his lady – which is fine! He’s a 21 year old male! Or at least it would be fine if this were a song about love, but it’s really a song about doing it.
Which is ultimately why I find it such a disappointment. After years of silence on the relationship, the grand public declaration that Enestad has made about his relationship is that HE IS GETTING LAID, SWEDEN! It’s far from the gesture of love that was promised.
Cecelia Dahlbom, I know his skinny body is probably freaky in the sheets, but this does not bode well for a future together. If you’re just using him as a boy toy, fine! But if you want something more, DTMFA.
dudepoints.fun 