(edit title) Swedes and songs in English Only Dead Fish Follow the Stream Options

[Kaipa]

Okay. So we all know how the Swedes are so goddamn great at writing pop-songs but for once The Locals' native- English speakers can wallow in the awfulness of Sweden's songmiths. How many times have we suffered the arrogant Swedes smirking at our pathetic attempts to learn their language Well just for once lets turn the tables.

Last night's Melodifestavaliin featured a song with the title " Only The Dead Fish Follow the Stream" You've got to laugh haven't you. Sung without the slightest hint of irony the very title alone makes no sense. Do dead fish follow the stream? Surely they just " go" with the stream and then why only dead fish? Don't living fish follow the stream?

This was then followed by a duet where two people looked longingly into each other's eyes whilst singing the lines "Now that we are sober it is better that we separate. "

The progressive-Swedes might believe in World domination but last night was an embarrassing setback!

[elina.stene]

Jesus christ get a life, it was a song not a parliamentary speech.

[Svensksmith]

Just as long as they don't sing "Tubthumper".

[Hisingen]

Jesus christ get a life, it was a song not a parliamentary speech.

On behalf of the Dead Fish Party I must protest. We found the title most disturbing, especially as we specialize in riding on the top of the waves.

[byke]

Nothing says support to these act's, like using the Swedish channels and paying for a TV licence.

This year it is estimated to cost 125 million Swedish to host the show ... Where do you think that cash has to come from?

The best way for the public to say "this is shit" is to not watch it or pay for it.

[John.Smith]

Cannot and will not ever watch it regardless of whatever country or universe in which I reside. My eyes and ears bleed and my brain turns to sludge at the thought of the awful curse that is Eurovision. Whomever invented this hellish occurrence of the lowest depths of humanity deserves to be slapped on the head with the aforementioned dead fish.

That is all.

[gplusa]

The money comes collectively from all the Eurovision countries, that's where it comes from. Question answered.

[oddsock]

The saying is "Only dead fish go with the flow" and is meant as a retort when somebody says "Go with the flow."

"Only the dead fish follow the stream" is a Borat-style pidgin English take on that.

May I also suggest: "The bird that is waking up early is the eating worms"

At least ABBA got their English lyrics proofread, it would seem.

[oddsock]

"Now that we are sober it is better that we separate. "

Haha, a true Swedish breakup song if there ever was one.

[Bender B Rodriquez]

I wouldn't be surprised if this was on purpose. Since most Europeans are not native English speakers it is often better to use a catchy phrase that will be understood by many than to use the correct one. There are a lot of amusing examples of this in the motion picture industry, where movies are given new English titles abroad, e.g. "Die Hard: Mega Hard" instead of "Die Hard: With a Vengeance".

If "Only The Dead Fish Follow the Stream" rhymes better than "Only dead fish go with the flow", you might as well use the former since nobody will notice anyway, except for the few English speakers out there...

[bobthedog]

A pedant writes; it's not Eurovision but Melodifestivalen. The best of Meldodifestivalen goes on to represent Sweden at Eurovision...

[Ant]

Write a song in Swedish and let us all take the piss out of you... until then stop critisising people for trying

[oddsock]

My Swedish isn't good enough to write a song in Swedish, so I won't.

[byke]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPrwuqx32_I