Cornelia Jakobs – Hold me closer
Denying ‘Hold me closer’ is a cracking song is like pretending not to be impressed by the Grand Canyon. I mean, go ahead if you like. But you know you’re wrong.
Every few years, SVT decides it’s time to have another serious shot at winning, and 2022 is just such an occasion. And all credit to everyone involved, this is as far away from the dire plastic pop of recent Melodifestivalen winners as you can get.
Corneilia Jakobs has turned in performance after performance of the song during the run-up to Turin, each sounding identical, each showing someone who knows how to use the camera. With the sass of Kirsty Maccoll (and a brilliant lyric to match), Jakobs sings the very heart out of this drunken moment-after-midnight number, straying from the well-behaved path and hating how good it made her feel. This is an awful morning-after set to music and I can’t get enough of it.
It made me hunt down her back catalogue and I’m overjoyed to hear there’s more on the way. With Anna Ternheim between albums and Amanda Jenssen missing in action, I might have found my new favourite Swedish singer-songwriter.
Mo’s score – 12 Points (I’d give it more if I could)