Svensktoppen

The Svensktoppen is a hit parade in Sweden. The well-known program to be sent in 1962 by the radio station Sveriges Radio every Sunday. Be played and presented music from genres such as Swedish pop and Dansbandsmusik.

History

Svensktoppen are a hit parade that had undergone several changes in the course of their decades- long history. This affects the manner of determining the Top Ten, and the case approved songs and artists. There should either be a hit parade for Swedish music that the artist selection is restricted to local songwriter. The exact rules have been amended over the years several times.

1961-1970

The precursor to the Svensktoppen was broadcast De Tio, which was broadcast by pirate radio station Radio Nord on November 12, 1961 for the first time. After the transmitter setting the idea of Sveriges Radio was picked up, and there integrated as Svensktoppen in Svensklördag program. The first program was broadcast on October 13, 1962 from the Folkets Hus in Svärtinge where the audience present could decide the coordination of Svensktoppen by dial. The number one at that time was Midnattstango by Lasse Lönndahl. After the presentation of the program Svensktoppen was already on 10 November 1962, a stand-alone program at Sveriges Radio.

1970-1982

In the 1970s, the concept of the program was under extensive criticism since the Svensktoppen especially promoted the songs and performers of the big record companies and began too little for lesser-known groups. The played at Svensktoppen music also corresponded very little what the name of the program suggested, namely the presentation of indigenous music, which was written by Swedish musicians and bands. The selection of songs also contained English titles and songs that came from foreign performers. Due to the ongoing discussions on these grievances, there were provisions which governed the selection of songs Svensktoppen and criticism should be fair.

So in 1974, initially determined that a song could be played in the Svensktoppen only a maximum of ten weeks in the charts, which should allow the rapid exchange of songs and artists represented there. The selection of songs ever approved was severely restricted. The lyrics of the songs could have been written exclusively by Swedish citizens, the same was true for composing the music. Even songs that came from abroad and were provided with Swedish texts were not played at the Svensktoppen. The rules led directly to the exclusively ran more or less Dansbandmusik in the show. In 1978 the rules were relaxed by Swedish translations of foreign songs were re-admitted, where more than half of the music composer of a song Swedish citizens were.

The early 1980s, the program should undergo a renovation to make the Svensktoppen for listeners attractive. For the first time listener of the program should be able to decide on what songs the Svensktoppen the week should be. These led the program makers a choice by postcard, with which the top ten of the Swedish music should be determined. So that everyone was the first time able to determine these charts. After several attempts, the audience choice was reinstated as the Svensktoppen saw suddenly dominated by pop. It was quickly returned to the initial determination of the charts by a jury.

The lack of popularity in 1982 led to the fact that the program was set. Only in 1985, the concept was taken up again. Alternatively, a program was introduced with the name Skivstafetten. The facilitators attended to in every week another family who had the choice to determine a top 5 and five other challengers of the next program. Also this program showed only little popularity and was reinstated in the spring of 1984.

1985 to today

From 1985, the shipment Svensktoppen was resumed in the program of Sveriges Radio. Here we relied largely on the rules that were in 1974: the songs must have been composed by Swedish citizens and the lyrics were to be written in Swedish only. In addition there was an extension of the approved content by instrumental music and songs were played with religious content, which led to the rediscovery by artists such as Lars Roos, Åsa Jinder and Roland Cedermark in the Svensktoppen.

The election procedure was amended in 1993 by the previously selected jury, which was responsible for determining the Svensktoppen, was replaced by the election with postcard and later the election by telephone voting. The remaining rules as the approved music groups did not change, however, and thus continued to rule the music style Dansband. Disadvantage of the applied selection process was that in the Svensktoppen hardly took place movement as newcomers found hardly a way to get started in the Svensktoppen, unless they were previously made ​​popular by shows like the Melodifestivalen.

To expand the program and played there and featured music, the rules were changed again in 2003. It was now allowed to choose songs with foreign language texts in the Svensktoppen, provided that both the music and the lyrics of the song come from a Swede. The televoting was abolished, and instead the choice of songs is again determined by a jury. Everyone has a say when it is added to the circle of determining jury. The members of the jury will be representative selected by the sender, are 16-79 years of age and include a total of four weeks of voting Community.

Find out more

• The Svensktoppen derived from assumed by Sveriges Radio concept which was originally created by the pirate radio station Radio Nord 1961.
• The longest held is the song you are är min by Benny Andersson's Orkester & Helen Sjöholm in the Svensktoppen, namely 278 weeks since 2004, including 38 weeks at number 1
• With 61 songs in the Svensktoppen keep the Bands " Sten & Stenley " and " Sten Nilsson " the record of the contributed songs.
• Youngest there unrepresented artist is Anita Hegerland that Sommarlov 1970 made ​​it nine years old and her song mitt in the Svensktoppen. Oldest artist in the Svensktoppen was the Swedish singer and actress Julia Cæsar, 1967 at the age of 82 with her song " Annie från Amörrka ".