| Melodifestivalen | |
| Year: | 2006 |
| Heat1: | 18 February 2006 |
| Heat2: | 25 February 2006 |
| Heat3: | 4 March 2006 |
| Heat4: | 11 March 2006 |
| Second: | 12 March 2006 |
| Final: | 18 March 2006 |
| Presenters: | Heats and Final: Lena Philipsson Second chance: Carin Hjulström-Livh Henrik Johnsson |
| Entries: | 32 |
| Finalists: | 10 |
| Vote: | Heats and Second chance: 100% public vote Final: 50% public vote, 50% jury vote |
| Winner: | "Evighet" by Carola |
Swedish: Melodifestivalen|i=unset 2006 was the 46th edition of the Swedish music competition Swedish: [[Melodifestivalen]]|i=unset, which was organised by Swedish: [[Sveriges Television]]|i=unset (SVT) and took place over a five-week period between 18 February and 18 March 2006. The winner of the competition was Carola with the song "Evighet". She represented in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006, with the English version of the song, "Invincible", where she came fifth with 170 points.[1]
The heats for Melodifestivalen 2006 began on 18 February 2006. Ten songs from these heats qualified for the final on 18 March 2006. This was the fifth year that a heat format had been used for the competition.
On 15 August 2005, SVT confirmed that Leksand, Karlstad, Karlskrona and Gothenburg would host the heats of Melodifestivalen 2006, with the final taking place at the Stockholm Globe Arena for the fifth year running (sixth overall).
Lena Philipsson was a surprise choice as host, as rumors had been spreading that SVT wanted Helena Paparizou to present the Gothenburg heat or the final. The proposed changes to the voting format (caused by the controversy over Nanne Grönvall's defeat in Melodifestivalen 2005) never materialised.
| Heat 1 | 18 February 2006 | Leksand | Ejendals Arena |
| Heat 2 | 25 February 2006 | Karlstad | Löfbergs Lila Arena |
| Heat 3 | 4 March 2006 | Karlskrona | Arena Rosenholm |
| Heat 4 | 11 March 2006 | Gothenburg | Scandinavium |
| Second chance | 12 March 2006 | Stockholm | SVT Broadcasting House |
| Final | 18 March 2006 | Stockholm Globe Arena |
Unlike past years, where all Melodifestivalen participants were chosen by a selection jury, starting in 2004, four out of the 32 participants were selected directly by the contest's producers, in order to increase musical and artistic breadth. Each artist, called "wildcard", participated in a different heat. BWO were unveiled as the first wildcard in a pre-Christmas special. There was much speculation that Eurovision Song Contest 1999 winner Charlotte Perrelli would be among the others, but ultimately was not included when the final list was revealed in late January 2006. The wildcards in 2006 were the following:[2]
| Artist | Song | Heat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andreas Johnson | "Sing for Me" | Heat 1 | |
| Magnus Carlsson | "Swedish: [[Lev livet!]]|i=unset" | Heat 2 | |
| BWO | "Temple of Love" | Heat 3 | |
| Rednex | "Mama, Take Me Home" | Heat 4 |
| Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andreas Johnson | "Sing for Me" | ||
| Anna Sahlene | "This Woman" | ||
| Björn Kjellman | "Swedish: [[Älskar du livet]]|i=unset" | ||
| BWO | "Temple of Love" | ||
| Carola | "Evighet" | ||
| Electric Banana Band | "Swedish: Kameleont|i=unset" | ||
| "Golden Star" | |||
| "Under Your Spell" | |||
| "Spanish; Castilian: Mi amor|i=unset" | |||
| Günter and the Sunshine Girls | "Like Fire Tonight" | ||
| Hannah Graaf | "Naughty Boy" | ||
| Jessica Andersson | "Swedish: [[Kalla nätter]]|i=unset" | ||
| Jessica Folcker | "When Love's Comin' Back Again" | ||
| Kayo | "Swedish: Innan natten är över|i=unset" | ||
| Kikki Danielsson | "Idag & imorgon" | ||
| "Don't Try To Stop Me" | |||
| Linda Bengtzing | "Swedish: [[Jag ljuger så bra]]|i=unset" | ||
| Magnus Bäcklund | "The Name of Love" | ||
| Magnus Carlsson | "Swedish: [[Lev livet!]]|i=unset" | ||
| "Swedish: [[En droppe regn]]|i=unset" | |||
| Östen med Resten | "Swedish: Ge mig en kaka till kaffet|i=unset" | Thomas G:son | |
| "Spanish; Castilian: La chica de la copa|i=unset" | |||
| "Swedish: Kuddkrig|i=unset" | |||
| Patrik Isaksson | "Swedish: [[Faller du så faller jag]]|i=unset" | Patrik Isaksson | |
| Rednex | "Mama, Take Me Home" | ||
| Roger Pontare | "Silverland" | ||
| Sandra Dahlberg | "Swedish: Jag tar det jag vill ha|i=unset" | ||
| "Aiayeh (The Music of the Samba)" | |||
| Sonya | "Etymon" | ||
| "Oh Yeah" | |||
| The Poodles | "Night of Passion" | ||
| Velvet | "Italian: Mi amore|i=unset" |
The first heat took place on 18 February 2006 at the Ejendals Arena in Leksand. 3,045,000 viewers watched the heat live. A total of 466,660 votes were cast, with a total of collected for Swedish: [[Radiohjälpen]]|i=unset.[3]
| Artist | Song | Votes | Place | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Simone Moreno | "Aiayeh (The Music of the Samba)" | 6,688 | 6,688 | 8 | Out | ||
| 2 | Electric Banana Band | "Swedish: Kameleont|i=unset" | 32,192 | 29,037 | 61,229 | 4 | Second Chance | |
| 3 | Anna Sahlene | "This Woman" | 22,078 | 25,954 | 48,032 | 5 | Out | |
| 4 | Magnus Bäcklund | "The Name of Love" | 39,442 | 45,561 | 85,003 | 3 | Second Chance | |
| 5 | Linda Bengtzing | "Swedish: [[Jag ljuger så bra]]|i=unset" | 49,506 | 56,658 | 106,164 | 2 | Final | |
| 6 | Pandang | "Swedish: Kuddkrig|i=unset" | 16,611 | 16,611 | 6 | Out | ||
| 7 | Hannah Graaf | "Naughty Boy" | 14,230 | 14,230 | 7 | Out | ||
| 8 | Andreas Johnson | "Sing for Me" | 56,354 | 61,323 | 117,677 | 1 | Final | |
The second heat took place on 25 February 2006 at the Löfbergs Lila Arena in Karlstad. 2,320,000 viewers watched the heat live. A total of 306,074 votes were cast, with a total of collected for Swedish: Radiohjälpen|i=unset.[4]
| Artist | Song | Votes | Place | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magnus Carlsson | "Swedish: [[Lev livet!]]|i=unset" | 31,115 | 49,610 | 80,765 | 1 | Final | |
| 2 | The Elephantz | "Oh Yeah" | 7,856 | 7,856 | 8 | Out | ||
| 3 | Sonya | "Etymon" | 16,541 | 17,299 | 33,840 | 5 | Out | |
| 4 | Östen med Resten | "Swedish: Ge mig en kaka till kaffet|i=unset" | 13,617 | 13,617 | 6 | Out | ||
| 5 | Pablo Cepeda | "Spanish; Castilian: La chica de la copa|i=unset" | 12,630 | 12,630 | 7 | Out | ||
| 6 | Kikki Danielsson | "Idag & imorgon" | 35,792 | 35,753 | 71,545 | 2 | Final | |
| 7 | Niclas Wahlgren | "Swedish: [[En droppe regn]]|i=unset" | 17,600 | 23,339 | 40,939 | 4 | Second Chance | |
| 8 | Velvet | "Italian: Mi amore|i=unset" | 21,496 | 22,627 | 44,123 | 3 | Second Chance | |
The third heat took place on 4 March 2006 at the Arena Rosenholm in Karlskrona. 3,109,000 viewers watched the heat live. A total of 411,478 votes were cast, with a total of collected for Swedish: Radiohjälpen|i=unset.[5]
| Artist | Song | Votes | Place | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BWO | "Temple of Love" | 38,733 | 53,820 | 92,553 | 2 | Final | |
| 2 | Jessica Folcker | "When Love's Comin' Back Again" | 14,725 | 14,725 | 7 | Out | ||
| 3 | Gregor | "Spanish; Castilian: Mi amor|i=unset" | 6,801 | 6,801 | 8 | Out | ||
| 4 | Jessica Andersson | "Swedish: [[Kalla nätter]]|i=unset" | 17,873 | 26,247 | 44,120 | 5 | Out | |
| 5 | The Poodles | "Night of Passion" | 45,927 | 56,242 | 102,169 | 1 | Final | |
| 6 | Elysion | "Golden Star" | 27,241 | 31,864 | 59,105 | 3 | Second Chance | |
| 7 | Patrik Isaksson | "Swedish: [[Faller du så faller jag]]|i=unset" | 22,985 | 33,080 | 56,065 | 4 | Second Chance | |
| 8 | Kayo | "Swedish: Innan natten är över|i=unset" | 17,770 | 17,770 | 6 | Out | ||
The fourth heat took place on 11 March 2006 at the Scandinavium in Gothenburg. 3,645,000 viewers watched the heat live. A total of 653,991 votes were cast, with a total of collected for Swedish: Radiohjälpen|i=unset.[6]
| Artist | Song | Votes | Place | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roger Pontare | "Silverland" | 29,939 | 37,645 | 67,584 | 4 | Second Chance | |
| 2 | Laila Adèle | "Don't Try To Stop Me" | 17,851 | 17,851 | 7 | Out | ||
| 3 | Günter and the Sunshine Girls | "Like Fire Tonight" | 20,767 | 20,767 | 6 | Out | ||
| 4 | Sandra Dahlberg | "Swedish: Jag tar det jag vill ha|i=unset" | 26,462 | 34,769 | 61,231 | 5 | Out | |
| 5 | Evan | "Under Your Spell" | 13,600 | 13,600 | 8 | Out | ||
| 6 | Rednex | "Mama, Take Me Home" | 37,104 | 50,418 | 87,522 | 3 | Second Chance | |
| 7 | Björn Kjellman | "Swedish: [[Älskar du livet]]|i=unset" | 40,574 | 53,000 | 93,574 | 2 | Final | |
| 8 | Carola | "Evighet" | 139,952 | 151,021 | 290,973 | 1 | Final | |
The second chance round took place on 12 March 2006 at the SVT Broadcasting House in Stockholm. 2,140,000 viewers watched the show live. A total of 480,449 votes were cast, with a total of collected for Swedish: Radiohjälpen|i=unset.[7]
| Artist | Song | Votes | Place | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electric Banana Band | "Swedish: Kameleont|i=unset" | 14,961 | 14,961 | 6 | Out | ||
| 2 | Magnus Bäcklund | "The Name of Love" | 35,823 | 53,582 | 89,405 | 2 | Final | |
| 3 | Niclas Wahlgren | "Swedish: [[En droppe regn]]|i=unset" | 10,584 | 10,584 | 8 | Out | ||
| 4 | Velvet | "Italian: Mi amore|i=unset" | 12,076 | 12,076 | 7 | Out | ||
| 5 | Elysion | "Golden Star" | 25,947 | 33,583 | 59,530 | 5 | Out | |
| 6 | Patrik Isaksson | "Swedish: [[Faller du så faller jag]]|i=unset" | 36,613 | 51,270 | 87,883 | 3 | Out | |
| 7 | Roger Pontare | "Silverland" | 36,180 | 45,188 | 81,298 | 4 | Out | |
| 8 | Rednex | "Mama, Take Me Home" | 53,635 | 68,670 | 122,305 | 1 | Final | |
The final took place on 18 March 2006 at the Stockholm Globe Arena in Stockholm. 4,242,000 viewers watched the show live. A total of 1,913,152 votes were cast, with a total of collected for Swedish: Radiohjälpen|i=unset.[8]
| Artist | Song | Juries | Televote | Total | Place | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andreas Johnson | "Sing for Me" | 112 | 350,938 | 88 | 200 | 3 | |
| 2 | Björn Kjellman | "Swedish: [[Älskar du livet]]|i=unset" | 6 | 83,917 | 0 | 6 | 9 | |
| 3 | Linda Bengtzing | "Swedish: [[Jag ljuger så bra]]|i=unset" | 34 | 138,249 | 22 | 56 | 7 | |
| 4 | The Poodles | "Night of Passion" | 32 | 180,784 | 66 | 98 | 4 | |
| 5 | Magnus Carlsson | "Swedish: [[Lev livet!]]|i=unset" | 19 | 44,825 | 0 | 19 | 8 | |
| 6 | Rednex | "Mama, Take Me Home" | 17 | 154,115 | 44 | 61 | 6 | |
| 7 | Carola | "Evighet" | 102 | 437,876 | 132 | 234 | 1 | |
| 8 | Magnus Bäcklund | "The Name of Love" | 57 | 101,799 | 11 | 68 | 5 | |
| 9 | Kikki Danielsson | "Idag & imorgon" | 2 | 51,742 | 0 | 2 | 10 | |
| 10 | BWO | "Temple of Love" | 92 | 368,907 | 110 | 202 | 2 | |
| 1 | "Sing for Me" | 8 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 6 | 112 | |
| 2 | "Swedish: [[Älskar du livet]]|i=unset" | 6 | 6 | |||||||||||
| 3 | "Swedish: [[Jag ljuger så bra]]|i=unset" | 1 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 34 | |
| 4 | "Night of Passion" | 6 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 32 | |
| 5 | "Swedish: [[Lev livet!]]|i=unset" | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 19 | ||||||
| 6 | "Mama, Take Me Home" | 4 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 17 | ||||||||
| 7 | "Evighet" | 2 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 102 | |
| 8 | "The Name of Love" | 10 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 57 | ||
| 9 | "Idag & imorgon" | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 10 | "Temple of Love" | 12 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 92 | |
| Jury spokesperson | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air date | Viewers (millions) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat 1 | 3.045 | |||
| Heat 2 | 2.320 | |||
| Heat 3 | 3.109 | |||
| Heat 4 | 3.645 | |||
| Second chance | 2.140 | |||
| Final | 4.242 |