Sweden's Plagiarism Scandal Hides in Plain Sight

MAY 15 2001 · 12:05

Friends · "Listen to Your Heartbeat" · Sweden · 2001 Placement: 5 · Score: 100 · Language: English · Composers: Thomas G:son, Henrik Sethsson · Venue: Parken Stadium · Host: Copenhagen, Denmark · Type: scandal · Broadcast: digital hd Four Swedes in coordinated white tailoring step into Parken's 38,000-capacity open-air stadium and deliver a crisp euro-pop workout. The harmonies are tight, the choreography is airline-stewardess clean, and the 100 points land them in fifth. Then the phones start ringing. Belgian viewers have noticed the chorus is note-for-note identical to Liliane Saint-Pierre's 1996 entry 'Liefde is een kaartspel'. Context Thomas G:son, already Sweden's most prolific Eurovision composer, co-wrote the song for the Melodifestivalen-winning group Friends. The melody match was obvious enough that Belgian broadcaster VRT filed a formal complaint hours after the broadcast. Belgian composer Johnny Logan had written the 1996 song. Legacy The EBU ruled the similarity was coincidental and no action was taken, but the scandal haunted Sweden's Eurovision machinery for years. G:son went on to co-write Loreen's 'Euphoria' and 'Tattoo' — the two most decisive wins in Eurovision history. 'Listen to Your Heartbeat' is the reason pre-submission plagiarism checks became a Melodifestivalen protocol.