Kärleken är
"Kärleken är" (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈɕæ̂ːˌɭeːkɛn ˈæːr]; literally "[The] Love Is"; English title: "Eternal Love") is a Swedish-language ballad about love. It was written by Ingela Forsman, Bobby Ljunggren and Håkan Almqvist, and sung by Swedish pop and country singer Jill Johnson in the Swedish Melodifestivalen 1998, where it won, gaining the right to compete for Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 1998. It finished 10th with 53 points. It was the last Swedish entry in the contest to be sung in Swedish.[1]
 "Kärleken är" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Eurovision Song Contest 1998 entry | |
| Country | |
| Artist(s) | |
| Language | |
| Composer(s) | Håkan Almqvist, Bobby Ljunggren |
| Lyricist(s) | |
| Conductor | |
| Finals performance | |
| Final result | 10th |
| Final points | 53 |
| Entry chronology | |
| ◄ "Bara hon älskar mig" (1997) | |
| "Take Me to Your Heaven" (1999) ► | |
Although lyricist Ingela "Pling" Forsman did not comment on the background of the song when it won Melodifestivalen and competed at Eurovision, she has since confirmed that the lyrics indeed were inspired by the aftermath of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in a car accident in France in 1997.[2] The chorus in Swedish translates as follows: "An angel flew by on her way to heaven, so free, but she left her smile here on earth – like a warming sun, like heavenly starlight, so that we can contemplate life and its events with a faith; love is..."
Single
The single "Kärleken är" was released on 20 March 1998. It reached #5 on the Swedish Singles Chart.
Track listing
- "Kärleken är" (radio version) – 3:00
- "Kärleken är" (instrumental version) – 3:00
List placings
Svensktoppen
"Kärleken är" entered the Sveriges Radio radio chart Svensktoppen on 2 May 1998 at #1 and spent a total of six weeks on the listing.
Tracks
"Kärleken är" also featured on Sveriges Radio's hit list Trackslistan. On 11 April 1998 the song entered the list, and spent eight weeks on the chart, peaking at #6 on 16 May 1998.
English
Jill Johnson recorded the song on her 1998 album När hela världen ser på, both in its Swedish and English versions, the latter entitled "Eternal Love" and retaining the theme of the original Swedish lyrics.
Charts
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[3] | 5 |
References
- "1998 - Jill Johnson - Kärleken är". Svenska Dagbladet. 19 January 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
- Melodifestivalen genom tiderna, Premium förlag 2006 (first released 1999), page 263-265 - Melodifestival 1998, I schlagerns mikrokosmos...
- "Jill Johnson – Kärleken är". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 30 May 2020.