Why Is Sweden So Good at Everything?

Sweden has won the Eurovision Song Contest five times, which makes them runners-up to only one country, Ireland, who has seven victories. Out of 58 Eurovisions, Sweden has finished in the top ten 35 times.

And what about Ace of Base? Robyn? ABBA. Icona Pop, Europe (responsible for the song "The Final Countdown"), Roxette, The Cardigans, Swedish House Mafia. Did you know Eagle-Eye Cherry was from Sweden? Outside of the ESC, Swedish writers and producers have been responsible for dozens Billboard Hot 100 songs. The Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce lists the Billboard top ten for April 2012, and half of the songs have a Swede behind them.

This article from The Atlantic examines why Swedish music has infiltrated the global market, and the many reasons behind their international dominance.

From the Vault: Silvía Night

In 2006, Silvía Night was sent to the ESC to represent Iceland. She sang a song proclaiming she was the best candidate to ever participate in Eurovision and, additionally, "God's favorite person in the world." In the song, she declared that she was the winner, and congratulated Europe for making the right choice and voting for her, thereby "saving the world."

This upset some people.