Melodifestivalens bidrag till den samhälleligaromantiska fantasin : En kritisk diskursanalys av hur relationer framställs i en av Sveriges störstamedieproduktionerKandidatuppsats

Sammanfattning: In a fragmented media landscape, the Melody Festival (Melodifestivalen) is one of the few Swedish media productions that still gathers audiences for ritual media consumption. Despite its position as one of the largest media institutions in Swedish society, research regarding the event is limited and this bachelor study aims to counteract this. The aim of the study is to investigate what values and ideological assumptions about interpersonal relationships that are discursively constructed in the song lyrics performed at the Melody Festival. The study is based on critical discourse analysis, and Eva Illouz's sociological theories concerning relationships, as a theoretical framework. Every winning entry from every even year between 2002-2023 (a sample of 11 song lyrics) has been analyzed using critical discourse analysis. In line with previous research on pop music, the results of the study show how the most common type of relationship in the material is of a romantic nature. Love is frequently depicted metaphorically as an all-consuming force in accordance with Illouz. However, love as work (à la Illouz) is not represented in the material. The results also show how the private is prioritized over the societal where the relationship between “I” and “you” is the most prominent.