Ooooh, a list! One might as well strike while the iron is hot!
Why is it suddenly hot? Because RUV kick off the Icelandic pre-selection for Eurovision tomorrow night! Söngvakeppnin 2020 commences with Heat One.
Anything to listen out for? Ugh, barely. It’s not a vintage year this year. You can listen to all ten songs right here. ‘Oculis Videre’ would be our pick of the bunch if we had to choose one.
So what’s this list then? We thought we’d cast a nostalgic glance over the past decade of Söngvakeppnin, and revisit some of the classics that the contest has given us, but which never made it beyond the contest and into Eurovision.
How many did you unearth? 30, in total, we believe are worth not forgetting about. And we’ve ranked them from 30 all the way down to number 1. In the spirit of competition, and all that!
Is there a playlist? There is. 30 of the best Söngvakeppnin entries not to have won, all right here.

Now, let’s get nostalgic, and let’s get ranking!

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30-21

30: Daði Freyr – Hvað Með Það (2017)
29: Rakel Pálsdóttir – Óskin Mín (2018)
28: Linda Hartmanns – Ástfangin (2017)
27: Hera Björk – Eitt Andartak (2019)
26: Guðmundur Þórarinsson – Litir (2018)
25: Unnur Eggertsdóttir – Ég Syng (2013)
24: Sigrun Vala – I Believe In Angels (2010)
23: Klara Ósk Elíasdóttir – Skuggamynd (2013)
22: Karen Pálsdóttir – In The Future (2010)
21: Arnar Jónsson – Þúsund Stjörnur (2010)

20-11

20: Friðrik Ómar – Hvað Ef Eg Get Ekki Elskað (2019)
19: Friðrik Dór – Í Síðasta Skipti (2015)
18: Ymsir – Til Þín (2013)
17: Ívar Daníels – Þú Bætir Mig (2019)
16: Yohanna – Þú (2013)
15: Bryndís Ásmundsdóttir – Segðu Mér (2011)
14: Sylvía Erla Scheving – Stund Með Þér (2013)
13: Fókus – Aldrei Gefast Upp (2018)
12: Iris Holm – Leyndarmál (2012)
11: Herbert Guðmundsson – Eilíf Ast (2012)

10-1

10: Aron Brink – Þú Hefur Dáleitt Mig (2017)
Remember ‘Kizunguzungu’from Melodifestivalen a few years back? Well this is that, in Icelandic. Pretty much.

09: Erna Mist Pétursdóttir – Skuggamynd (2017)
We were shocked that Disney didn’t pick this up for Frozen 2, but where they’ve forgotten, we’ll be remembering. And cherishing.

08: Hildur – Bammbaramm (2017)
Since this, Hildur has gone on to much bigger things. But we do still class this cute little oddity as our favourite song of hers.

07: Magni – Hugarro (2012)
A majestic rock ballad. Not normally our kind of thing, truth be told, but this is just undeniably brilliant.

06: Heiðrún Anna Björnsdóttir – Helgi (2019)
It’s that comeback single from The Cardigans you’ve been longing for, right here under your nose this whole time.

05: Aron Hannes – Nótt (2017)
Released during the height of the popularity of tropical house, this track could have seen the genre reach new heights and a whole new audience. Maybe.

04: Tara Mabee – Betri An Þín (2019)
A beautifully uplifting dancepop number that served as one of the great bops of last year’s Eurovision season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqEJsDE4NKQ

03: Cadem – Fyrir Alla (2015)
There was a brief moment back in 2015, when we hoped that these three could have been Iceland’s answer to Alcazar. That didn’t last, unfortunately.

02: Daniel Oliver – Samt Ekki (2019)
Competing in the same heat as Hatari had its disadvantages. One could theorise that ‘Samt Ekki’ therefore sacrificed itself for a Top-Ten finish at Eurovision for its country. And thus this pop song gets hero status. Plus, it’s an absolute tune and a half.

01: Yohanna – Nótt (2011)
Far be it from us to speculate, but in the wide-open year that was Eurovision 2011, in which *checks notes* ‘Running Scared’ apparently won for Azerbaijan in Germany, sweet, darling, national sweetheart Yohanna could have improved upon her 2nd place finish two years prior, and given Iceland its first ever win, had they selected this gorgeous ballad to represent them.
Fact: ‘Nótt’ is even better than ‘Is It True’.
Fact: we will never forgive the Icelandic people for not voting this as their winner.
Oh well – here’s our chance to crown it, nine years later. Here’s our thoroughly deserved winner;