"Lena Anthem" is a song by Swedish singer Lena Philipsson from her ninth studio album Det gör ont en stund på natten men inget på dan (2004). It was released as the album's third single on 11 October 2004 through Columbia and Sony Music. Written by Thomas "Orup" Eriksson and produced by Anders Hansson, "Lena Anthem" is a disco song with synthesizer instrumentation and interpolations of Philipsson's 1987 single "Dansa i neon". Lyrically, the song contains exaggerated and tongue-in-cheek statements that proclaim her greater than her rivals.
The song was met with generally positive reviews in the Swedish press; several music critics praised its overconfident and humorous lyrics. "Lena Anthem" was Philipsson's fourth consecutive top-five entry of 2004 on the Sverigetopplistan singles chart, peaking at number four. The song also attained top-ten positions on the Svensktoppen and Trackslistan charts. The song was ranked at number 34 on the 2004 year-end chart of Sverigetopplistan. In 2011, Philipsson performed a live rendition of "Lena Anthem" with E-Type on Så mycket bättre.
Background
"Lena Anthem" was written by Thomas "Orup" Eriksson for Lena Philipsson's studio album Det gör ont en stund på natten men inget på dan (2004). Philipsson enlisted Orup to write the entirety of the album's music and lyrics. The two started working on the record after she won Melodifestivalen 2004 with "Det gör ont", which advanced her to the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 in Istanbul, Turkey, where she finished fifth in the final. Philipsson described the album as a party record for a girls' night out. Orup wrote the album quickly; Philipsson commented that she barely met with him after he began the writing process. The lyrics mainly focused on relationships she believed listeners could relate to. "Lena Anthem" was different in that aspect as Orup wrote it solely from her point of view. She described it as "special" compared to other album tracks, and stated that its lyrics are exaggerated, "Everything is not really true, but that was his inspiration about me. I think it's great to have a song where I sing about myself."
Anders Hansson produced "Lena Anthem" and handled its recording. The track was mixed by Ronny Lahti and mastered by Björn Engelmann. Philipsson deemed the song one of her favorites on Det gör ont en stund på natten men inget på dan, and Orup selected writing the song as his musical highlight of 2004. In an interview for TT News Agency in August 2004, Philipsson revealed that "Lena Anthem" was a contender for the album's third single, although it had not been decided yet. A few days later, a post on her official website confirmed its single release slated for October 2004. The single was released on 11 October 2004 through Columbia and Sony Music as a CD single. The single artwork was photographed by Jonas Linell and designed by Karl-Magnus Boske. The release contained the song's radio edit and original album version, in addition to a remix of the previous single "Delirium". The single also included a "Lena Anthem" polyphonic ringtone. The song appears on Philipsson's compilation album Lena 20 år (2007).
Composition and lyrics
Musically, "Lena Anthem" is a disco song. Parts of the production sample Philipsson's Melodifestivalen 1987 entry "Dansa i neon", for which Tim Norell received music credit. Instrumentation is provided by a bass guitar, a guitar, percussion, a synthesizer, a violin, and a Wurlitzer electric piano. Several critics compared its synthesizer instrumentation and sequencer bass to Lustans Lakejer's 1982 song "Diamanter". Jan-Owe Wikström of Hallandsposten felt the verses recall both "Diamanter" and songs by ABBA.