Israel
Israel’s third song entry given green light by Eurovision
Israel had been threatened with disqualification over earlier entries alleged to have contained political messaging
March 11, 2024 11:14
By, JC Reporter
1 min read
Israel had been threatened with disqualification over earlier entries alleged to have contained political messaging
March 11, 2024 11:14ByJC Reporter, JC Reporter
(JNS) Israel's Kan public broadcaster on Sunday night revealed the Jewish state's reworked song for this year's Eurovision Song Contest.
Eden Golan's Hurricane premiered during a live broadcast on Kan, followed by an official announcement on European Broadcasting Union (EBU) channels. However, the entry leaked online hours earlier.
"Every day, I'm losing my mind / Holding on in this mysterious ride / Dancing in the storm, I've got nothing to hide," Golan sings in the chorus. "Take it all and leave the world behind / Baby, promise me you'll hold me again / I'm still broken from this hurricane."
"Hurricane" ends with four lines in Hebrew, which translate to: "I don't need big words / Only prayers / Even if it is hard to see / You always leave me one little light."
The EBU reportedly informed Israel last week that Golan would be allowed to compete in the musical extravaganza with Hurricane.
The news came after the organisation had threatened to disqualify two of Israel's earlier entries over perceived political messaging.
The last lines of October Rain described the condition of Israelis during the October 7 terror attacks, in which 1,200 people were slaughtered: "There's' no air left to breathe / No place, no me from day to day."
In one of the verses, Golan sang the word "flowers," which is Israel Defence Forces slang for fallen soldiers, but which does not carry that connotation for European viewers.
Israel's second choice song, Dance Forever, was an apparent reference to the massacre at the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re'im, where Hamas terrorists murdered 364 people on Oct. 7.
Kan has said that the final submission, set to the tune of October Rain, tells the story of a "young woman who is surviving a personal crisis."
The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 is taking place in Malmö, Sweden, following the Scandinavian country’s victory at the 2023 song contest. Golan, 20, will represent the Jewish state in the second semifinal on May 9. The grand final will take place two days later.
Last year, Israeli pop star Noa Kirel finished in third place in the Eurovision final in Liverpool, behind Sweden and Finland.