Israel presents new ESC song – first lyrics were “too political”
Published: Sunday, Mar 10th 2024, 22:00
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The Israeli television station Kan has presented the new version of its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC). The singer Eden Golan interpreted the song "Hurricane" in a video that the broadcaster aired for the first time on Sunday evening. The previous song "October Rain" had been too political for the organizer of the song contest, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in Geneva.
According to media reports, the original song is said to have referred to the massacre by the Islamist Hamas and other extremist groups on October 7. The terrorists murdered around 1200 people in southern Israel and deported a further 250 to the Gaza Strip. In any case, the content was too political for the EBU. If Kan had not had the lyrics reworked, the Israeli participant would have been threatened with exclusion from the song contest.
According to the station, the newly written song "Hurricane" has the same melody as "October Rain". It is now about a young woman who has gone through a personal crisis. Kan is one of the broadcasters taking part in the ESC. This year's competition will take place in the Swedish city of Malmö. The final will take place on May 11.
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