Eurovision, protest for the Israeli singer
It opens with anxious atmospheres and sounds, then a piano tour accompanies the singer's interpretation: “Writer of my symphony, play with me / look into my eyes and see / people walk away but never say goodbye / someone stole the moon tonight , took my light / everything is black and white / who's the fool who told you boys don't cry?”, “You who start my symphony, play with me / look into my eyes and see / that people are leaving but he never says goodbye / someone stole the moon tonight, took my light / everything is black and white / who's the idiot who told you, 'Boys don't cry?'” he sings
Eden Golan. The song is built with an emotional crescendo that explodes in the chorus, which seems like a Lady Gaga ballad (it also recalls her in its timbre): “Every day I'm losin' my mind / holdin' on in this mysterious ride / dancin 'in the storm, I got nothin' to hide / take it all and leave the world behind / baby, promise me you'll hold me again / I'm still broken from this hurricane”, “Every day I lose my mind / resisting In this mysterious ride / I dance in the storm, I have nothing to hide / Let it all out and leave the world behind / Baby, promise me you'll hold me again / I'm still broken by this hurricane.”
If the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 really was – as the organizers insist on repeating – Alone a song competition from which politics and current affairs must remain out, Eden Golan with his “Hurricane” would also have an excellent chance of achieving a high ranking. But the Eurovision Song Contest is not just a song competition. Reason why the 20 year old Russian-Israeli singerwhich represents Israel on the stage of the Malmö Arena, she ended up at the center of the storm against her will. Or rather, the hurricane, to quote the title of his song.
Yesterday, during the rehearsals of the second semi-final, broadcast live on Rai2 tonight, Eden Golan was overwhelmed by whistles and “boo!” – which were repeated in the semi-final, both in the performance and in the voting, when the song's access to the final was announced.
“I came here to make my voice heard and share the gift God gave me, to unite people through music”, she defends herself, quoting the slogan of the Eurovision Song Contest, “United by music”.
Israel's participation in the event, confirmed by the EBU despite the ongoing war, was immediately the subject of controversy, which continues to mark the presence of Eden Golan in Malmö. Born in Kfar Saba – an Israeli city located in the Sharon plain – to Jewish parents who immigrated from the Soviet Union, Eden Golan grew up in Moscow, before returning to live in Israel as a teenager. She rose to prominence in 2018, when she – just fifteen years old – participated in the Russian edition of “The Voice Kids”: she won over the audience and judges by singing a cover of Rihanna's “Love on brain”. Last autumn you signed up for HaKokhav HaBa L'Eurovizion, the internal contest with which Israel selects its representative for the continental event: l.and performances to the tune of Whitney Houston's “I have nothing” and Aerosmith's “I don't want to miss a thing” allowed her to get a pass to fly to Malmö. And this is where the trouble began.
Yes, because initially Eden Golan had thought of presenting himself at the Eurovision Song Contest with a song entitled “October rain”. She was forced to change both the title and some verses, interpreted as references to the Hamas attack on October 7th. The reason? The songs in competition they must not contain explicit references to politics, religion or controversial topics. Thus “October rain” became “Hurricane”, a ballad about a woman woman trying to overcome the “hurricane” that left a finite love inside her. In the text there are lines that many have interpreted as allusions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The tail, in particular, sung in Hebrewin English it reads: “Don't need big words, just prayers”.
The official video for “Hurricane” on YouTube totaled in a month 5.6 million views. Eurovision is extremely popular in Israel, which has won the competition four times, most recently in 2018 thanks to Netta Barzilai with her “Toy”: “It's a very important moment for us, especially this year. I feel honored to have the opportunity to be the voice of my country,” says Eden Golan.
