Everything you do or say in Israel can be construed as political, from the paper you read to the lunch you eat. It’s no wonder, then, that so many songs sent to represent Israel at the Eurovision song contest over the years have raised quite a bit of ruckus on the way. Let’s take a quick stroll down memory lane:
In 1974, just after the Yom Kippur war, Israeli band Kaveret sang at Brighton, UK, “There’s enough air for a country or two”. In 1983, a decade after the Olympics massacre and half a century after WWII, singer Ofra Haza, in front of a German audience in Munich, sang “I am still alive”. In 1991 at Rome, Italy, a singing Duo Datz wished whoever comes ‘Ahalan’ in Arabic, but stated they were born ‘here’ and so were their children. At the 2000 contest in Stockholm, Sweden, things got so hectic that the band Ping-Pong were disavowed by the Israeli Broadcasting Authority after insisting on waving an Israeli and a Syrian flag (and some cucumbers). In 2007 at Helsinki, Finland, Israeli band Teapacks warned the world that you-know-who is “gonna push the button”.
Held this week in Moscow, Russia, the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest will include another political song from Israel, but one that is quite sober and realistic. Sung by “an Arab girl who looks Jewish and a Jewish girl who looks Arab” this song might not win Europe over, but I believe singers and songwriters Noa and Mira Awad will make many Israelis proud by their simple statement in English, Hebrew and Arabic: There must be another way:
There Must Be Another Way – Noa & Mira Awad – Lyrics
| English: Hebrew: English: Arabic: English: Hebrew: Arabic: English: Hebrew: English: |
English Translation: There must be another Must be another way Your eyes, sister Say everything my heart wants to say We’ve come a great distance Our road has been long and hard Hand in hand And the tears fall, flow, in vain Our pain has no name We are both waiting For the day ‘after’ There must be another way There must be another way Your eyes say One day, the fear will be gone In your eyes there is determination That we can continue Our journey For as long as it takes For there is no address to sorrow I cry to the open plains To the merciless sky There must be another way There must be another way There must be another Must be another way A long and hard journey Lies before us Together, on our way to the light Your eyes say All the fear will someday disappear And when I cry I cry for both of us My pain has no name And when I cry I cry To the merciless sky and say There must be another way And the tears fall, flow, in vain Our pain has no name We are both waiting For the day ‘after’ There must be another way There must be another way There must be another Must be another way |
Phonetic: Eina’ih, ahot Kol ma shelibi mevakesh omrot Avarnu ad ko Dereh aruka, dereh ko kasha Yad beyad Vehadma’ot zolgot, zormot lashav Ke’ev lelo shem Anahnu mehakot Rak layom sheyavo ahrei Aynaki bit’ul Rah yiji yom wu’kul ilkhof yizul B’aynaki israr Inhu ana khayar N’kamel halmasar Mahma tal Li’anhu ma fi anwan wakhid l’alahzan B’nadi lalmada L’sama al’anida Derech aruka na’avor Derech ko kasha Yachad el ha’or Aynaki bit’ul Kul ilkhof yizul Vehadma’ot zolgot, zormot lashav Ke’ev lelo shem Anahnu mehakot Rak layom sheyavo ahrei |
Update:
May 12, 2009 – Israel qualified for the final contest. Russian host Andrey Malakhov: “The most political-correct [sic] song goes to the final! Congrats Israel”.
May 17, 2009 – As expected, Europe did not fall in love and with 53 points Israel has finished in 16th place.
It’s a nice song, but I disagree with their political opinions. Europe loves anything anti-Israel, as usual..