r/eurovision • u/GSamSardio • 2d ago
š¬ Discussion Political analysis of Eurovision song - what song?
Hey friends!
Iāve got an upper secondary school project in social sciences, where I need to present a song and make a political analysis, as in looking for indications of political messages or ideologies, of the song. I thought this was the perfect opportunity for me to pick a Eurovision song, as it is among my favourite things in the world.
These are the exact instructions if you really care (but honestly I doubt you need to read them to save your kind soul some time):
ā* IN-DEPTH ASSIGNMENT: IDEOLOGIES and ROCK āNā ROLL
Your task is to activate your knowledge of political ideologies and try to find traces of the ideologies and their political ideas in some song lyrics, which you choose yourself. Keep in mind that the lyrics are rarely obviously linked to an ideology, without you having to look for, for example, social criticism ā which can be both woven into talk about a lot of other things and also in many cases perhaps implied or ironic. You therefore have to interpret the lyrics yourself and explain what you think the lyricist means. Also keep in mind that interpretations are precisely interpretations, i.e. There are rarely any completely correct answers, instead it is important that you can explain what connections you think you can see to some set of political ideas (which do not necessarily have to be the same as the author of the text intended from the beginning. A text can contain examples of several different ideologies, which may be contradictory, without the author of the text thinking about it himself.) As long as you can present reasonable justifications for why you think that the social criticism (e.g.) that you think you can distinguish can actually be reasonably connected to some political idea(s) (which in turn are part of one of the ideologies we have gone through) ā then you can't go wrong. Keep in mind that pacifism, racism, feminism, etc. are not ideologies in their own right, but are part of the overall ideologies.*ā
(I used Google translate and I donāt think you can blame me for not translating all of that myself, so sorry if the grammar is shit)
That being said, what song should I pick. I really like the pre-2000s Eurovision, so that would be preferable although not necessary. I had thoughts about picking Dancing Lasha Tumbai, but the lyrics are really not too much to discuss, so Iād have to discuss the context around it which I donāt know if my teacher wants, at least not as a focus.
TL;DR: School project. Political analysis. What song? Preferably, although not necessarily, pre-2000. Preferably lyrical depth.
Thanks for your help!
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u/AvailableAspect2893 Ich Komme 2d ago
Serbia 2022 seems like a good one to do - from what I recall, about the Serbian healthcare system and the failings within it.
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u/nedamisesmisljatime 1d ago
Konstrakta's song is extremely complex if you know the language. On the surface base it's about a healthcare system and how some people don't have access to universal healthcare.
Then you have to take into context time it happened - covid restrictions. The song could be about ridiculousness of some of those measures government imposed. We had a news here that Serbia had a complete lockdown for a weekend where people could only get out if they needed to walk a dog. She has a verse about walking a dog. And there's that obsesive hand washing during entire performance.
It could also be about disregarding mental health. Everyone is obsessed with physical health and their looks, yet they don't take care of their spirit/their mind.
There are dozens of different ways a person can interpret that song, that's why it's great. :)
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u/GSamSardio 2d ago
Ooo yeah it is very Eurovision and very politicalā¦ weāll see. Thank you so much for your help!
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u/EconomyAppointment60 1d ago
Ā I love how she expressed aboutĀ social issues like pushing beauty standards, neglecting mental health and the issues of healthcare.
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u/Organic_Ad6602 2d ago
Greece 1976 (about the Turkish invasion of Cyprus), Greece 1995 (about North Macedonia - in their opinion- co-opting Greek identity), Ukraine 2005 (literally the song of the Orange Revolution)
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u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 2d ago
Greece 1976 | Mariza Koch - Panagia mou, Panagia mou
Greece 1995 | Elina Konstantopoulou - Pia prosefhi
Ukraine 2005 | GreenJolly - Razom nas bahato5
u/Pristine-Can2442 1d ago
You forgot our Mama Å Ä in 2023 which made fun of Belarusian president giving Putin a tractor for his birthday
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u/GSamSardio 2d ago
Right thereās that conflict as well! There have really been more European conflicts since Eurovision begun than one remembers fully. Iāll have to relisten to the song (Greece 1976) ācause I donāt remember it but if I like it itās absolutely one I would consider. Thanks!
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u/WittyEggplant 2d ago
Well, the most blatant ones I can think of are Israel 2009, Ukraine 2016 and Armenia 2015. But stuff like Montenegro 2012 and Croatia 2023 are a lot more fun to analyse.
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u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 2d ago
Israel 2009 | Noa and Mira Awad - There Must Be Another Way
Ukraine 2016 | Jamala - 1944
Armenia 2015 | Genealogy - Face The Shadow
Montenegro 2012 | Rambo Amadeus - Euro Neuro
Croatia 2023 | Let 3 - Mama Å Ä!9
u/BenderRodriguez14 2d ago
Funny enough, Israel's 2009 entry would be outright banned from the competition otoday.Ā
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u/GSamSardio 2d ago
Doing Euro Nuero would be so funny! Itās even more wtf than Dancing Lasha Tumbai. Iāll have to have a think about it, but thanks nonetheless!
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u/VenusHalley 2d ago
Bosnia 1993
That song was blantantly political. The singer turned his back to audience at one point during the peroformace.
Then again... I'm there for it. One of my fave entries ever. Overspilling with meaning
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u/GSamSardio 2d ago
Iām weak for Bosnia, not gonna lie. Iāll have to take it into consideration. I thought about doing Putnici as well, as itās probably my favourite Bosnian entry, but Iām not too impressed by the amount of political content in the lyrics. Thank you for helping out!
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u/Savings_Ad_2532 Volevo Essere Un Duro 2d ago
Italy 1990 was the winner, but there were multiple other political songs that year
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u/GSamSardio 2d ago
Ugh as a European federalist (my wet dream basically) Iām so sad I donāt love this song more than I do. But Iāll give it a consideration for the message alone, and itās relevance today! Thank you!
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u/Savings_Ad_2532 Volevo Essere Un Duro 1d ago
Other political songs from ESC 1990 include France 1990, UK 1990, and Norway 1990.
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u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 1d ago
France 1990 | Joƫlle Ursull - White and Black Blues
United Kingdom 1990 | Emma - Give a Little Love Back to the World
Norway 1990 | Ketil Stokkan - Brandenburger Tor
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u/Tip_Illustrious Život ide dalje š¤” 2d ago
Here is a vintage ESC song with a lot of influence: Norway 1980 SƔmiid Ʀdnan," by Sverre Kjelsberg and Mattis HƦtta
"Norway's 1980 Eurovision entry,Ā "SĆ”miid Ʀdnan," by Sverre Kjelsberg and Mattis HƦtta, was a politically charged song protesting the Alta controversy, a development project on Sami lands.Ā The song's chorus featured a traditional Sami yoik, first performed during a 1979 Sami activist hunger strike in front of the Norwegian parliament.Ā The song became an icon for Sami rights and raised awareness of their struggle for autonomy and cultural preservation on a global stage." - from Google
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u/Little_Low_1323 Dschinghis Khan 2d ago
Seconding this. The lyrics for the song are very sparse and short, but the song places itself in the center of issues of land rights, the environment, the rights of indigenous peoples, cultural self-expression, and how to affect change as a sidelined or oppressed minority.
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u/GSamSardio 2d ago
I actually thought about this one! Itās one I really like! Iāll need to have a look at the other comments first, but Iām absolutely considering it. Thank you very much!
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u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 2d ago
Norway 1980 | Sverre Kjelsberg and Mattis HƦtta - SƔmiid Ʀdnan
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u/MattWPBS 2d ago
Croatia 2023 would allow you to go into the entire background of Let 3 back to the 80s, which is frankly ridiculous: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_3
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u/WhammyShimmyShammy Tutta l'Italia 2d ago
Italy 2018 literally calls put all the islamist terror attacks that had occurred in the 2-3 years prior
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u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 2d ago
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u/gadeais 2d ago
The attacks were some the previous summer. Barcelona happened in August 2017.
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u/WhammyShimmyShammy Tutta l'Italia 2d ago
Which is included in the timeframe "2-3 years prior".
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u/gadeais 2d ago
No. The song was released in february 2018 and Barcelona was in 2017. Mere months
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u/WhammyShimmyShammy Tutta l'Italia 2d ago
2-3 years prior = from February 2015 or 2016 to February 2018.Ā
I wasn't sure if exactly 2 or 3 so the notation for that is 2-3. It does not mean "period that started 3 years before and ended 2 years before".
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u/VanderDril Hallucination 2d ago edited 2d ago
Can't help with pre-2000, but one interesting political song for me is TrenuleČul (Moldova 2022), which flew under the radar in the politically charged 2022 edition. However, the defiant nature and message of No Rules! (Finland 2024) might be a fun one to analyze.
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u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 2d ago
Moldova 2022 | Zdob Či Zdub and Advahov Brothers - TrenuleČul
Finland 2024 | Windows95man - No Rules!4
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u/the_frosted_flame Vuggevise 2d ago
Portugal 1973 might be an interesting one, it describes Salazarās dictatorship at the time using the metaphor of a bullfight.
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u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 2d ago
Portugal 1973 | Fernando Tordo - Tourada
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u/GSamSardio 2d ago
I thought about both the Portuguese and the Spanish dictatorships and telling their story through Eurovision. These arenāt songs Iāve particularly grown to love musically though, so weāll see. But thanks a lot for your help!
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u/civ5best5 Voyage 2d ago
Croatia 2023 is a bit abstract so isn't the easiest choice, but it's general Slavic anti-Putin punk rock so there's loads of material there!
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u/zeprfrew 2d ago
Luxembourg 1961. The lyrics describe a forbidden love affair. Years later, when he could finally freely go public, Jean-Claude Pascal, gay himself, explained that it always referred to a same-sex relationship.
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u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 2d ago
Luxembourg 1961 | Jean-Claude Pascal - Nous les amoureux
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u/Notpoligenova 2d ago
Seen not a lot of talk about Turkey 1980. The whole song was about oil, or Petrol (Petrāoil) and how the protagonist (or country) loves it (this person āPetrāoilā and oil) and will do anything for it. Definitely political in that it described middle eastern attitude towards limited natural resources over other things.
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u/kozmik_rakun Solovey 2d ago edited 2d ago
I wrote this on another post some time ago, so Iām copy-pasting it. If you wanna use it for a project, you should also factcheck it first. (I did minor editing for clarification).
āAn old one, but the 1980 song Aman Petrol (Petrā Oil) is about the World Petrol Crisis of one year prior, 1979. Turkish National Broadcaster TRT initiates the National Qualifications in 1979 and Maria Rita Epik - Seviyorum wins the NF, ready to join the competition. The 1979 ESC takes place in Jerusalem and there is a conflict between Israel and some Arabian Peninsula countries (shocker). The Peninsula countries threaten TĆ¼rkiye to cut the petrol export if they join the contest in Jerusalem. Since it is during a worldwide petrol crisis, at the last minute TĆ¼rkiye withdraws. The next year (1980) Ajda Pekkan sings a song called Petrol, explaining how we are all dependent on it and it holds our reigns (literally in the lyrics āFrom now on you are holding my reigns, petrolā) and personifying petrol as a cruel male lover that only considers money and doesnāt love anyone back despite being very proud and a Casanova type. Further criticizing it being a āgold diggerā with no intent to love back :) I also like that she foresees the future (renewable energy sources) and says āmaybe indeed you will be gone one day, but Iām already weeping after youā (still, dependency and toxic behavior).
I think it is also a self-criticism for the Turkish delegation. Accepting that petrol in fact did lead them to withdraw.ā
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u/Notpoligenova 2d ago
Thanks for the extra info. I just interpreted what I thought based on the lyrics being this ode to Petrāoil and nothing else, which I think at its most basic sounds to be correct, just with bunch of added in bureaucracy, as you pointed out due to Turkish/Israeli/Middle Eastern tensions. But I appreciate the more correct and in-depth information!
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u/kozmik_rakun Solovey 2d ago
That was still a very nice hunch of you! There are many innuendos and undercover criticism in the lyrics, so the lyrics easily fly over even the heads of many native Turkish speakers. My momās generation basically considers this song the worst song ever participated, because it is so meaningless.
I think another reason the lyrics didnāt register is that Ajda Pekkan is probably the last person who would sing a protest song. She is a diva, basically a femme-fatale, mostly sang female empowerment songs. She has her own niche, careless girlboss diva energy. I think this is the only protest song in her career of 50+ years and as far as I know, even she doesnāt like this song very much š For me, it is one of the top 10, if not top 5 Turkish entries :)
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u/Notpoligenova 2d ago
Itās a very good song both from a local and muscles standpoint. Not a lot of middle eastern influenced songs that early into the contest.
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u/kozmik_rakun Solovey 2d ago
Btw, I donāt know if a person who is used to more āwesternā melodies can differentiate, but the beginning of the song (the melody) is exaggeratedly Arabic, not usual in Turkish music. It is another reference that the song is kind of a dig for the conflict with the Arabian peninsula countries back then. Kind of a musical reference :)
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u/Notpoligenova 2d ago
I noticed that it was distinctly middle eastern, which was odd because as you said no other Turkish entry sounded like that. Didnāt know if that was because they were trying to sound more European or if thatās because there wasnāt much āeasternā music in Turkey at the time. But super interesting to look back at that being a dig. Totally makes sense.
But Morocco giving their 12 points to it is funny. I wonder if they were in on the joke or not.
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u/kozmik_rakun Solovey 2d ago
You are right. I would say, nice and accurate Turkish sounds of their own decades are Seninle Bir Dakika (Turkey 1975) and BeÅinci Mevsim (Turkey 1996). Some āorientalā melodies like Sufi (Turkey 1988), the ney instrument in Dinle (Turkey 1997) and even Everyway That I Can (Turkey 2003) feel a bit āTurkish apple teaā feeling to it :) (doesnāt really exist locally but tourists like them) if it makes sense :)
Well Morocco is all the way on the north Western Africa and has nothing to do with oil market (also far away from the Arabian peninsula drama), so I would think it didnāt have anything to do with them. They might feel a familiarity because of the intentionally exaggerated Arabic sounds and like it š
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u/Notpoligenova 2d ago
Haha yeah I know theyāre nowhere near the Middle East, but theyāre part of the Arab League and have some ties with that region religiously and culturally (somewhat, at least), so I was wondering if it was out of musical familiarity or not.
And Seninle Bir Dakika is great. 10/10 first entry.
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u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 2d ago
Turkey 1975 | Semiha Yankı - Seninle Bir Dakika
Turkey 1996 | Åebnem Paker - BeÅinci Mevsim
Turkey 1988 | MFĆ - Sufi
Turkey 1997 | Åebnem Paker and Grup Etnic - Dinle
Turkey 2003 | Sertab Erener - Everyway That I Can3
u/the_frosted_flame Vuggevise 2d ago
From the same year, Norway 1980 is also partially about the governmentās misuse of resources. Specifically, it was a protest song against building hydroelectric power plants on the indigenous SĆ”mi territory.
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u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 2d ago
Norway 1980 | Sverre Kjelsberg and Mattis HƦtta - SƔmiid Ʀdnan
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u/GSamSardio 2d ago
This is absolutely an interesting one, and is still very much relevant. Itās hasnāt really stuck to me musically, but Iāll have a think about it. Thanks!
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u/devillianOx De diepte 2d ago
i donāt know a lot of pre 2000 political esc songs so i do apologize for that!!
portugal 1974 - used as the signal to start the portuguese revolution
croatia 2023 - satire song condemning dictators, most likely targeting putin specifically
georgia 2009 - speaking of putin, during the russian georgian war the georgian group submitted a song called āwe donāt want to put inā and we can all tell what they were really saying
serbia 2022 - critique of the serbian healthcare system
ukraine 2016 - jamalaās grandmother was from crimea and deported to west asia, this also came out a bit after russia annexed crimea from ukraine
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u/GSamSardio 2d ago
I actually thought about āWe Donāt Wanna Put Inā but there are basically only two phrases in the song that have political meaning (one being we donāt wanna put in). And Iām doubtful I wanna play the āGimme sexy ahhā bridge in front of the whole class š A classic nonetheless! Thanks for your help!
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u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 2d ago
Portugal 1974 | Paulo de Carvalho - E depois do adeus
Croatia 2023 | Let 3 - Mama Å Ä!
Serbia 2022 | Konstrakta - In corpore sano
Ukraine 2016 | Jamala - 1944
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u/Alpaca_Investor 2d ago
Italy 1974 is an interesting one - it was censored on the radio in Italy when it came out, due to concerns about the potential political messaging of the lyrics.Ā
Itās somewhat obscure, but famously placed second that year, to the incredibly famous āWaterlooā performance by ABBA from Sweden.
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u/GSamSardio 2d ago
I recently grew to like this one quite a lot. I struggle to see the political message in it, although I suppose I could find it if I researched some. I just remember they used the song for campaigning for voting āyesā in a referendum in Italy and therefore broadcast the contest much later than everybody else. Thanks you for your response!
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u/Alpaca_Investor 1d ago edited 1d ago
You have to keep in mind that 1) only 30 years earlier, Italy was infamous for this politician leading the country, and 2) the country was going through a great deal of political strife at the time.Ā
So, if you look at the lyrics that describe following a man, and saying āyesā to him to experience a better future than you ever dreamed ofā¦you can see how, in the context of Italyās history, this touches on what would have been recent political imagery at the time.
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u/What_ever_post134 TANZEN! 2d ago
How about Austria 2023? Themes about capitalism, artist's rights, how digitalism has changed music industry snd Internet libertarism is an excuse to exploid musicians.
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u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 2d ago
Austria 2023 | Teya and Salena - Who the Hell Is Edgar?
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u/Revelistic Minn hinsti dans 2d ago
- italy 1990 is about the european union
- ukraine 2005 is an unofficial anthem of the orange revolution and had to remove lyrics mentioning a presidential candidate
- portugal 1974 was played as a signal to start a military coup, but it's a love song and the lyrics aren't political
- poland 2003 has a message kind of like john lennon's imagine, with lyrics talking about how beautiful the world is from space when you don't see any borders between countries or the wars happening
- georgia in 2009 was meant to be represented by a song named "we don't wanna put in", but the lyrics were considered too political
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u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 2d ago
Italy 1990 | Toto Cutugno - Insieme: 1992
Ukraine 2005 | GreenJolly - Razom nas bahato
Portugal 1974 | Paulo de Carvalho - E depois do adeus
Poland 2003 | Ich Troje - Keine Grenzen ā Å»adnych granic1
u/DaraVelour Europapa 1d ago
and Keine Grenzen was sung in Polish, German and Russian, that was very symbolic, since Germany and Russia were our oppressors and invaders and that was a time when there was hope for normalisation of relations with Russia
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u/LopsidedPriority 2d ago
Malta 2024 is about the cyclical nature of history and how we are doomed to repeat it .
When Sarah Bonnici sings, "I'm a honeypot / never tasted nothing sweeter" she is singing about the way right leaning governments continue to use populist rhetoric to mislead voters by just telling them what they want to hear and push towards fascism globally.
"it was obvious" is a direct call out to how people should've seen through the propaganda for the truth.
And of course there's the chorus. A pronouncement of the reality but a little too late. We are repeating history with no way to stop it.
Also, /s for all who need it.
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u/Internal-Yellow3455 Think About Things 2d ago edited 2d ago
This reminds me of the literary analysis on Ahlena's "Booty" from the Polish NF 2023. I'll try to find it cause it's gold.Ā Edit: aw shucks, apparently it was in another subreddit that has been made private. There is this one about Blanka's Solo --Ā https://www.reddit.com/r/eurovision/comments/120i5p8/to_be_fair_you_have_to_have_a_very_high_iq_to/
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u/crownattorney 2d ago
All of these comments are proving that Eurovision has always been political
Anyways, I'd say Samira SaĆÆd's Bitaqat Hobb (Morocco 1980 for the bot), she's singing about wanting peace and unity around the arab world and how neighbouring countries should not be enemies
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u/SweetWittyWild41 Wasted Love 2d ago
Armenia 2015 s messageĀ
Song isn't the best but the lyrics are very much on the nose if you know what happened to themĀ
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u/Amplify27 Oniro Mou 2d ago
Deli (Turkey 2008) is a bit more oblique in this regard, but I've heard from others it's supposed to be referring to Turkey's struggles with being accepted within Europe/getting into the EU. Considering how far the Turkish government diverged since then, I think it might be intriguing.
Also, Le dernier qui a parle... (France 1991) is just as nebulous lyrically, but it would be a nice challenge to analyze. It discusses about the Gulf War, and Amina sort of represents multiple currents going on in France at the time (including the fact she was born in Tunisia).
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u/GSamSardio 2d ago
Wait hold on Iāve never realised La dernier qui a parle is politicalā¦ Iāll have to look into that! Thanks for your help!
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u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 2d ago
Turkey 2008 | Mor ve Ćtesi - Deli
France 1991 | Amina - C'est le dernier qui a parlƩ qui a raison
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u/Overly_Introverted 2d ago
Germany 1962 was about the Italian guest workers in Germany at that time. And Germany 1982 about the Cold War and the longing for peace.
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u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 2d ago
Germany 1962 | Conny Froboess - Zwei kleine Italiener
Germany 1982 | Nicole - Ein biĆchen Frieden
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u/mawnck 2d ago
I vote for Israel 2007, but also check out Belarus 2011. The title says it all, but the story behind it is amazing as well.
For a different direction, how about Germany 1982? One of my favorite Contest moments ever is the gasp when Israel gave Germany the 12.
Here's my one concern: I'm not sure what your instructor considers "Rock and Roll", but by the strict definition, most Eurovision songs aren't it. And I don't think you can get a paper out of Belgium 2009.
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u/No_Grass4624 1944 2d ago
I love Belarus 2011, especially the Belarusian version (ŠŠ°Ń ŠŠµŠ»Š°ŃŃŃŃ), the song is actually quite catchy if you ignore both the political message and the live vocals. I canāt find it on Spotify tho?
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u/GSamSardio 2d ago
Nah the ārock n ārollā part is just a joke. He thought it would be funny to call it that. Heās crazy and Iām not just saying that he genuinely is. Thank you so much for your suggestions! I do in fact, love Belarus (Fuck Lukashenko though)
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u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 2d ago
Israel 2007 | Teapacks - Push the Button
Belarus 2011 | Anastasia Vinnikova - I Love Belarus
Germany 1982 | Nicole - Ein biĆchen Frieden
Belgium 2009 | Copycat - Copycat
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u/Dazzling_Cry6466 2d ago
Israel 2023, that song isnāt about unicorns
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u/gadeais 2d ago
Israel 2023, 2024 and 2025 are just fully political
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u/GSamSardio 2d ago
I joked about analysing these with my friends, but honestly, I donāt even want to give them one more view on YouTube so I wonāt. (And they suck so why would I even show them?) At least make good propaganda Israel, go back to your 80s/90s style of Eurovision songsā¦ honestlyā¦ šāāļø
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u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 2d ago
Israel 2024 | Eden Golan - Hurricane
Israel 2025 | Yuval Raphael - New Day Will Rise0
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u/reichya Bird of Pray 2d ago
Israel 2007 is literally called 'Push the Button' and depending on your interpretation could be about tensions in the Middle East in general at the height of the Bush administration, a wider call for peace in the world. or specifically a critique of/in response to a fear of, Iran. The context changes the political meaning of the song. It could be interesting to juxtapose with Israel's current stance/activities and draw a line from 2007 to today.
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u/Gold_Objective3644 2d ago
Honestly it felt so much more genuine and relevant than Eden & Yuval's entries!
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u/GSamSardio 2d ago
Oh yes absolutely! Iāll add it to the ones Iām considering! Thank you so much!
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u/krmarci 2d ago
Portugal 1974 is somehow connected to the Portuguese Revolution of 1974, but I don't know much about the details.
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u/LuckyLoki08 2d ago
It was used as the signal to start the revolution. It was aired on radio when it was not supposed to (due to regulations) so it acted as the signal for the troops to get ready. Then another song acted as the signal to get in position.
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u/Organic_Ad6602 2d ago
Israel 1983 - highly symbolic as it was sung in Munich (site of many of Hitlerās speeches)
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u/sama_tak Zjerm 2d ago
Poland 2003 is literally about how nice it would be for Poland to join EU and how you should vote yes in the upcoming Polish European Union membership referendum (which happened on 7ā8th June 2003). The singer himself admitted it, but without the context it's simply an anti-war/pro-peace song.
You could really write a lot about about this song since there's additional historical context to discuss (the song is written in German, Polish and Russian).
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u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 2d ago
Poland 2003 | Ich Troje - Keine Grenzen ā Å»adnych granic
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u/ali_stardragon 2d ago
Not pre-2000, but I think that Croatia 2023 packs a lot of political symbolism in a simple-sounding song.
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u/caesarsauceembolism 2d ago
Other pre-2000 songs you might like to consider that haven't been mentioned yet:
Kojo - "Nuku pommiin" (Finland 1982)
Da Vinci - "Conquistador" (Portugal 1989)
Ketil Stokkan - "Brandenburger Tor" (Norway 1990)
Duo Datz - "Kan" (Israel 1991)
Kali - "MontĆ© la riviĆØ" (France 1992)
Enrico Ruggeri - "Sole d'Europa" (Italy 1993)
Put - "Don't Ever Cry" (Croatia 1993)
Friderika Bayer - "Kinek mondjam el vƩtkeimet" (Hungary 1994)
and one more post-2000 one for good measure:
InCulto - "Eastern European Funk" (Lithuania 2010)
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u/caesarsauceembolism 2d ago edited 2d ago
1974 is also a hotbed of political songs (e.g. Yugoslavia 1974, Israel 1974). For a challenge you might want to do political analysis of the lyrics of Waterloo (Sweden 1974) in the context of the contest being held in Brighton.
Even the interval act was political, both in the context of environmentalism circa 1974 and the UK General Election being held that year.
For true geek points go all the way back to beginning with Walter Andreas Schwarz - "Im Wartesaal zum groĆen GlĆ¼ck" (Germany 1956 - deal with that bot) and the origins of Eurovision itself post World-War II.
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u/caesarsauceembolism 1d ago
When you think about it there are so many!
Just thought of the trilogy of Serge Gainsbourg songs.
France Gall - "PoupƩe de cire, poupƩe de son" (Luxembourg 1965) which is more exploitative than it is political, but can be seen as a political statement.
Minouche Barelli - "Boum-badaboum" (Monaco 1967) - definitely satirical conflating the Cold War with the advent of the contraceptive pill.
Joelle Ursull - "White and Black Blues" (France 1990) - clearly political.1
u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 1d ago
Luxembourg 1965 | France Gall - PoupƩe de cire, poupƩe de son
Monaco 1967 | Minouche Barelli - Boum-Badaboum
France 1990 | Joƫlle Ursull - White and Black Blues1
u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 2d ago edited 2d ago
Yugoslavia 1974 | Korni Grupa - Generacija '42
Israel 1974 | Poogy - Natati La Khayay
Sweden 1974 | ABBA - Waterloo
Germany 1956 | Walter Andreas Schwarz - Im Wartesaal zum groĆen GlĆ¼ck
Germany 1956 | Freddy Quinn - So geht das jede Nacht1
u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 2d ago
Finland 1982 | Kojo - Nuku pommiin
Portugal 1989 | Da Vinci - Conquistador
Norway 1990 | Ketil Stokkan - Brandenburger Tor
Israel 1991 | Duo Datz - Kan
France 1992 | Kali - MontĆ© la riviĆØ
Italy 1993 | Enrico Ruggeri - Sole d'Europa
Croatia 1993 | Put - Don't Ever Cry
Hungary 1994 | Friderika Bayer - Kinek mondjam el vƩtkeimet?
Lithuania 2010 | InCulto - Eastern European Funk1
u/GSamSardio 2d ago
Ahhh youāve got so many good ones here! Iāll add them to the list and slowly go through each one! Thank you for your help!
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u/DaraVelour Europapa 1d ago
Nuku pommiim is an anti-nuclear song?
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u/caesarsauceembolism 20h ago
Yes, though more of a song criticising those who aren't anti-nuclear. In 1982 nuclear war seemed exceptionally real and close at hand. Believe me.
If someone soon throws some nuclear poo here on our Europe
What will you say when we get all the filth on our faces
If someone slings a bomb to your neck you probably won't even notice.Translated lyrics from eurovisionworld.com
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u/bekittynz 2d ago
It's not pre-2000s, but I would strongly recommend Ireland 2008.
It seems like a silly song on the surface, but the wider context was that Ireland simply felt that they couldn't host another Eurovision, as they were very expensive to run and the country was getting low on funds. So they sent Dustin the Turkey.
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u/LatterDefinition2898 RĆ³a 2d ago
Croatia 2023 - mama SC! By let 3 I think would be good.. Mama kupila traktora, Å”Ä Mama kupila traktora, Å”Ä Mama kupila traktora Trajna-nina, armagedon, nona, Å”Ä Mama kupila traktora, Å”Ä Mama kupila traktora, Å”Ä Mama kupila traktora Trajna-nina, armagedon, nona Traktora Mama ljubila morona, Å”Ä Mama ljubila morona, Å”Ä Mama ljubila morona Trajna-nina, armagedon, nona A, b, c, Ä, Ä, d, dž, Ä , a, b, c, Ä, Ä, d, dž, Ä E, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, lj, m, n, nj A, b, c, Ä, Ä, d, dž, Ä, oprez, oprez O, p, r, s, Å”, t, u, v, z, ž, d, z, v, d, z Mama, mama, mama, ja se idem igrat Mama, idem u rat Onaj mali psihopat, r-r-rat, rat Mali, podli psihopat, r-r-rat, rat Krokodilski psihopat, r-r-rat, rat Mama, idem u rat Traktora Mama ljubila morona, Å”Ä Mama ljubila morona, Å”Ä Mama ljubila morona Trajna-nina, armagedon, nona Onaj mali psihopat Mali, podli psihopat, rat, rat Krokodilski psihopat Mama, idemo u rat Onaj mali psihopat Mali, podli psihopat, rat, rat Krokodilski psihopat Mama, idem u rat Mama, mama, mama Onaj mali psihopat Mali, podli psihopat, rat, rat Krokodilski psihopat Mama, idem u rat Å Ä
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u/eurofivestar 1d ago
Lots of good suggestions here. It is easier to find political entries pre-2005 when the rule banning political lyrics was introduced. Some are quite discreet, leaving it to the listener to interpret (and quite often going under the radar to an international audience as they are in their native language). Others are much more obviousā¦ Greece 1976 and Norway 1980 for example, as have been mentioned here.
One song that hasnāt been mentioned yet is Spain 2002, about the introduction of the Euro. Otherwise, yeah, almost all songs in 1990 as well.
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u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 1d ago
Greece 1976 | Mariza Koch - Panagia mou, Panagia mou
Norway 1980 | Sverre Kjelsberg and Mattis HƦtta - SƔmiid Ʀdnan
Spain 2002 | Rosa - Europe's Living a Celebration
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u/longlivenapster Wasted Love 1d ago
Estonia 2024 is about how police treat poor and rich people when it comes to drugs - (Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (kĆ¼ll) midagi
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u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 1d ago
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u/terraventus 2d ago edited 2d ago
Germany 1999. The sweet spot in time where German society seemed close to bridging the gap between all the generational guilt, trauma, racism, multiculturalism with one simple song referencing an innocent childrenās game in Turkish, German, English and even one final chorus in Hebrew. All in all very āwokeā for 90s standards, when I watch the video now it seems they were honestly hopeful that humanity can transcend all the hate and treat each other kindly. 26 years later and fascism is on the rise globally, thereās a genocide going on in the exact place where they sung that song back then and in Germany both Antisemitism as well as Islamophobia are very prevalent. This band representing Germany with such a song nowadays would be unimaginable unfortunately.
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u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 2d ago
Germany 1999 | SĆ¼rpriz - Reise nach Jerusalem ā KudĆ¼s'e Seyahat
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u/MikeMoritz_Writer Snap 2d ago
Denmark 2013 - Only Teardrops is about the collective trauma of Europe as a whole.
Similarly Emmelie wrote United Kingdom 2017 - Never Give Up On You which is 100% about Brexit.
As is United Kingdom 2018 - Storm.
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u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 2d ago
Denmark 2013 | Emmelie de Forest - Only Teardrops
United Kingdom 2017 | Lucie Jones - Never Give Up on You
United Kingdom 2018 | SuRie - Storm
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u/No_Driver5928 2d ago
Baby Lasagna's Rim Tig Tagi Dim was about housing crisis caused by touristification and consequential rural exodus.
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u/Wasabismylife I treni di Tozeur 2d ago
Imo the most interesting ones recently have been Serbia 2022 and Croatia 2023.
Croatia 2024 could be interesting if you consider the problem of young people having to relocate to be able to sustain themselves, and in general the urbanisation process political. Switzerland 2024 could also be interesting as it talks about gender related issues.
The last couple of Israel entries and some of Russia's entries before they were dq could be a study on how a country can use the contest as a tool of propaganda to whitewash their image.
The song that got Belarus disqualified could also be an interesting case study.
(If either Ghali -Casa mia- or Dargen D'Amico - onda alta - had won Sanremo in 2024 they could also have been appropriate given that they talk about immigration)
This is what comes to mind for now
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u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 2d ago
Serbia 2022 | Konstrakta - In corpore sano
Croatia 2023 | Let 3 - Mama Å Ä!
Croatia 2024 | Baby Lasagna - Rim Tim Tagi Dim
Switzerland 2024 | Nemo - The Code
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u/IcyFlame716 Snap 2d ago
Even tho their participation here is dubious. Israel 2023 and 2024 would be interesting candidates.
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u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 2d ago
Israel 2023 | Noa Kirel - Unicorn
Israel 2024 | Eden Golan - Hurricane
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u/caesarsauceembolism 2d ago edited 2d ago
One that I almost never see mentioned when it comes to politics is VukaÅ”in BrajiÄ - "Thunder and Lightning" (Bosnia 2010).
It's a song about reuniting for the states of the former Yugoslavia. It comes from a man who was runner-up on Operacija Trijumf in 2008, a singing talent show that not only had competitors from five of the states of former Yugoslova, but also managed to draw in guest performances from some very starry Eurovision names (e.g. Marija Å erifoviÄ, Severina, Željko JoksimoviÄ, Laka, Kaliopi, Let 3 etc.)
It was so successful, they went to form a band of the contestants and tour former Yugoslavia in 2009.
VukaŔin's backing singers are drawn from Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia and apart from the lyrics, the song itself is structured in a way to emphasis the end of a storm, with a downward key change at the climax and all the voices joining together to sing in unison.
Not present: Slovenia, anyone from Kosovo, I'm pretty sure there's no Muslim representation (apologies if incorrect). Also 2010 I think is the first year that the debt that the Bosnian broadcaster had with the EBU was mentioned as a problem - and that has its roots in an internal political conflict within Bosnia - although at that point it clearly wasn't big enough to stop them competing.
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u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 2d ago
Bosnia and Herzegovina 2010 | VukaÅ”in BrajiÄ - Thunder and Lightning
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u/NinjaFox_311 RĆ³a 2d ago
Could do Israel 2024 or Israel 2025 or Ukraine 2016 or Greece 2025 (About the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.)
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u/Snakivolff Zjerm 2d ago
Gotta correct you a bit about Greece there. Klavdia is of Pontic descent, a region in modern-day northeast Turkey, and these ethnic Greeks faced a similar fate to that of the Armenians around the same time, with the survivors mostly moved to Greece proper as part of a population exchange.
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u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 2d ago
Israel 2024 | Eden Golan - Hurricane
Israel 2025 | Yuval Raphael - New Day Will Rise
Ukraine 2016 | Jamala - 1944
Greece 2025 | Klavdia - AsteromƔta
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u/No-Order3879 2d ago
Austria 1990 is about the fall of the Berlin Wall, which happend just 3 months before the contest.
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u/Immediate-Lab6174 Tavo Akys 1d ago
just go with hatriĆ° mun sigra. if you know you know. (iceland 2019)
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u/Sabrine_without_r Gaja 1d ago
Poland 2003, Keine Grenzen (eng. no boundaries) was created a year before Poland joined the EU. In June 2003, Polish people took part in the referendum in which they decided to join the EU or not. This song was the part of the campaign in favour of Poland's accession to the EU.
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u/ESC-song-bot !setflair Country Year 1d ago
Poland 2003 | Ich Troje - Keine Grenzen ā Å»adnych granic
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u/Offbrand-ostrich My Sister's Crown 2d ago
Was it Portugal 1974 that got used for their revolution?
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