Israeli song disqualified?
2007-03-02 18:05
Tel Aviv - Organisers of the annual Eurovision Song Context are considering whether to disqualify Israel from participating in the event, saying its song contains an "improper" political message, Israeli radio stations reported on Friday.
The veteran Israeli band Teapacks plans to perform the song Red Button at the May 10 semi-final in Helsinki.
But the organisers believe the song alludes to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his nuclear ambitions.
"The world is full of terror, if someone makes an error, he's gonna blow us up to kingdom come," say the lyrics.
The song then continues: "There are some crazy rulers, they hide and try to fool us, with demonic, technologic willingness to harm.
"I wanna have a lot of fun just sitting in the sun. And I don't wanna die, I wanna see the flowers bloom, don't wanna go kaput-kaboom."
The song was written by eccentric lead singer Koby Oz, who said the allusion to Iran and its leader was a "misinterpretation."
Israeli television viewers on Tuesday night chose the song out of four prepared by the band, during a live broadcast after which they were asked to send text messages to pick their favourite.
Band comes from town near Gaza strip
The Israel Broadcasting Authority had earlier selected the band without giving Israelis a chance to choose between several candidates, as it had in some previous years.
The Eurovision Song Contest's official website on Friday listed as yet no details of the Israeli group or its song choice under the entry "Israel," giving only the band's name.
Founded in 1988, Teapacks became a popular band in Israel throughout the 1990s, scoring such hits as What a World and Sitting in a Café.
Since then, it has produced nine albums, combining Israeli rock, pop and sometimes Oriental sounds.
The band comes from the southern Israeli town of Sderot, which, located near the Gaza Strip, bears the brunt of almost daily Palestinian rocket attacks and the line "Missiles are flying and falling on me," could be an allusion to that.
- SAPA