Pro-Palestinian supporters wave flags and carry placards during a march in central Stockholm last month in which demonstrators demanded Israel be excluded from the Eurovision Song Contest.
TEL AVIV, Israel – After addressing objections to its title and lyrics, Israel’s revised entry for this year’s Eurovision song contest in Stockholm was scheduled to be unveiled Sunday in a broadcast on Israeli television. The song, performed by Eden Golan, has been renamed “Hurricane” after its original lyrics and song title, “October Rain,” attracted criticism and controversy for appearing to refer to the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, in which Israel says more than 1,200 people were killed and 240 taken hostage.
The lyrics — which originally included the lines “Hours and hours and flowers/Life is no game for the cowards” — are now part of a romantic ballad with lyrics such as “Dancing in the storm, I got nothing to hide/Take it out and leave the world behind/Baby, promise me you hold me again/I’m still taken from this hurricane.”
Amid the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, several countries participating in Eurovision, including Iceland and Finland, had previously called for boycotts due to Israel’s participation, but ultimately relented and will take part in this year’s competition.
Israel, which began participating in the Eurovision contest in 1973, has won the competition four times, most recently in 2018. The competition is beloved by Israelis, who make it one of the most-watched broadcasts every year. According to odds tables, which seek to predict the winners of the competition, Israel is currently ranked eighth out of 37 participating countries. However, that position may change with the unveiling of the revised song.
When asked if the original song was political, as claimed by the European Broadcasting Union, Tzafir said, “The original song was not political in my eyes. It did include the word October; if that bothered them, then we solved it. We stand fully behind the song that was approved and believe in its chances to excel in the competition.”