On Sunday, Israel unveiled a modified version of a song it seeks to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest, after the competition organizers objected to some of the lyrics of the original song that referred to the attack by the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on October 7.
Israel agreed to change the lyrics of the original song, which was called “October Rain,” after the organizers threatened to disqualify the contestants because it contained a political reference, which is inconsistent with the rules of the competition.
The original song’s lyrics included phrases such as “There was no more air to breathe” and “They were all good kids, every single one of them,” an apparent reference to people who holed up in shelters at a time when Hamas gunmen carried out killings and kidnappings inside a concert. It was held outdoors and in other places, which sparked the war in Gaza.
The revised song, which singer Eden Golan presented on Sunday, was called “Hurricane” and seemed to contain phrases that tended to personal feelings, such as “Every day I lose my mind” and “I’m still broken down by this hurricane.”
“I think the message is clear… The song’s lyrics are about a woman going through a personal crisis – a hurricane,” Golan told Israel’s public broadcaster (Radio Kan) just before the show.
Radio Kan said that it asked the song’s authors to review its lyrics, with their right to freedom of artistic expression.
He added that he agreed to change some words at the request of Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
The Eurovision competition is scheduled to be held from May 7 to 11 in the Swedish city of Malmo.
