Israel has agreed to change the lyrics of the country's 2024 Eurovision song, "October Rain," KAN News reported Sunday. The song contest had refused to allow the original song to be used in the competition.
The leading Israeli submission is “October Rain,” a ballad sung by female soloist Eden Golan. According to lyrics leaked to the media and later confirmed by KAN News, it includes lines such as, “There’s no air left to breathe,” and“They were all good children, each one of them” – apparent allusions to people who took refuge in shelters as Hamas terrorists carried out the October 7 massacre.
How did Israel's president help push KAN to change the Eurovision song lyrics?
Eurovision is to take place on May 7-11 in Malmo, Sweden. It bills itself as a nonpolitical event and can disqualify contestants deemed to have breached that rule. Public broadcaster KAN is tasked with choosing Israel’s entry.KAN said it has asked the writers of “October Rain” and second-place finalist “Dance Forever” to revise their lyrics, while also preserving their artistic freedom, before it officially chooses the song to send to the Eurovision committee.
The European Broadcasting Union, which organizes Eurovision and has previously said it was in the process of scrutinizing the lyrics, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on KAN’s decision.KAN said it had agreed to make the changes, following a request from President Isaac Herzog.“The president emphasized that at this time, in particular, when those who hate us seek to push aside and boycott the State of Israel from every stage, Israel must sound its voice with pride and its head high and raise its flag in every world forum, especially this year,” KAN said.