5. ISRAEL 2001
Ein Davar performed by Tal Sundak
With well over four-and-a-half months to go until the big night, the Israelis chose their entry for the 2001 Eurovision Song Contest. Why?
They obviously don't peek at Whoops, Dragovic much in Tel Aviv, as I clearly stated in BASIS that Dr DJ sounded the most like the title of a Eurovision entry. Pschaw!
Tal Sundak, a relative unkown in Israel, will take the extremely ethnic Ein Davar to Copenhagen on May 12. The decision was made at the Kdam festival on December 28 by a mixture of televoters and professional juries. An Mp3 of the live version is available at the eurobosnia site.
Now that the remix season is well and truly upon us, it's time for the carefully choreographed annual Israeli ESC-scandal to hit. Lyricist Shimrit Orr (who co-wrote and conducted A Barney Bee in 1978) has got all touchy, saying that her finely crafted words do not fit the vaguely more up-tempo remixed version of Ein Davar and wants the whole song restored to its Kdam version (and thus destroying any small chance it may have of finishing in one of the higher places) before Tal gets to Copenhagen.
Ooh, halt the presses.
HEARD-IT: It's a tune that certainly can't deny its roots. It reminds me of Poogy in '74, lots of chanting and electric guitars which sound worryingly like the intro to George Michael's Faith.
Forget Dana I, Eden and the Cucumber Hill Mob; Israel is going back to its roots.
AND ON THAT NOTE, WE'LL PREDICT: No higher than 10th.