Journey to Jerusalem (inspired by mikeybill)

[jawnbc]

Here are two versions of the story:

1.) At at time when its blood laws and treatment of ethnic Turks brought it under scrutiny Germany sends Sürpriz to the 1999 Eurovision in Jerusalem. Their song, Reise nach Jerusalem (Journey to Jerusalem), is a call for MidEast peace. Sürpriz's members are all ethnic Turks and they sing in German, Turkish, English and...a bit in Hebrew. Reise nach Jerusalem is the German version of musical chairs and the lyric takes that game but suggests everyone play together, hand in hand, on the journey to Jerusalem.

2.) In a cheap ploy to curry voters from and Turkey and Isräel, Germany sends a cliché-ridden ditty, yet another "can't we all give peace a chance" schlager schong. Not coincidently, the only time Germany has won the Eurovision it was a song calling for A Little Peace (Ein Bisschen Freiden)--written by the same men.

My vote is #1. I generally loathe the Ralph Siegel shite, but this is a kicking good song--really fun and well performed. Turn up your sound a bit and let yourself get caught up.

Watch on YouTube

BTW they finished 3rd and did get top marks from both Isräel and Turkey--something no one else has ever done.

Comments

[feygele.livejournal.com]

If you hadn't explained that this was the German entry, I wouldn't have guessed it - entries tend to be quite nationalistic, or at least play on national stereotypes, and this clearly doesn't.

[jawnbc]

I think most EuroKweens™, when they heard German/Siegel/PeaceSong expected archetypal German schlager drek. It's the only of his (17 or so) entries I really like. Germany received as many douze points as the actual winner Sweden--though Sweden was 23 points ahead thanks to lots of 8s and 10s.

But Sürpriz apparently sank like a stone afterwards. Shame really.

[jamaisneutral.livejournal.com]

#1!
I love this song.
I think... but don't tell anyone... I find German quite sexy. Sometimes.
Help!
But originally Germany was going to send someone else, weren't they?

[jawnbc]

Yes, Corinna May (I Can't Live Withou Music 2002). Song got DQ'd.

[zurcherart.livejournal.com]

They DQ'd so many acts in Germany that year that they almost sent a crazy Swiss guy ... you know if the Turks hadn't agreed to do it.

If you think German is sexy come sit by me. I'll tell you a thing or two. And Swiss German is sexier ... 'cause it's dirtier.

[progbear.livejournal.com]

And it’s not the first time, they disqualified Tony Marshall’s Der Star in 1976 allowing...a Ralph Siegel tune (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sgsj35ZIAjA) to represent Germany...for the first time (he’d previously been responsible for the hideous earworm “Bye bye, I love you (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBtbQibX1O0)” for Luxembourg, sung by an Englishwoman who couldn’t speak French, and wound up going on stage after ABBA).

More withdrawn entries (http://progbear.livejournal.com/336102.html)

[arktos62.livejournal.com]

Oh dear. I liked that hideous earworm and never gave ABBA a prayer on the big night. I hang my head in Sheer, er, shame.

[jamaisneutral.livejournal.com]

It's a deal! As long as it doesn't sound like Austrian, because... yuck.

[zurcherart.livejournal.com]

This is a great one.

We need to make an appointment to catch up! I'm on-line so rarely lately. And didn't we already have plans for August?

[jawnbc]

I'm buried too. not logging on to IM until the evening....if at all.