PingPong (band)
Encyclopedia
PingPong is an Israel
i pop quartet that represented Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest
in 2000
with the song Sameach
.
The members of the band were: Guy Asif, Ahal Eden, Roy Arad
and Yifat Giladi. The band released one album Between Moral and Fashion (2000, Hed Arzi) with songs like "Burger Ranch" (Israeli chain of fastfood restaurants), "I got a lover in Givati" and "Mr. Israel". This album sells only about 1000 copies.
Their hit song "Sameach
" (Hebrew for "Happy") was admitted to the 2000 Eurovision Song Contest
. At the close of voting the song had received 7 points, placing 22nd in a field of 24. The song lyrics mentioned a friend from Damascus
who dates an Israeli girl. The band was dis-endorsed by the Israel Broadcasting Authority
after waving the flag of Syria
during the rehearsal and the video-clip of the song http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,219846,00.html. They refused to back down for the performance in the final and pulled the flag out live http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJquCzvL1J8, as planned, all to encourage the Israeli-Syrian peace Ehud Barak
was negotiating at the time. They also visited a Syrian community center in Stockholm
, where the Eurovision was held.
The band was the favourite of the NME
magazine for winning the contest, but failed.
In 2006 a documentary called "Sipur Sameach" http://www.third-ear.com/p_prod.aspx?id=34259 made by filmmaker Alon Weinstock was released on DVD, following the group's trip to Sweden.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i pop quartet that represented Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest
Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest
Although geographically not in Europe, Israel is within the European Broadcasting Area and can thus participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. Israel is a member of the European Broadcasting Union, and made its first appearance in 1973. Israel has participated in the contest 34 times, and has won...
in 2000
Eurovision Song Contest 2000
The Eurovision Song Contest 2000 was the 45th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 13 May 2000 at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden, following Charlotte Nilsson's victory in Jerusalem the previous year. It was the first time since 1996 that the contest was held on mainland Europe. The...
with the song Sameach
Sameach
"Sameyakh" was the Israeli entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2000. It was performed in Hebrew by the pop band Ping-Pong, a quartet consisting of two males and two females , who had originally entered the contest as a joke...
.
The members of the band were: Guy Asif, Ahal Eden, Roy Arad
Roy Arad
Roy "Chicky" Arad is an Israeli poet, singer, script-writer and artist.-Poetry:Arad has published three books. In his first book, “The Nigger”, he formed a style that he called "Kimo" and defined as "a Hebrew adaptation of the Japanese Haiku": it consists of three lines of 10, 7, and 6 syllables...
and Yifat Giladi. The band released one album Between Moral and Fashion (2000, Hed Arzi) with songs like "Burger Ranch" (Israeli chain of fastfood restaurants), "I got a lover in Givati" and "Mr. Israel". This album sells only about 1000 copies.
Their hit song "Sameach
Sameach
"Sameyakh" was the Israeli entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2000. It was performed in Hebrew by the pop band Ping-Pong, a quartet consisting of two males and two females , who had originally entered the contest as a joke...
" (Hebrew for "Happy") was admitted to the 2000 Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2000
The Eurovision Song Contest 2000 was the 45th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 13 May 2000 at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden, following Charlotte Nilsson's victory in Jerusalem the previous year. It was the first time since 1996 that the contest was held on mainland Europe. The...
. At the close of voting the song had received 7 points, placing 22nd in a field of 24. The song lyrics mentioned a friend from Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
who dates an Israeli girl. The band was dis-endorsed by the Israel Broadcasting Authority
Israel Broadcasting Authority
Israel Broadcasting Authority is Israel's state broadcasting network.It grew out of the radio station Kol Yisrael, which made its first broadcast as an independent station on . The name of the organisation operating Kol Yisrael was changed to Israel Broadcasting Service in 1951...
after waving the flag of Syria
Flag of Syria
The flag of Syria was re-adopted in 1980. The flag was formerly the flag of the United Arab Republic.-History:The first modern flag of Syria was adopted in 1920, and was similar to the current flag of Jordan with the green and white colours reversed...
during the rehearsal and the video-clip of the song http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,219846,00.html. They refused to back down for the performance in the final and pulled the flag out live http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJquCzvL1J8, as planned, all to encourage the Israeli-Syrian peace Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak is an Israeli politician who served as Prime Minister from 1999 until 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until January 2011 and holds the posts of Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister in Binyamin Netanyahu's government....
was negotiating at the time. They also visited a Syrian community center in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, where the Eurovision was held.
The band was the favourite of the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
magazine for winning the contest, but failed.
In 2006 a documentary called "Sipur Sameach" http://www.third-ear.com/p_prod.aspx?id=34259 made by filmmaker Alon Weinstock was released on DVD, following the group's trip to Sweden.
External links
- Burger Ranch YouTube
- Interview