Shir Habatlanim
Encyclopedia
"Shir Habatlanim" was the Israel
i entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1987
. It was performed in Hebrew
by the comedic duo Datner & Kushnir and came 8th, scoring 73 points. It was the subject of a resignation threat by the Israeli Minister of Culture.
The act consisted of two comedians, Nathan Datner and Avi Kushnir, dressed in black suits and ties in the style of the Blues Brothers, who performed alone in a talking style presentation, accompanied by a minimalist orchestra score conducted by a similarly attired conductor. The two men danced in unison, with coordinated arm and feet shuffling, walking across the stage which at times descended into chaotic flailing, pulling faces and a handstand. At times they pulled sunglasses perched off their heads down, and concluded their performance by falsely walking away before jumping back at the audience.
The lyrics describe the daily routine of an idle loafer, evidently unemployed, who wakes up in the morning at 10 a.m., and who cannot see the sun because the shutters and then a block of buildings impedes his view. It describes his routine of making coffee and smoking, and feeding the birds so that they come and sing the Lazy Bums' Song. It then describes how the lazy guy directs his dog to do the grocery errands, before going for a walk with the dog (accompanied with a pantomimed lifted-leg gesture), and then at the end of the day, having his view of the moon blocked by the buildings. The verses are interspersed with the "Lazy Bums" chorus, a repetition of the nonsense words "Hupa, Hole Hupa, Hupa Hole".
It was selected to represent Israel after placing first in the 1987 Kdam-Eurovision preliminaries, where it tallied 79 points, defeating fifteen other Israeli artists' entries including as 1978 Eurovision
winner Izhar Cohen
. This was the largest pre-Eurovision competition to date, presented by Yardena Arazi
and Yoram Arbell on April 1, 1987.
At Eurovision, the song was performed second in a field of 22 on the night, following Norway
's Kate with "Mitt liv
" and preceding Austria
's Gary Lux
with "Nur noch Gefühl
".
It was the first time that a satirical comic act had been selected to represent Israel, and this raised the ire of the Minister of Culture, Yitzhak Navon
, who threatened his resignation if the song represented Israel on the night of the contest. Although the performance went ahead, he did not fulfil his threat to resign.
The song went on to achieve success, primarily amongst the younger demographic who appreciated their slapstick style presentation, especially in Iceland, where the duo later toured and performed live and in television shows. An English version of the song was also recorded.
It was succeeded as Israeli representative
at the 1988 Contest
by Yardena Arazi
with "Ben Adam
".
In 1988, Swedish record company manager and former politician Bert Karlsson
recorded a Swedish cover version entitled "Hoppa Hulle".
In 1996, Brazilian singer Xuxa
made a cover of the song "Huppa-Hule" in her album Tô de Bem Com a Vida with the same lyrics and melody.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1987
Eurovision Song Contest 1987
The Eurovision Song Contest 1987 was the 32nd Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 9 May 1987 in Brussels, Belgium after Sandra Kim's win the previous year. The presenter was Viktor Lazlo. Johnny Logan was the winner for Ireland with the song "Hold Me Now"...
. It was performed in Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
by the comedic duo Datner & Kushnir and came 8th, scoring 73 points. It was the subject of a resignation threat by the Israeli Minister of Culture.
The act consisted of two comedians, Nathan Datner and Avi Kushnir, dressed in black suits and ties in the style of the Blues Brothers, who performed alone in a talking style presentation, accompanied by a minimalist orchestra score conducted by a similarly attired conductor. The two men danced in unison, with coordinated arm and feet shuffling, walking across the stage which at times descended into chaotic flailing, pulling faces and a handstand. At times they pulled sunglasses perched off their heads down, and concluded their performance by falsely walking away before jumping back at the audience.
The lyrics describe the daily routine of an idle loafer, evidently unemployed, who wakes up in the morning at 10 a.m., and who cannot see the sun because the shutters and then a block of buildings impedes his view. It describes his routine of making coffee and smoking, and feeding the birds so that they come and sing the Lazy Bums' Song. It then describes how the lazy guy directs his dog to do the grocery errands, before going for a walk with the dog (accompanied with a pantomimed lifted-leg gesture), and then at the end of the day, having his view of the moon blocked by the buildings. The verses are interspersed with the "Lazy Bums" chorus, a repetition of the nonsense words "Hupa, Hole Hupa, Hupa Hole".
It was selected to represent Israel after placing first in the 1987 Kdam-Eurovision preliminaries, where it tallied 79 points, defeating fifteen other Israeli artists' entries including as 1978 Eurovision
Eurovision Song Contest 1978
The Eurovision Song Contest 1978 was the 23rd of its kind, and was held on 22 April 1978 in Paris. With Denise Fabre and Léon Zitrone as the presenters - the first time more than one presenter hosted the contest - the contest was won by Izhar Cohen & the Alphabeta who represented Israel, with their...
winner Izhar Cohen
Izhar Cohen
Izhar Cohen is an Israeli singer and actor.Representing Israel, he won the 1978 Eurovision Song Contest with the group Alphabeta performing "A-Ba-Ni-Bi" with music by Nurit Hirsh and words by Ehud Manor...
. This was the largest pre-Eurovision competition to date, presented by Yardena Arazi
Yardena Arazi
Yardena Arazi is an Israeli singer and entertainer.-Biography:Yardena Arazi was born on Kibbutz Kabri and grew up in Haifa. Arazi is the daughter of Jewish immigrants from France and Germany. She joined the Beit Rothschild group at 16 and became its lead vocalist. She did her military service in...
and Yoram Arbell on April 1, 1987.
At Eurovision, the song was performed second in a field of 22 on the night, following Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
's Kate with "Mitt liv
Mitt Liv
"Mitt liv" was the Norwegian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1987, performed in Norwegian by Kate Gulbrandsen.The song is a ballad, with Kate singing about her feelings towards her life...
" and preceding Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
's Gary Lux
Gary Lux
Gerhard "Gary" Lux is an Austrian singer, most famous for having represented his country in the Eurovision Song Contest on six occasions. He was born in Ontario Canada but returned to live in Austria with his parents as a young boy. He is married to Marianne and has 2 sons, Benny and Dennis...
with "Nur noch Gefühl
Nur Noch Gefühl
"Nur noch Gefühl" was the Austrian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1987, performed in German by Gary Lux....
".
It was the first time that a satirical comic act had been selected to represent Israel, and this raised the ire of the Minister of Culture, Yitzhak Navon
Yitzhak Navon
Yitzhak Navon is an Israeli politician, diplomat, and author. He served as the fifth President of Israel between 1978 and 1982 as a member of the center-left Alignment party...
, who threatened his resignation if the song represented Israel on the night of the contest. Although the performance went ahead, he did not fulfil his threat to resign.
The song went on to achieve success, primarily amongst the younger demographic who appreciated their slapstick style presentation, especially in Iceland, where the duo later toured and performed live and in television shows. An English version of the song was also recorded.
It was succeeded as Israeli representative
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...
at the 1988 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1988
The Eurovision Song Contest 1988 was the 33rd Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 30 April 1988 in Dublin. The presenters were Pat Kenny and Michelle Rocca...
by Yardena Arazi
Yardena Arazi
Yardena Arazi is an Israeli singer and entertainer.-Biography:Yardena Arazi was born on Kibbutz Kabri and grew up in Haifa. Arazi is the daughter of Jewish immigrants from France and Germany. She joined the Beit Rothschild group at 16 and became its lead vocalist. She did her military service in...
with "Ben Adam
Ben Adam
"Ben Adam" was the Israeli entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1988, performed in Hebrew by Yardena Arazi. "Ben Adam" , beyond its literal meaning is used in Hebrew to describe a righteous person, someone who does the right thing...
".
In 1988, Swedish record company manager and former politician Bert Karlsson
Bert Karlsson
Bert Willis Karlsson is a Swedish record company manager, entrepreneur, former politician and front figure of the New Democracy party....
recorded a Swedish cover version entitled "Hoppa Hulle".
In 1996, Brazilian singer Xuxa
Xuxa
Xuxa , Maria da Graça "Xuxa" Meneghel, born March 27, 1963 in Santa Rosa, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil) is a Brazilian television actress, singer and children's television show host...
made a cover of the song "Huppa-Hule" in her album Tô de Bem Com a Vida with the same lyrics and melody.