Israel – If you are easily offended, look away now

Michael Ben David from Israel, Second Rehearsal
Michael Ben David from Israel, Second Rehearsal

If you’ve stayed and chosen to read this post then carry on. Don’t say you haven’t been warned.

I despise this song. I don’t despise Michael Ben-David, lets get that right from the get go. He’s chosen to be loud and proud and in your face with who he is and that’s all fine – live and let live, I say. I’m also mindful, however, that this contest is not gay Christmas, despite liking a bit of the old **** myself, it is a family entertainment show shown at peek viewing time on a Thursday night, where kids might well be watching and asking awkward questions like ” Daddy, why is that man singing so high?”

Clever or cynical?

From the very start I.M doesn’t try to hide what it is, but having a song that is literally appealing to a very small viewer demographic is, in my view, a bad move on behalf of Kan. They are under the impression that this will get through the semifinal because of *that* viewership … and then see what happens on Saturday – and that is a very clever (or cynical) move depending on your point of view.

It is nothing more than Michael singing (very camply) a very camp song, being – using the vernacular – a “queen” and “slaying”, but at its heart this is an over-choreographed and over-thought-out attempt at attracting the pink vote. To flesh this out, he and his backing dancers are in white, and the stage is contrasted in red and that bit certainly looks effective – a change from the preponderance of yellow this year. They certainly all can dance. Michael’s voice, however, being so damn high would be more appealing to canines than humans watching. There is also the scope for the casual viewer to not connect the voice with the man singing it which, again, in the more conservative countries could work against this entry.

Pas pour moi, but it might be for you. It certainly makes Finland look better than it should be because of the contrast. However, by the time we get to Serbia, all that is going to be forgotten.