Notes from Cantor Avima

In spite of protests and controversy, Israel's song entry, "Hurricane" by Eden Golan,  placed  5th in the Eurovision Song Contest.  The song was originally written in the aftermath of the October 7th massacre by Avi Ohayon, Keren Peles and Stav Beger. When it was released on 10 March 2024,  it was titled "October Rain". The song lyrics and title had to be revised as it was originally deemed to be too political by the contest organizers. 

In an interview with The Times of Israel, Eden Golan stated that despite knowing that competing in Eurovision would "not [be] simple", she nevertheless wanted to represent Israel "because of [the song's] meaning... we can bring everything we're feeling, and everything the country is going through, in those three minutes. To speak through the song to the world."^[3]

I researched the two versions of the lyrics, and it is true that the "Hurricane" version is very much sanitized, so much so that this version has been interpreted in a variety of ways, all  universal themes,  including the "importance of strength in tough moments", "loss and redemption" and the story of a "young woman emerging from a personal crisis". However, the original lyrics are clearly a response to Oct. 7th. 

The true test of a song is how it endures through the years. I can't help but wonder which version of the song will endure in the hearts and song of Israelis. Will it be the generic but very polished performance at Eurovision and the pride we have attached to it winning 5th place in spite of all the attacks,  or will it be the original song with its more poignant lyrics describing the  gut wrenching emotional response to the tragedy of Oct. 7. Only time will tell. 

There have already been many covers of both versions of the song. Check out the three links below. The first is a cover of the original song "October Rain" by a singer Miki Guberman.  The second is a clip of the original October Rain video  by Eden Golan. Notice the visual allusions to Oct. 7 such as the hole in Eden's clothing that looks like a gunshot, the white clothing changing to black and the dancing to remind us of the Nova music festival. 

And the third is the Eurovision performance. 

Cover of October Rain by Miki Guberman

October Rain video clip

Eurovision performance by Eden Golan