Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 1987

Israel first entered the Eurovision Song Contest in 1973, after joining the European Broadcasting Union in 1957.[4] Its national selection competition, Kdam Eurovision, was established by Channel One to choose the country’s representative.[5] Israel began using a local Eurovision-style selection in 1978; the first separate event took place in 1981, and the name “Kdam Eurovision” became established the following year.[5] The format involved competing songs and points awarded by judging locations around the country.[5]

“Shir Habatlanim” had begun taking shape several years before the 1987 selection.[1] Songwriter Zehar Laskov recalled that he had its first and last verses and part of the chorus by late 1983.[1] After a lyricist he approached was unable to complete it, he wrote verses himself while repeatedly watching the film “Alexander the Happy.”[1] Laskov remembered accumulating about 70 verses before cutting the material to fit a four-and-a-half-minute song.[1] He also recalled changing the chorus from “Hopa Ole” to “Hopa Hula” after Izhar Cohen performed “Olé Olé” at Eurovision.[1]

The song’s comic premise centered on laziness: its opening narrator says he wakes at around ten each morning.[6] Sources differ on the composition credit. A 1987 catalog record attributes the composition to Ariel Zilber and places the score in volume two of “All the Songs of Kdam Eurovision,” while a later retrospective instead credits Zehar Laskov with writing and composing the song.[6][7]

Potential performers suggested to Laskov included Muni Moshonov and Shlomo Bar-Aba, the Hageashash Hachiver trio, Gidi Gov, and Sefi Rivlin.[1] He recalled choosing Datner and Kushnir after hearing Kushnir and director Micha Levinson discuss the Blues Brothers in connection with the song.[1] Although Israel Broadcasting Authority staff wanted well-known names, Laskov argued that less familiar performers could make the song work and would be especially motivated to win.[1]

The Israeli preselection took place on April 1, 1987.[5] Contemporary press coverage included a February 10 presentation of the hosts and songs and a publication of the competing songs’ lyrics on the day of the selection.[5] That year’s field contained 16 contestants rather than the customary 12, including Zvika Pik, Orna and Moshe Datz, Arik Sinai, Ilana Avital, Dudu Fisher, Eti Ankri, Vardina, and Izhar Cohen.[7]

Datner later recalled that “Shir Habatlanim” had been an unassigned comic song intended to make the television broadcast more entertaining.[7] He and Kushnir joined partly to promote a planned stage show and did not expect to win.[7] Dressed in black suits and ties inspired by the Blues Brothers, they appeared last in the competition and unexpectedly won.[1][7]

The winning performance included difficulties with the lyrics.[1] Laskov recalled that Kushnir suffered a blackout and became confused, but that the pair got back in sync for the chorus.[1] Datner later said that Kushnir improvised much of the wording during the performance.[1] In another recollection, Datner explained that Kushnir’s difficulty remembering the words meant he had to listen to his partner’s singing so that they could finish the lines together.[3]

In Brussels, the duo approached the week with a relaxed attitude.[7] Kushnir recalled sightseeing and dining between rehearsals rather than treating the competition as all-important.[7] Retrospective accounts recount missed rehearsals and an official meeting with the host city’s mayor.[3] Datner also recalled declining a royal reception in favor of a bus tour of Brussels, provoking criticism in Belgian newspapers for snubbing the King of Belgium.[7]

Before the international final, televised excerpts had already brought the act’s refrain to European viewers.[2] “Hule, Hule” also served as the title of the English version.[2] The presentation was a comic act featuring a Blues Brothers-style dance.[2] Datner and Kushnir said they wanted to leave an impression of Israel as cheerful and humorous.[2]

The international contest took place in Brussels on May 9, with the pair introduced as the Lazy Bums.[1] They performed second in the running order. Although their song had been considered a favorite to win, they finished eighth.[1][7] The field contained 22 participants.[3] They received 73 points.[8] Ireland’s Johnny Logan won the contest with “Hold Me Now,” written by Sean Sherrard.[9]

Science and Development Minister Gideon Patt objected to a song praising idleness representing Israel, arguing that it did not reflect the ethos of a country of working people.[7] The issue became the subject of a parliamentary question, and Patt later telephoned the duo while they were preparing for the contest in Brussels.[7]

Retrospective recollections also describe Patt urging Education and Culture Minister Yitzhak Navon to convene a government meeting and cancel the song’s participation because it was “not serious.”[1] Datner recalled a threatened resignation by Navon, who ultimately did not resign.[1] The dispute reached The Times and subsequently other European newspapers.[1]

After the contest, Datner and Kushnir appeared on European television, sometimes alongside winner Johnny Logan.[7] They were invited to perform in Iceland and on Belgian television.[7] The Hebrew-language original of “Shir Habatlanim” stayed at the top of Iceland’s local hit parade for more than three weeks.[10]

The performers explicitly connected their comic act with the image of Israel they hoped to convey abroad.[2] Datner said, “The Jews have always been characterized by a sense of humour,” but observed that this quality was not usually connected with Israel, adding, “It’s time it was.”[2]

Later retrospectives emphasize different aspects of the episode: the unexpected national-selection victory, the improvisation behind its polished comic appearance, the ministerial objections, and the duo’s relaxed week in Brussels.[1][7] Laskov remembered a chaotic performance that came together at the chorus, while Datner recalled that the duo had entered without expecting to win.[1][7] Their subsequent television appearances and the song’s chart success in Iceland extended its audience beyond the Brussels competition.[7][10]