Sameach
 "Sameyakh" |
|
|---|---|
| CD cover | |
| Eurovision Song Contest 2000 entry | |
| Country | |
| Artist(s) | |
| Languages | |
| Composer(s) |
Guy Asif, Roy Arad
|
| Lyricist(s) |
Guy Asif, Roy Arad
|
| Finals performance | |
| Final result |
22nd
|
| Final points |
7
|
| Appearance chronology | |
| ◄ "Yom Huledet (Happy Birthday)" (1999) | |
| "En Davar" (2001) ► | |
"Sameyakh" (Hebrew script: שמח meaning "happy" in Hebrew) 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 (Guy Asif and Roy Arad) and two females (Yifat Giladi and Ahal Eden), who had originally entered the contest as a joke. At the end of the performance the group waved small flags of both Israel and Syria; the waving of the Flag of Syria led to the performance being disendorsed by the Israeli Broadcasting Authority after the group had refused to withdraw the use of the flag for the final. The performance also garnered controversy when the group, at the last minute, decided to sing the song's English title ("Be Happy") in place of the Hebrew title, after previously having stated that they would sing the song entirely in Hebrew.
The song qualified for the Eurovision Song Contest after defeating 83 other acts earlier in the year, without incident. However, upon brandishing the new dance and flag routine at the dress rehearsal, which coincided with Independence Day of Israel, Israeli talkbalk radio and newspapers were inundated with complaints at a period when Israel had withdrawn from southern Lebanon due to guerilla attacks by the Hezbollah militia, which was supported by a Syrian government which did not recognise Israel's sovereignty. Upon being disendorsed, Gil Samsonov, the chairman of the Israeli Broadcasting Authority stated that PingPong would have to pay for the costs of entering the competition, saying "They will compete there, but not on behalf of the Israeli Broadcasting Authority or the Israeli people… They are representing only themselves." It was the last straw for the IBA after the group had released its video clip for the song the previous month, which included male-male kissing and suggestive acts with a cucumber. "It started with sexual provocation and now it has turned to political provocation," Mr Samsonov said. "What is this meant to be about? Everyone knows that the Israeli people want peace with Syria".
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Wikipedia