I’m currently in conflict with a few people in the Eurovision community (mostly on Facebook) due to one reason – I like and enjoy Hatrið mun sigra by Hatari.
I understand that everyone has different taste in music but if there is a common argument to why people don’t like this song, it’s because of either of the following:
- Constant screaming – it will put people off
- The message of the song – too much hate + they’re bad rolemodel
It also have been revealed recently that the scores they’ve received during the national selection were somewhat near to double compared to what others have got.
There is a reason why I like the song – and no, it’s not only because it’s very different, but it’s the meaning behind the lyrics and the way it’s performed, as well as looking at the current political climate in various countries.
Who is Hatari?
Before we go to the nitty gritty, we need to know who the band members are. Hatari consists of 3 band members: Klemens Hannigan, Matthías Tryggvi Haraldson, and Einar Stéfansson. They’ve released 1 EP (Neysluvara) – which contains 4 songs, and one single (Spillingardans)
According to twitter user @leanderkills, the lead singer- Matthias, was a journalist for RÙV.
I don’t know if the journalism aspect of his career played a role in his songwriting and performance but for me, it makes sense to why the song was written the way it was.
So I guess one dumb reason why I like Hatari – they’re the Icelandic version of MCR! Except rather than writing songs that help deal with mental health, they write songs that describes our corrupt society.
What is the song about?
Hatrið mun sigra is very open to interpretation. A lot of people who are against Hatari just view the song as “giant screaming fest” that promotes hate and it shouldn’t be performed on the Eurovision stage.
But I’d like to differ – I see this song as a realistic commentary on our society. A song that’s unapologetic and just says it how it is. But also saying that the incoming ‘hate and war’ is a good thing as it will unite us all – in a sense.
One of my favourite lines goes as follows:
Hatrið mun sigra (Hate will prevail)
Evrópa hrynja. (Europe will crumble)
Vefur lyga. (Caught in its web of lies)
Rísið úr öskunni. (Rise from the ashes)
Sameinuð sem eitt. (United we shall be)
I’d see this line as way of saying that the world we live in is filled with hate and corruption – HOWEVER… we will arise from the warfare that all this hate as brought and become a newer society – more united than before.
Now compare that to our current society. USA elections where it caused more division (based on my observation), Russia vs Ukraine, Palestine vs Israel…
Even in past events like the World Wars, People Power Revolution in the Philippines, and probably so many other events of rebellion/revolutions…
Our entire society is filled with hate and people uniting to put an end to it, and in doing so – creating a newer society (until the cycle repeats itself).
Hatari expresses this message in a more… extreme way – more in a way of a power balance. The ‘screaming’ represents a dictator/leader who is rallying people to join his cause. The falsetto part that’s done by Klemens represents some weird sense of ‘hope’.
Every translation I’ve found of the chorus pretty much says the same thing –
Allt sem ég sá. (All that I saw)
Runnu niður tár. (Tear begin to fall)
Allt sem ég gaf. (All that I gave)
Eitt sinn gaf. (Once gave)
Ég gaf þér allt. (I gave it all for you)
“I gave everything to you” – like they’re doing this for us. Like it’s for our own good or something around those lines. My views on that line is how after seeing the world we live in, they want to do something about it. All this conflict was all for us.
Yes, this song is not as ‘pacifist’ and may have some political undertones in them, BUT AT LEAST IT’S SUBTLE!!! But you know what song ALSO has some political undertones (and it’s very very obvious) – Ukraine 2016.
Past Icelandic Entries
Past entries in Iceland has been a rollercoaster. Some songs made it to the finals like “Coming Home”, “Is it true?”, and “No prejudice”. Some fan faves like “Hear Them Calling” were robbed to be in the final. And there were songs that… we’re not that good (IMO).
Iceland hasn’t made it to the finals since 2014 and a lot of their songs have either been constant low-key power ballads. They’re good but not enough to make it to the finals.
If Iceland wants to stand out in the contest, they need to take a risk. One of the appeals of Hatari is that they provide the ‘risk’ Iceland needs to qualify to the grand finals. They have sex-appeal, the genre post-industrial/electronic and the message of the song is contrasts to what the majority is being sent.
The reason Hatari became the fan favourite is that, out of all 10 songs that competed in Songvakeppnin – Hatari stood out from the rest. Their music reminded fans of ‘Lordi’ and ‘AWS’ but in a more twisted way.
To me, this song is ‘Occidentali’s Karma’ but darker and sinister.
“But Hatari are bad people/role models”
Please watch this video underneath and tell me again if they’re bad people.
One of my Icelandic online friends have told me that Hatari is an “art group” and this whole thing is an “instalment”. They’re giant hypocrites btw! They claim to be ‘anti-capitalist’ yet they do ‘capitalistic things’.
Here’s the thing – there aren’t that many bands and artists out there that talk about the issues of society or the individual. Only a handful like My Chemical Romance and Muse were able to use their talents to appeal towards those who needed it the most or tell their views of the current situation using music.
Most songs that are shown on mainstream radio are either about love, loss, or sex. Yes, it’s a good escape but there are times I’d like to hear something different, something that’s more realistic and appealing to how I view my life. I have friends who enjoy MCR for the same reason as well – that their music reflects our current life.
Hatari does this by composing songs with darker undertones on what society has become and whether you agree to it or not, you have to admit – it does hold some sort of truth.
Hatari is the opposite of a Eurovision entry
Hatrið mun sigra is a song that not only reflects our current society but defies what Eurovision likes to promote. Yes, the idea of Eurovision was to calm the masses after World War 2 and most of the songs are either about Love and Peace (and in some cases, loss), but we can’t keep sugarcoating what our world has become.
One of the common things I’ve heard whilst I was a journalism student was the term “the media feeds the masses” – which means whatever the media gives, we the people just accept it as fact as it’s the ‘journalists’ job to tell us what’s happening in our society’. However, we are all aware of fake news and how it affects elections. According to Vox – there is this thing called the ‘October surprise’ and it’s a way to sway people on how they vote during elections
Hatari’s intension as a band is to bring to light the dark sides of our current society. That not everything is all ‘rainbows and butterflies’. Yes, it’s not the ‘ideal song’ that we want to hear in a song contest and some may see it as a ‘political entry that should be disqualified’ but it really isn’t. It’s just a reflection on what our world has become.
I love Hatari’s song because it aligns to how I’m seeing the world and the society we live in. I love my dark and edgy music (like MCR, Far Away Stables, and Muse). And the message and music style attracts my demographic – the “Woke” Generation – those who are self aware on the issues and want to fight for change.
Music is subjective. People will have their own taste.
According to the r/eurovision sub reddit, some fans have noticed that it’s a divide between the older and younger demographic in regards to their thoughts of this song. I just think that for once, Iceland is taking a risk and we finally have an entry that’s unique. And the fact that it got double the points in Songvakeppnin and the amount of love it’s been given through YouTube comments, Reddit, and Twitter – I just know that it has a chance it could make it to the finals.
Will Hatrið mun sigra win Eurovision – maybe?
But will it reach Top 10 – I sure damn hope so.
So love or hate the song – in the end… Hate will prevail. Their song holds some truth into what kind of world we live in. You can say it’s a ‘political protests’ but I believe it’s a reflection on the world we live in and that we have the power to change things.
I am glad Iceland is taking a risk and I do hope this song does very well in Tel Aviv. Love or hate the song – in the end, hate will prevail…
Before the hate wins – remember to loveMatthías Tryggvi Haraldson
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