On Saturday, Madame Monsieur won the French national final for Eurovision. Soon after its selection, people started to debate about the (possibly) political nature of the song. Madame Monsieur have spoken out on the matter.
Who is Madame Monsieur’s “Mercy”?
“Mercy” is a song about a Nigerian girl. That girl was born on a refugee ship in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea a few years ago. The ship belonged to SOS Mediterranee. That organisation helps and rescues boat refugees who tried to reach Europe by boat.
Here she is! Both baby Mercy and proud mama Taiwo are doing amazingly well. May #Europe treat them with the kindness they deserve. pic.twitter.com/cMCqG46FYS
— MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) March 21, 2017
Basically, “Mercy” is a song about the humanitarian crisis we’ve seen in Europe. Madame Monsieur have highlighted one particular story of this crisis to tell us. Part of the lyrics state the following:
We have left our homes, it was war
She had a reason for sure, there was nothing to lose
Oh no, except for life
Those lines make the topic we’re dealing with quite clear. The question that lingers is whether this song is humanitarian or political.
Not a lesson
During the press conference right after winning Destination Eurovision, Madame Monsieur received a question regarding the nature of their song. A journalist present asked them about the political topic of the song. Would EBU have a problem with the theme Madame Monsieur have chosen?
The French entrants gave a clear ‘no’ to that question. They feel their song is not political. They said:
It is just the story of a child being born. A moment of happiness, in the middle of a lot of misfortune. We do not want to teach anyone a lesson.
At this point, EBU are still silent on the matter. And perhaps we won’t even hear a thing from them about it.
How do you feel about the story of “Mercy”? You can read more on the matter here at ESCInsight.com. Let us know your thoughts below or on social media!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RROBzwGJNeo
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