CROATIA 2023

The Croatian final "DORA" was held on February 11th at the Marino Cvetkovic Sports Hall in Opatija, hosted by Mirko Fodor, Mario Lipovšek Battifiaca and Marko Tolja. The votes of 10 regional juries and national televotes were added together to find a winner. That winner was the legendary band Let 3 with the song "Mama ŠČ!!" (Mama, shhhh!)

Let 3 (Flight 3) were formed in 1987 in Rijeka, Croatia although the formation of the band can be traced back much earlier to the punk band Termiti who were active in the '70s. Over the years their line up has changed considerably but currently consists of Dražen Baljak, Ivan Bojčić, Damir Martinović, Zoran Prodanović and Matej Zec. The band is popular across many of the former Yugoslav republics due to their songs full of vulgar lyrics and performances including acts of nudity. They have stirred up many controversies over the years including releasing albums that have no music on them, touring Croatia with a statue of a grandma with a penis, filming music videos parodying Serb & Albanian soldiers and pulling corks out of their rectums during a TV talk show.

To start, 5 of the 6 members are visible spread out on the stage dressed distinctly in frock coats, skirts, jackets and hats with an overall subversive military theme. They are also heavily plied with make up. There is a solitary drumkit on stage but no-one playing them. The background sometimes displays words of the text but mostly shows dancers or the band doing the dance routine. The song starts with a rousing punkish guitar before quietening down for the first two verses. The music then becomes frantic, mirrored by the actions of the band on stage, before going into the chorus. We then have a repeat of verse 2 which ends with the 6th member coming on stage holding what seems to be two rockets or missiles. During the multiple repeats of the chorus, instruments are now being played, the missiles have now become giant firing sprinklers and the original 5 members have stripped down to spangled nude bodysuits. 

The start of this song is insanely catchy. The repetitive lyrics, accompanying dance routine and general silliness is rather infectious and definitely memorable - for either good or bad reasons. The first 40 seconds or so have such power and impact. Vocally the singer has a strong and powerful voice which one might underestimated. However, I would almost say that the strong start almost sets itself up for a fall. The odd breakdown part where they recite the alphabet loses the flow of the song and you start losing the plot a little. The chorus has its positives but is nowhere near as immediate as the verses - the repetition as a crescendo to the end worsk much better. The iron curtain-esque backdrop with the slightly demonic dancers is an excellent idea and I can see the audience in the standing area doing the dance routine too.

The qualification of this really could go either way; this could be seen as too odd, crazy and silly, or as a show of a country's sonic cultural heritage. One also must heed that the song has an underlining political allegory concerning the mama and the tractor. It is a theory that needs some breaking down to understand but I can see this creating a lot of discussion about such a political entry being at Eurovision. This group is well known in the Balkans and the Croatian/Balkan diaspora, which may land them more votes. This is likely to be an entry which will benefit from the 100% televote rule as I would suggest juries may have marked this down. No-one is going to forget this one that's for sure!

ARTIST - Let 3

SONG - Mama ŠČ!

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Damir Martinović Mrle, Zoran Prodanović