The Eurovision song contest is several months away but the drama has already begun, with calls from Italy for Estonia’s catchy pick for the competition to be scrapped due to lyrics poking fun at Italian stereotypes of being coffee-drinking, spaghetti-eating mafiosi.
Espresso Macchiato, by the rapper Tommy Cash, is sung in a blend of broken English and Italian and depicts a life of sweet indulgence. “Ciao bella, I’m Tomaso, addicted to tobacco. Mi like mi coffè very importante,” the first verse begins.
He goes on to sing: “Mi money numeroso, I work around the clocko. That’s why I’m sweating like a mafioso,” and: “Life is like spaghetti, it’s hard until you make it.”
Cash won the Eesti Laul, Estonia’s Eurovision selection process, on Saturday and will represent the country in the contest in Basel in May – unless Italy gets its way.
Codacons, a consumer association, has lodged an appeal to the European Broadcasting Union questioning whether “it’s appropriate to allow a song that offends a country and an entire community” to be part of the competition.
“Notwithstanding the freedom of artistic expression that must characterise events such as Eurovision, we cannot help but raise doubts about the inclusion of a song that is offensive to a plurality of individuals in a competition followed by audiences all over the world,” Codacons said in a statement.
“Indignation has been expressed by numerous citizens [over a song] whose lyrics contain stereotypes about Italy and Italians – the usual cliches of coffee and spaghetti, but above all the mafia and the ostentation of luxury, which conveys a message of a population tied to organised crime.”
Gian Marco Centinaio, a senator with the far-right League, has produced a party flyer featuring a screenshot of Cash drinking coffee from a paper cup in the video for the song and the caption “whoever insults Italy must stay out of Eurovision”.
Centinaio wrote on Instagram: “This singer should come to Italy to see how good people work before writing such stupid songs full of stereotypes.”
However, the indignation appeared to be outweighed by bemusement and appreciation by Italians who commented beneath the song’s video on YouTube. “I will vote for Estonia!” wrote one.
Repeating some of the lyrics, another wrote: “‘No stresso, no stresso, don’t need to be depresso’ – as an Italian, I think I’m going to get this tattooed.”
Another wrote: “As an Italian I am amused but also confused but also offended but also honoured.”
Others said the song was better than Italy’s potential entry for Eurovision, a ballad by the singer Olly that won last week’s Sanremo music festival.
The festival usually determines who represents Italy at Eurovision, although winners can then decide if they want to participate. Olly is keeping Italy on tenterhooks, saying on Wednesday that he needed time to rest and to make a decision “with a clear mind” as he was still processing his Sanremo victory.
