May 13, 2023 – Croatia’s Let 3 is unstoppable on the Eurovision betting sites. On Friday morning, their song “Mama ŠČ!” was in the thirteenth spot, but just a few hours later, when the costume dress rehearsal for the big Eurovision semi-final was starting in Liverpool, it rose all the way to the eleventh place.
It’s looking good, very good indeed, writes Jutarnji; they could rank in the top ten. If, of course, the jury doesn’t end up “cooking something” in the final, and votes are not awarded only according to what is seen and heard on stage.
Let 3 certainly has the sympathy of the media in Liverpool: at the dress rehearsal, along with the representatives of Spain and Finland, in the initial part, i.e. the performers’ parade, the boys from Rijeka received the biggest applause from journalists and photographers.
The favourite Loreen, who still firmly holds the first place at the betting sites, was given rather tepid applause by the journalists.
As we wrote back in February when they won the national competition, it finally happened – Croatia has chosen something other than a mellow love song to represent the country at Eurovision. Though there are some exceptionally talented artists in Croatia, and those who represented it so far no doubt fall into this category, let’s admit it – it has been formulaic, and that was never enough for the Eurovision Contest. Let 3 prove as much with their song Mama ŠČ. For the first time in a long time, they stirred it up and evoked all sorts of reactions in Croatia and abroad.
This year’s winner certainly brings more than talent. They are a cult Croatian rock band formed in 1987 in Rijeka. Their music and performances have never fallen into any category of normal and ordinary. If you’ve never seen them, it will be confusion at first sight. They have zero problems with nudity, makeup, or latex. They are no strangers to performance art and love using phallic metaphors. They are not afraid to speak up with social commentary, be it on conservative politics, church, feminism, or the rights of marginalized groups. Whether you love or hate them, one thing is for sure – no one remains indifferent to Let 3. Compared to them, as Večernji points out, even the 2021 Eurovision winner, Maneskin, look like made-up theatre puppets.
Who are they?
24Sata summarizes some of Let 3’s most brilliant moments. They released their first album ‘Two Dogs Fucking’ in 1989. From the beginning, Let 3 (Flight 3) were recognizable for their specific humor and bizarre performances.
What was probably their most drastic concept was released in 1997, the album ‘Nečuveno’ (Unheard of). There was absolutely nothing on the CD, not even recorded silence. Out of 500 copies, 350 were sold. The ‘album’ contained the band’s artist vision – pieces of plastic with serial numbers inserted in a sleeve. The project was accompanied by the video clip ‘Neviđeno’ (Unseen) – a blank blue screen. It was promoted on the main square in Rijeka.
Their sixth album ‘Jedina’ (The Only One), was released in 2000, and initially only one copy of the album was made. Let 3 refused to distribute the album, but they did so a few months later.
On February 26, 2001, the band donated the ‘Babin kurac’ (Grandma’s Dick) monument. The monument, four meters high and made of bronze, was revealed in Zagreb, Rijeka, Pula, Split, and Ljubljana. And that wasn’t their only sculpture design. In May 2015, they exhibited the sculpture ‘Angela Merkel sere’ (Angela Merkel Shitting) in Zagreb’s Lauba, which they used to criticize the political situation at the time, but also promote the album of the same name.
Members of the band, Mrle and Prlja are also known for their controversial guest appearance with Aleksandar Stanković in HRT’s show ‘Nedjeljom u 2’. Although they had agreed that there would be no cursing or stripping, they kept ‘forgetting.’ Finally, ten minutes before the end of the show, Stanković decided to interrupt the broadcast. As they started undressing, the host covered their behinds with a jacket, deciding that the limits were reached when they ‘popped’ corks out of their buttocks.
What is Mama ŠČ about?
As per the lyrics, mama bought a tractor, and she’d been loving on a moron. There’s mention of armageddon, war, and psychopaths. The sound ŠČ confirms it. According to the band, ‘ŠČ’ is a universal word that can be used in both positive and negative contexts.
“Blessed is our dictionary in which you can say everything with just one word. Until now, we would say jebiga (Croatian for fuck it), and I believe that ŠČ will soon enter the dictionary”, said Prlja and added that they are worried about what will happen now, that they have won because undoubtedly their ŠČ products will also become popular in England, and the United Kingdom is no longer in the European Union.
They added that ŠČ is an old Croatian word, sound, and letter. They also emphasized that the theme of their song is the most current topic and that everyone sings it because they want to remain current. They described ‘Mama ŠČ’ as a socio-political mirror on several levels, writes Večernji. As they said for N1, it is an anti-war song in which they are “sending a message to those who think the planet is their toy and want to control everyone like puppets”.
All in all, whether viewed as performance art, social commentary, or just a publicity stunt – it worked. We are endlessly amused by the world discovering Let 3.
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