Apparently North Americans have been missing out on one of the greatest musical spectacles IN THE WORLD, but no more.
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In A Country Divided, Eurovision’s ‘JaJa Ding Dong Song’ May Be Just What We Need To Unite Us

With a title longer than any other movie in the history of movies, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga is the latest offering from the Netflix gods. And all I can say is Praise Be.

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The movie is a classic underdog tale wrapped up in a parody of one of the largest song contests in the world – Eurovision. Euro-what? Exactly. Apparently North Americans have been missing out on one of the greatest musical spectacles IN THE WORLD, but no more.

Thanks to Will Ferrell, who co-wrote and starred in the movie, this gross oversight is finally being rectified. Our eyes have been opened to what the rest of the world has been hiding from us for so long – the Eurovision Song Contest. And I never want to close my eyes again.

It is inspired by the insanely weird and ridiculously over-the-top yearly contest that sees up to 52 countries competing for the title. Watched by over 200 million viewers worldwide, it has nearly double the number of viewers as the Super Bowl. It has been home to ABBA (who won it in 1974 with Waterloo) and Céline Dion (who won it in 1988 with Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi). As well as Latvian pirates, dancing grannies, Finnish monster rock bands, and Irish turkeys. I kid you not.

The movie itself centers around Lars Erickssong (Will Ferrell) and Sigrit Ericksdottir, played by Rachel McAdams. They make up the small town Icelandic singing duo, Fire Saga, and have dreamed of winning the Eurovision Song Contest since they were children.

IMDB describes it as the following:

When aspiring musicians Lars (Will Ferrell) and Sigrit (Rachel McAdams) are given the opportunity of a lifetime to represent their country at the world’s biggest song competition, they finally have a chance to prove that any dream worth having is a dream worth fighting for.

This hardly does it justice. It is funny and light-hearted. It hilariously exaggerates stereotypes, is at times completely absurd, and has a musical score that you will want to play on repeat. It is a delicious two-hour escape from the dumpster fire that is 2020. And in a year that feels like a decade long, it is exactly what we need right now.

And what we need most of all? Is the song JaJa Ding Dong. That’s right. A song. About a ding dong.

 

Look, it is no secret that we are a country divided. You name it, we can disagree about it. And we do.

  • Masks vs. no masks
  • Republican vs. Democrat
  • Race vs. Race
  • Vaccines vs. No vaccines
  • Joe Exotic vs. Carole Baskin
  • Toilet paper over vs toilet paper under
  • Individualism vs. Collective Whole
  • Yankees vs. Red Sox
  • Star Trek vs. Star Wars

And if 2020 has done nothing else, it has merely highlighted just how far apart we really are. However, the one thing that may finally bring us all together, united in a common bond, is THE song of the summer brought to us by Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.

Jaja Ding Dong.

With lyrics like “Come, come, my baby, we can get love on,” and “Love expands when I’m with you,” and “When I see you I feel a ding-ding dong,” Jaja Ding Dong is clearly a song for making love, not war.

Not to mention its ridiculously kitschy catchy tune that will have you and everyone else who hears it singing it non-stop. Go on. Just try not to love it. Admit it, you can’t.

So forget Kumbaya. The song that will have us figuratively holding hands, united in solidarity is JaJa Ding Dong. And it is Jaja that will make us, the people, ALL the people, become one (for one minute and 59 seconds, at least).

We will all become one person.

One guy.

Specifically this guy.

The JaJa Ding Dong guy screaming at Fire Saga,

“Play JaJa Ding Dong!!”

The guy who just can’t get enough of something good, in a world where there is so much bad right now.

The guy who answers Lars question, “Tell me, when will it be enough for you?” with:

“It will never be enough! I only want to hear JaJa Ding Dong!”

And once you hear it, you will agree, IT WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH! You too will only want to hear Jaja Ding Dong. All day, every day.

So for the sake of solidarity, go and get your ding-dong on. Let go of what separates us and take a moment to focus on what makes us all the same. The one unifying factor in all this crazy, mixed-up, divided country. A song to unite the people.

Ja Ja my friends.