"Mama ŠČ!" Explanation and Analysis

[@andreicristian9575]

I am not a Croatian, but even if the song would get 0 votes, it's still an important message that I'm glad is part of Eurovision 2023.

[@ecenbt]

Honestly bands like Let3 are the reason why Eurovision is such an amazing event. I would have never known that they existed and what a loss that would be! They are artists and visionaries in the true sense of the word and I'm so glad to have been exposed to them

[@smcram9894]

On one projectile it says njinLe, meaning Lenin, and on the other is the Croatian anagram pajČu, meaning Čupaj, Čupaj on english is pull out, and the opposite of pull out is Put in. This song has so many layers.

[@fapmashina1]

Yes, that's true!

[@bojanpalink5471]

Asking whether LET3 exclusively sings and make fun only about Putin or about all rulers (BIDEN included) is the same as asking whether...........Sacha Baron Cohen in the movie BORAT.... makes fun of the country of Kazakhstan...or from people who think that Kazakhstan is really like that?!?!?!?......They have declared themselves that they are against all leaders who propagate wars.....

[@petar1008]

@@bojanpalink5471 Little crocodile psychopath is Zelensky.

[@Joso997]

@@bojanpalink5471 they have like few songs. Their songs are about general stuff. This might be the first one about world politics per se.

[@bojanpalink5471]

@@Joso997 I've been listening to them since high school...been to a few of their concerts...always their songs included politics, social criticism...etc

[@gordanamarijavukovic2424]

Every masterpiece has a much deeper meaning. This is not a song for every ear or every mind. At first glance it looks stupid, but everything, everything has a hidden meaning: the singer's clothes symbolize a general whose clothes and conscience are stained with the blood of the victims; a singer in a black mantle-a church that supports the war, that's why he has 2 rockets in his hands. The sound and text are reminiscent of a children's song - the dictator is like a child who perceives the world as his toy and says to his mother (Russia or any other country): Mom, I'm going to war! Then the children's song ends and war chaos ensues. Because war spares no one. Neither the dictator, nor his people, nor those who defend themselves. Krokodil in Russia is the name for a type of drug that destroys the mind. That's why every dictator is a crocodile psychopath. etc...etc...That's just a small part of the explanation. It's hard to explain everything. For example, why does the general (singer) take off his clothes at the end? When he takes off his clothes, you can see his nakedness, he has nothing but his uniform, he is empty. But it also shows that he is only human too. As they say in Croatia: He is also bloody under the skin. That means - he is vulnerable. And he will end up like any dictator.

[@cfcwhite]

Wonderful analysis, thank you! This song keeps growing on me.

[@Joso997]

not really what crocodile is referring to in the song: "Krokodil in Russia is the name for a type of drug that destroys the mind."

[@seir323]

@@Joso997 maybe, but it definitely holds that double meaning - crocodile the animal, and the krokodil the drug. I heard of it years ago - it literally eats people alive, to put it mildly.

[@AndieDevon]

A Croatian news outlet wrote about your video, that's how I found it. But I loved the analysis and the research you did on them and the explanation behind Mama ŠČ. I have never seen a song become so referenced in daily life as this one has been since it came out. ŠČ became a catchphrase of sorts and you can hear people saying it everywhere. I've been to more Let 3 concerts then I can count since they are from my hometown and I they put on one hell of a show. I think I'll watch Eurovision for the first time in my life.

[@fapmashina1]

Great point! Let 3 are always amazing at live performances and concerts! I've also been to bunch of them and was thrilled with great music and stage performances! Pozdrav društvu u Rijeci od Slavonskog Broda gdje Let 3 redovito dolazi iako nas kao danas ekonomski teško uništenu regiju brojni drugi bendovi zaobilaze u širokom luku! I tu LET 3 pokazuje svoju veličinu i da su pravi pankeri a ne pozeri!

[@EmanuelLanc]

@@fapmashina1 Mama kupila traktora ŠČ! Mama kupila traktora ŠČ! Mama kupila traktora Trajna-nina Armagedon nona ŠČ! Mama kupila traktora ŠČ! Mama kupila traktora ŠČ! Mama kupila traktora Trajna-nina Armagedon nona TRAKTOR Mama ljubila morona ŠČ! Mama ljubila morona ŠČ! Mama ljubila morona Trajna-nina Armagedon nona A b c č ć d dž đ e f g h i j k l lj m n nj o p r s š t u v z ž Mama, mama, mama, ja se idem igrat' Mama, idem u rat Onaj mali psihopat Mali podli psihopat Krokodilski psihopat Mama, idem u rat TRAKTOR Mama ljubila morona ŠČ! Mama ljubila morona ŠČ! Mama ljubila morona Trajna-nina Armagedon nona Onaj mali psihopat Mali podli psihopat Krokodilski psihopat Mama, idem u rat Onaj mali psihopat Mali podli psihopat Krokodilski psihopat Mama, idem u rat Mama, mama, mama Onaj mali psihopat Mali podli psihopat Krokodilski psihopat Mama, idem u rat ŠČ! Mom= Russia,

[@geraldinequinnofficial]

A friend of mine said kids at a school he works at were singing it - we're in MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA.

[@fapmashina1]

@@geraldinequinnofficial Wow! This very interesting song is really very popular! 👍❤🇭🇷

[@12_terabyte57]

These videos really make me able to appreciate some Eurovision entries more than I first could, last year Konstrakta and this year Let 3! I was already into the Let 3 for Croatia thing, but now I understand them and the song even better and I’m really excited to see what they will bring us in Liverpool, though I know they won’t disappoint!

[@draconiusultamius]

Euro Neuro may not have had ambition for high position in the competition, but Rambo Amadeus is a legend

[@fapmashina1]

Agree on that! Rambo Amadeus is a legend! Greerings from Croatia

[@CUBErt000]

Ambition, position, competition. I see what you did there

[@matrix_x_]

This song is the most profound song Eurovision has ever had. There are so many positive anti-war elements in this song that are hidden from being obvious, yet are obvious to those who are more familiar with the situation and appreciate the meaning conveyed. The paranoid music in the background is just a backdrop to a great message for the world and all "little evil psychopaths"...

[@sasabozic6428]

Great job! However you should check their swimsuits at 21:50 and notice the photos of Kadyrov, Zaharova, Stalin, Seagal, Shoigu, Le Pen, Putin, Croatian president Milanovic, Serbian prime minister Brnabic etc. before concluding that Mama sc refers primarily to Brecht's Mother Courage. The song and the performance are multilayered, full of symbols and even daily politics.

[@Hitezaruki]

I already love this song since day one. But now sir, thanks to you, I love it even more! Great research for the background, its interesting to know more about it. I love how you can read general topics or particular topics in the lyrics and I haven't thought of it as a song sung by a child! It was obvious but now I can see it clearly. Now it makes more sense for the lyrics and the music and how it transforms. I can understand why for some people this song "doesn't makes sense" or is "ugly" yeah, it's pretty unconventional, grotesque and campy... I just love all the chaotic yet well-structured changes in the music, all the layers in the voices and instruments are merging and battling together and the performance is quite a thing... I´m not sure how well or bad is going to do in the actual contest, I hope at least it reaches to the final, I think it could be an interesting moment with the audience... A general anti-war song in this moment can be a bit cathartic... but I don't know, I can be so wrong haha I can't wait to watch their perfomance on Liverpool, the music video and the other songs that are part of the opera!

[@fapmashina1]

Great comment!

[@lilirosandic6022]

Mee toooo

[@sarahenchanted]

I hope people outside of the Balkans (especially Americans) watch this video before writing the song off

[@ashleyw6728]

This is the sort of mad shit that eurovision always needs

[@BenCG]

For once my friends, you have failed to overthink. Because this video was substantial, fascinating, on topic and entertaining from beginning to end, and there is nothing I know now that I don't think I need to know. ♥️👏👏👏

[@madaxe4199]

To get useful answers, you have to start asking useful questions.

[@morelka1872]

Great analysis. Actually, I love this entry so much. It’s fun. We can talk about it for hours, guessing what theory is right. I believe this is how anti-war song should sound like. It makes us think, it shows people who started wars like the craziest and dumbest people ever. And that’s right! A pop song with lyrics “Say no to war, we wan’t love” etc wont change anything (Hello, Polina Gagarina). As a person who lives in war, soft cute songs do nothing and most of the times they have some questionable lyrics ( for example how we should forgive people who killed and raped us) But Let 3 did great job. It’s provocative. It’s camp. I love it so much.

[@fapmashina1]

You're absolutely right! My strong support to all of you that are facing with war horrors! I've experinced one brutal war back in 90s and I can relate to this 100%! Just stay strong and take care! Greetinga from Croatia!

[@morelka1872]

@@fapmashina1 thank you so much!! 🤍🤍🤍

[@-xirx-]

Absolutely!

[@aprilhoy4010]

Holy crap! What a ride! These guys are like a Croatian Chumbawamba--sprawlingly diverse musical style, stridently political in stage antics and lyrics, 100% punk ethos with punk musical flavor varying greatly and often dropping to 0%, at least some members of the band are doing theater... Fingers crossed, hoping they find a politician to dump a bucket of ice water on at the live performance!

[@fapmashina1]

You can always be sure to expect anything from them except predictable! At the times of the socialist EX-Yugoslavia there has been, as the part of political doctrine, ideological saying "Nothing must not surprize us" (abreviates NNI - cro. "Ništa nas ne smije iznenaditi"). This could be easily description of these guys usual performance logic! 😁😁 Greetings from Croatia

[@magdalenabozyk1798]

As a person with Polish roots (and speaking the language) hearing ŠČ for the first time made me almost choke on my drink.... In Polish szczy, pronounced almost exactly as ŠČ is on stage, means "he pisses".

[@jensfoell4208]

Fantastic as always. And German tourists on Mallorca only wish they could bring this kind of glamorous chaotic energy

[@theinvincible316]

These guys sound exactly like a Croatian Chili Peppers, and I’m all the way here for it. I wanted to go into Eurovision as blind as possible this year so I could be surprised, but I just couldn’t avoid the talk about this band and it seems I was right to do so. Thanks for all the great work!

[@mireiification]

Sorry, but they are nothing like the Peppers. They are satirical punk. Very different. 😊

[@theinvincible316]

@@mireiification very true, thank you for that. I wasn’t necessarily comparing Let3 to the Chili Peppers in terms of their musical style, more in their artistic presentation. Between their experimentation with different styles of music, their commitment as artists, provocative live performances, and their willingness to delve into so many political and social issues, I find them to be quite fascinating. 👍😄

[@republikadugave420]

Rhcp if they smoked crack with cocaine

[@LoraK31]

As a Croatian-American who speaks the language fluently, nice job on the pronunciations! Most English-speakers get Croatian words horribly wrong and yours were super close. :) Also, I knew nothing about Let 3, so thank you for the lesson on my own culture haha

[@squaretriangle9208]

His pronounciation is horrible kurač

[@fapmashina1]

Exactly, he has done spectacular job here!

[@ottavva]

I protest, he has a lousy pronunciation izgovor mu je - kako i sâm kaže - za kurach

[@blastmanutz7798]

you mean when he pronounced kurac with kurwač? Yeah, good job :D

[@ottavva]

@@blastmanutz7798 3:47 he says it without an, otherwise obsolete, w listen carefully

[@nobodyimportant281]

14:46 Ne mozemo ni ovde da pobegnemo od Vucica.

[@tinasustic6504]

😂😂😂 fakat

[@breadmaster1714]

How can you not love these guys. Regardless of your opinion on their antics they are artist in every sense of the word

[@fapmashina1]

Absolutely that! And they're great at live performances with many great songs! I've listened and watched them numerous times ar their concerts and they were AMAZING every single time! Pure punk rockera and artists at their best!

[@andrejxyxy2020]

I am one of those who do not like them Greetings from slovenia

[@maricallo6143]

You were so prophetic with Dr. Strangelove reference in the background. The official video for mama ŠČ, just out yesterday, pays homage to the film in its final!

[@overthinkingit]

Great minds, I guess.

[@teacheronthego291]

This song is in my Top 5. My hot take though is that it will win because people will not miss the message.

[@escfan3878]

Re: EBU allowing this song, despite it being political. I think we've all watched Eurovision long enough by now to know that the "actual" rule about political songs is: "ah, fuck it, we'll allow anything until someone complains about it".

[@fapmashina1]

Well they won't do a thing untill theres no very direct mentioning of anyone, countries... In this case, all lyrics are very cryptic, highly symbolic and that's this fine line that's allowed.

[@shogunbj]

Their " El Desperado " record released in 1991. is one of the best Croatian punk rock records of all time. Let 3 is not only performing everyday social life in a bizarre artistic way, they are great musicians and doing awesome live gigs.

[@matijamaksan4344]

I am Croat and didn't vote for LET 3 but i am enjoying all videos discussing our song. Croatia in centre of attention, WOOHOO.

[@aidam.6231]

This is what I call a deep dive into the topic. Brilliant work guys! The best anyone has done in relation to Let 3"s and Mama ŠČ"s ESC journey.

[@none4tube]

Excellent, excellent, excellent, Matt! Not just highly entertaining. You've done incredible research. So much detail. I'm seriously impressed and surprised. As for Let3, they're like Monty Python on acid. Love them. The only thing you've missed is that a quirky Croatian priest once said they were the "stillborn baby of rock art" and the "worst spreaders of vaginal-phallic mentality" - which I think is absolutely awesome.

[@fapmashina1]

That's hillarious! 😁😁😁

[@vinkovinko9605]

"As for Let3, they're like Monty Python on acid. " Exactly! Bravo!

[@klarawhite]

Wow, you really did your research! I'm impressed! 👍 Great job!

[@fapmashina1]

He actually captured all that's important about this very interesting band and song and gave us even some extras! And I can tell it from the perspective of native Croat! Great job indeed!

[@juraj5]

ŠČ is not that difficult to pronounce. Just say fresh cheese and there you go, you did it. You’re almost there. The only nuance is that the English consonant ch sounds like something inbetween the Croatian consonants č and ć. Č sounds more “hard”, pronounced like ch with fully and tightly rounded lips. Ć sounds lighter, like if you try to pronounce ch with a wide grin.

[@markovuckovic5806]

"Excuse to behave like Germans in Mallorca", I really felt that... 🤣

[@cfcwhite]

I feel like there’s a missed opportunity for a loose Grzegorz Brzęczyszczykiewicz reference. 😊 Just to illustrate how important these weird sounds may be in Slavic languages.

[@geraldinequinnofficial]

Hi, decades-long Australian Eurovision tragic here. Usually I am across the songs before the semis, but I went in cold this year-and OMG...obsessed with Let 3 immediately. It was pretty obvious with my ZERO Croatian that this was an anti-war song and that they were a band enmeshed in a wild art scene, so your video was so great to watch and learn just how WONDERFUL they are. They're the sort of artists who get other artists excited; I'm already bemoaning the fact their albums aren't easy to find online, bc I found a YT playlist and went "WHY DID I NOT FIND YOU 25 YEARS AGO, I LOVE THIS". Resonated hard!! 🏳‍🌈🥰🚜

[@zaniltataj-zak]

Thank you for the great comment and deep analysis .. ŠČ !

[@goranpavkovic]

ROCK-MOCK OPERA... MASTERPIECE

[@Gea2222]

Zoran Prodanović Prlja pjevač Leta3 glumi u prvoj sezoni serije Novine (The Paper) koja je bila na Netflixu i muzika Leta 3 je korištena u seriji također

[@krunoslavkovacec1842]

In the music video Their costumes represent the four horsemen of the apocalypse - "Glad" (hunger), "rat"(war), "smrt"(death) and "kuga" (the plague). However, there us a fifth one they added - HDZ (Hrvatska demokratska zajednica/Croatian Democratic union) represented by the guy in the royal blue jacket. The party is corrupt as hell, but has been in power for most of Croatia's independence. The jacket worn is reminiscent of those worn in the early 2000s when Ivo Sanader was elected prime minister, however he resigned and was arrested for corruption.

[@Suikanen]

Would it be possible to get an, err, 11 year anniversary explanation and analysis of Rambo Amadeus' Euro Neuro? There are at least dozens of us non-Montenegrins who "got him" back in the day, but the rest of the world really needs to know, too. Having that analysis would form a nice triptih of your own.

[@ardhisyaifuddin4966]

Interestingly, as someone who only get exposed to a tad of Balkan art scene, I get the similar feeling to this performance as 1974's Dušan Makavejev's 'Sweet Movie'. Surrealistic, possibly offensive, can get you sick to your stomach, but you can't deny the artistry. Respect.

[@fapmashina1]

Music, literature and art in this region is very diverse, often original and high quality art but since theres language barier many spectacular artists and bands never attract broader attention and appraisal although they're not even one inch less worth than anglosaxon counterparts and many are actually even much, much better!

[@dionnedekker7868]

I can't believe I'm watching a man explain the deep meaning behind "Mommy bought a tractor"

[@markus_ch]

Great job Matt, thanks a lot! 👏All this background information is very useful and I would never have thought, that even Bertold Brecht is involved in this song to some extend. Still it’s easier for me to connect to an entry like Vesna from Czechia, that has a similar topic.

[@overthinkingit]

Glad you enjoyed it! And if you want some insight on Vesna, stay tuned, we're taking a deep dive into the history of pan-slavism.

[@puzzlingcentaur]

Yotuube recommended me this video. I am Croatian and only now I realise how little I knew about them. Thank you for detailed analysis.

[@tonidjugum5553]

You certainly did your homework. Cheers from Croatia!

[@koljarzg]

Every time we hear British people pronounce ŠČ correctly, remember Croatian pioneer of ŠČ - Goran IvaniŠeviĆ! :D

[@MrMt67859]

18:11 Croatia has always been on some cultural and political crossroad. Not really eastern, but also not western, not southern yet not central European. A litte bit of everything, i think thats why the opinions are so conflicting. Conservative libertarian ideas dominate both older and younger generations. But a lot of people hold typical leftist ideas, just don’t openly identify with being left because of the association with communism. Most US republicans would probably accuse my childhood teachers of being “closeted woke”. I had the same teacher teach me about black history and antiracism but also tell me that same sex marriage is wrong. Or one teacher teaching us about LGBTQ+ rights but also say that women don’t belong in the workforce. At least that was my experience in the early ‘00, but i have heard similar things from people my age from other parts of the country. Croatia is a confusing and confused bunch.

[@Milvusmilvus-jo8vq]

No, it's not. It's just you.

[@MrMt67859]

@@Milvusmilvus-jo8vq I’m only confused that you seem to take this personally. For people outside of Croatia, its not so straight forward. Political identities are (or used to be) less black and white and more mixed across the board than in the US or UK.

[@bramastic]

Very good analysis. Nothing to add but this - crocodile psychopath might mean cold blooded psychopath, or it might be reference to crocodile drug that is popular in russia, or a reference to "crocodile tears" which is used when you are crying for the show and not actually caring.

[@niharbehere1584]

Czechia next please! I think "My Sister's Crown" is one of those songs that you feel you know what it's about but has layers and layers of meaning below the surface. I'd love to see a video about that one!

[@ivan-Croatian]

This song is not the kind of song you'd put on during the Sunday family gathering. This song is an a artistic piece, not for everyone.

[@Milvusmilvus-jo8vq]

I am proud to be from Croatia. Thank you Let 3. You are geniuses, but you already know that.🙂

[@wloonie]

This is so them. 🙂 Quite surely the best Croatian entry ever.

[@maricallo6143]

You, sirs, put an effort in this, as usual. Great job, probably wasted on regular ESC audiences who don't care much about the backgrounds of the acts. Let 3 will be judged by mere personal and/or aquired tastes in music of ESC followers and end badly with juries.

[@OberonZg]

Are you saying that Croatian jury was clueless when they picked this song over any other?

[@fapmashina1]

Sadly but I'm afraid you're right!

[@VladekElux]

@@fapmashina1 The winner is determined by a combination of the votes of the audience via phone calls and SMS and the jury in a ratio of 50%-50%.

[@zamorc11]

Great analysis. Did anybody also notice the Macarena (Los Del Rio) music and dance paralels in their song? love it

[@lukadundur8341]

You forget to mention how let 3 publicly invited everybody on free CD burning. And then burned all CDs on barbeque.

[@Gea2222]

Ahahahahaa

[@morelka1872]

The video we all have been waiting for

[@tamararadic3463]

Thank you! This is both educational and hilarious! 😂😂 I grew up in the same city as LET 3, and their art has always been provocative, and live concerts energetic and real shows. If they were Brits, they would be global stars. But I don’t think they would even care about that, although every song and every production is very well thought of! ❤

[@Masaim6]

This analysis may have just raised these guys to my top 5 thank you. I still can't get over how bad the singing is but I like the song if that makes sense.

[@usponsvijestiuzisusakrista8185]

actually from vocal perspective.. his singing is phenomenal! Maybe you are distracted with song not being overly melodical

[@boriszlikowsky5937]

trolling Putin on so many levels. Hilarious

[@ela2008]

I am flabberghasted! As Croatian, I have nothing to add. Nit one thing to correct. I love this guy!

[@zljmbo]

there is often at least one more layer and hidden joke in their titles and album names. You mentioned Jedina (the only one) that was supposed to be one copy that will ascend to heavens, however this album was published in three different versions, the album Nečuveno means unheard of and outrageous at the same time, it was completely blank CD, they didn't even record silence. Now they have album Bombing Serbia and Čačak, but you need to understand that we didn't bomb them, album was released in 99 when NATO did. Also Serbia has complicated issues with neighboring regions that have been or wants to be separated from Serbia but Čačak is like heart of it, it was always pure serian territory, it should not be Serbia AND Čačak cause Čačak is Serbia. They have album Kurcem do vjere (I would translate it as Dicktrek to faith) yet alternative title is Thank you Lord. They have a song named Rado Srbin ide u vojnika that could be translated as Serbian gladly goes to war, but alternative title is Pička (pussy) and it is a song that glorifies vagina and comparing it with Empire State Building, zero relation with war or complicated political relation with serbs. One song, Mona means in colloquial speech also pussy, and it is a song about guy wanting to become a transwoman with a gun. Glavanovo is a song about guy wanting to have boob job, and having boobs so large he would need to be carried to the beach, and Glavanovo is a name of one of family beaches located at the bottom of very steep stone stairs in their home town.

[@AammaK]

I was glad to see Kostrakta do so good last year despite the fear of not enough people getting a grasp of the song's magic in the show itself. It was something that took multiple listenings and likely some looking into to really appreciate. It's hard to make an impact to first time listener in thee minutes in a show of an album worth of songs and performances. That didn't seem to be a problem for Serbia last year, obviously. I think there was enough to get a hold of even if all of it didn't fully convey to the audience. I don't think that's the case for Croatia this year. I feel like some of Konstrakta's sublety might have helped. Even though Mama ŠČ has a lot of carefully consealed meanings as well, it's language and especially imagery is that much more aggressive and restless, I can see it being much less easy to recieve. But who knows.

[@quaithe1]

Let3 have heaps and heaps of punk cred but I feel like these closing remarks needed at least a passing mention of Hatari. Nothing will ever be as punk as their Eurovision legacy.

[@DanijelLojan]

Great analize, well done :). You understand the situation much better than many people here in Croatia. the World gets to know the Balkans through the ex.YU avant-garde Slovenia: Laibach (world reactions: good) Croatia: Let 3 (world reactions: shocking) Bosnia: Dubioza Kolektiv (fun, entertaining) Serbia: Konstrakta (world reactions: interesting) Montenegro: Rambo Amadeus (world reactions: huh ?) maybe one day you will understand us, hehe :)

[@crobrazilac]

Amazing analysis, man. Well done!

[@lovor01]

Fun fact is that they were genuinely surprised that they won Dora and they are going to Eurovision.... they did not expect that, you could tell by their faces at the moment :)

[@musikkritisk]

The song entered directly to the EBU-UER's Reference Group board (Like Czechia's song). Obviously, they had to check all those things you said. HRTV was questioned but also the Reference Group agree with the feeling of the Pan-Slavic right to be pissed off with you know who, so the song passed the checkin and HRTV received all the recommendations... Mostly, not nudity in Liverpool. Let 3 are replicating the DORA staging in Liverpool and MO is watching out. Televoting will put them in the final, juries will punish but televoting could placed them in top10, my guessing.

[@ivankos3305]

From CroaŠČia..........Hidden in a plain sight. This is a superb ‘rock-opera’ anti-war parody with powerful visuals. Tractor is a reference to Belarus president Lukashenko's birthday present to Putin. In the song Putin is described as a "vile little psychopath", the vocalist represents Stalin, and the guy with nuclear rockets has NINLE on his forehead (word play: Nin-Le=Lenin) and is dressed in monk's outfit, like Rasputin. Insertion of a dominant, sinister, dark Lenin, who came way before Putin, points to a much deeper problem. And those TWO nuclear warheads; after all we all know who dropped the A-bombs! ’Trajna nina nena’ is Croatian song for little kids; ‘Trajna nina armagedon nona’(grandma) speaks for itself. Mama ŠČ is a metaphor for Mother Russia (ŠČ is a letter of the Russian alphabet, also old Croatian Glagolitic). The Cyrillic letter Shch Щ was derived from the Glagolitic (Croatian script) letter Sht Ⱋ. Coincidently, the sum of letters Š and Č gives Z (25+4=29) in Croatian alphabet, and Z is a military symbol used by Russian Federation to mark their military vehicles in Ukraine. The chaotic reverse part of the song represents repeating the same mistakes from history, and not learning anything. Croatian alphabet in reverse: Ž(Ж/Ⰶ), Z(З/Ⰷ), V(В/Ⰲ), U(У/Ⱆ), T(Т/Ⱅ), Š(Ш/Ⱎ), S(С/Ⱄ), R(Р/Ⱃ), P(П/Ⱂ), O(О/Ⱁ), Nj(Њ/Ⱀⰺ), N(Н/Ⱀ), M(М/Ⰿ), Lj(Љ/Ⰾⰺ), L(Л/Ⰾ), K(К/Ⰽ), J(Й/Ⰺ), I(И/Ⰻ), H(Х/Ⱈ), G(Г/Ⰳ), F(Ф/Ⱇ), E(Е/Ⰵ), Đ(Ђ/Ⰼ), Dž(Џ/Ⰴⰶ), D(Д/Ⰴ), Ć(Ћ/Ⱋ), Č(Ч/Ⱍ), C(Ц/Ⱌ), B(Б/Ⰱ), A(А/Ⰰ). Visually, there are a lot of subliminals with multilevel meaning. Crocodile is a terrible drug popular in Russia, that makes people act like zombies. Guys are dressed in military uniforms but in pink and bright colors and are wearing dresses; making fun of all warmongers and military establishments, proponents of chaos. Side image shows roses sticking out of their asses. Preposterous, or superb description of the present time? Main exclamation is ‘mama idem u rat’- mommy I am going to war, a cry against the forced mobilization, and sending young people to kill each other. When are we going to learn?!

[@martaschaper]

Amazing video, as always!

[@nepoznatiopoznatome]

Great explanation and analysis! But, also one more thing about "ŠČ" meaning... There are 30 letters in the Croatian alphabet. The letter "Š" is the 25th, and the letter "Č" is the 4th in order. Adding the numbers 25 and 4 gives 29, and that is precisely the ordinal number of the letter "Z" in the Croatian alphabet. The letter "Z" is the Russian military symbol in the war with Ukraine. So the title of the song "Mama ŠČ" can also represent the translated meaning of "Mother Russia".

[@KakSeZove]

Ovo već ulazi u područje teorija zavjera 😆

[@juresibenik5281]

Lol. The guy from Let 3 is using the fraze ŠČ since 2021. Nothing to do with your letter numbers.

[@Elessar543]

My first association with the "mama bought a tractor" line was the ukrainian farmers that used tractors to tow russian tanks that ran out of fuel. could be more than that, but maybe it's also that

[@darkryder2000]

Well tractor could also mean tank (Leichttraktor). Mother Russia "buying" (producing) all the T-72B3s, T90s, etc... for the Ukraine war.

[@marcogeurts9881]

@Overthinking It do you think those rockets could be a reference to Putin's threats to use those rockets (nuclear rockets)

[@thepuscifer]

Wow you really did your due diligence on this. Amazing.

[@namaelse]

I think that meaning of those lyrics ''Mama lyubila morona'' are then women think that their husband/life partner acts like a moron or is like a moron.

[@tomislavandrasec5116]

Š is a letter that replaces, for example, "sh" in the word "shit" - and it is pronounced exactly like that. Č replaces "ch" like in "Charles" so it's "Čarles" and "Šit"

[@AnisseTainted]

Maybe this song has a chance of winning this time. I don't think people even care about Eurovizja here in Croatia, but it would be a nice message to Putin and people who don't know what is the song all about. By the way, you were so good at expplaning it. You knew more than me and I am from Croatia and fan of Let 3 Lijep pozdrav iz Hrvatske 🇭🇷🤗

[@denispk6228]

Great job mate! 👍🙃

[@lillian9065]

This is such an amazing song! It has a lot of layers and the performance was amazing that I want to write about it in an assignment where we analyse parts of performances that stood out to us and write a paper about. I want to talk about the whole thing and how it all works together so well into an incredible performance. From the costumes to the set to the music itself, I think it’d be really interesting to talk about!

[@Pehmokettu]

21:30 Finland had a punk band in Eurovision 2015 (Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät - Aina mun pitää). The song was not much political but it was definitely punk. The band members all are intellectually disabled and their songs are more about the struggle of living as a disabled person. But not many people understood the message of the song.

[@overthinkingit]

We covered that song at the time! I cannot believe it didn't make the finals, just as a feel good story. Maybe today, with social media really driving things, the same song would get a lot more media and votes. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGm2gpurhJ2lbcU

[@Pehmokettu]

​@@overthinkingit Looks like I have missed that episode. I will watch it. :)

[@keineahnung5466]

Germans in Mallorca, I think you (or your producer) heard Ikke. This is how it would sound in German...

[@ineskrauth1247]

Loved your comments, they go deep and provide 360 rationale. Totally missed the link with P. Lucić. Thank you!

[@mario-mk6gc]

Bravo for this Analysis

[@phiber9]

I'll need this summed up to 30 seconds for my russian friends.

[@pizzasteve5825]

While I'm still a little mad that the jury of our southern neighbor betrayed us for Sweden, I loved Let 3 and their performance was truly a masterpiece. They were robbed of top five if you ask me.

[@SuperPuris]

Well done with all the pronounciations, you are really good at it. And funny thing about how you pronounce ŠČ, to me it sounds like a sound of a whip. Its hard for you to say it properly so you stretch it out a bit

[@goranpavkovic]

Try these ones by LET 3: MAZI, ERO S ONOGA SVIJETA, KONTINENTIO, IZGUBLJENI, TAZI TAZI, VJERAN PAS, DRAMA.....

[@jennyblu9143]

The best analysis. Thank you.

[@agnetebutk]

omg wait i only now got that Let 3 is a play on how slavs pronounce the word "three" and is like Let Free??

[@-xirx-]

Thank you for this explanation. From 🇬🇧

[@lasfloresdicen]

I'm think I'm number 2 but I wanted be Let 3 hahaha

[@soksb3766]

It's nice to see when someone investigates and then passes judgment. However, it is very difficult to fully understand when something is taken out of the context of the entire culture, language and history. It would be necessary to try to understand everything that started with the so-called "New wave" in 1980, and traces of it are still felt today. At that moment, the Yugoslavian music scene was full of great bands like Haustor, Idoli, Paraf, Film, Električni orgazam, Kud idijoti, Prljavo kazalište, Disciplina kičme, Azra, Šarlo akrobata, EKV, Laibach ... and Let3 are just a natural continuation of all that. A very, very interesting period while socialism was still going on and something that was not expected "behind the curtain". Here is an ideal place to recall how Tito died in 1980, and perhaps this "opening" is partly connected with that. It would take a lot of time to get into the essence of everything that happened since then, and without knowing the language and the relationships in society, it is almost impossible. However, it is definitely extremely valuable and should be tried. Perhaps the totality of all this was at the level of the dominant Anglo-Saxon culture, but due to the language barrier it is relatively little known outside our speaking area ...

[@mariomarino3020]

You missed the point by placing ex-Yu "behind the curtain". Yes, it was communist, but it was not a part of the Eastern block and not behind the curtain, well, it had some typical communist problems but... it was tampone zone between east and west, existing from the green light from the west and financed by the west. Yugoslavia had r'n'r when the west did, in the 60's. Yu had stadium bands when the west did, in the 70's. Yu had punk when England and USA did, in the end of 70's, US punkers were against corporations, UK against monarchy, Yu against communism. Yu had new wave when the west did, 1st half of the 80's, it was productive everywhere, so was in Yu too. Yu had post-punk when the west did, 2nd half of the 80's, Let 3 belongs to it. You were on point with the language. English speakers were not interested in non-English music before.

[@soksb3766]

​@@mariomarino3020 Za "njih" smo i mi bili "iza zavjese". Ta mentalna "zavjesa" postoji i danas, čak i u odnosu na Hr i Slo. I mi, kada danas kažemo "zapad", ne mislimo na Češku ili Latviju. Pravi "zapad" su nam prvenstveno Amerika i Engleska pa tek potom Njemačka, Nizozemska itd. Italija nam je već upitna i više je neki jug nego "pravi" zapad. Sve što si napisao je generalno O.K. uz opasku da je, više manje, sve što se događalo prije novog vala ipak bila ponešto zakašnjela kopija onoga što su naši roditelji (ili njihovi roditelji) slušali na radio Luxembourgu. Iznimka su bile neke baš autentične pojave kao Brecelj ili Stefanovski. Čak su Paraf, Idijoti, Pek. Patka i Prljavci ipak kasnili godinu-dvije. Novi val je prva stvar koja je bila on-time i autentičnija od svega do tada, koliko god to sve skupa izraslo na tradiciji "zapada". Želim reći da su i Television i Haustor imali iste uzore, .a ne da je Television bio uzor Haustoru (ako me razumiješ)... Pišem ti na hrvatskom jer je i ono što sam napisao u prvom komentaru već previše. Ovo što se sada dopisujemo bi ih samo dodatno zbunilo. Cijeli novi svijet ...

[@mariomarino3020]

​@@soksb3766 Sve OK, ali ...Transformacija crnačkog bluesa u r'n'r se dogodila poč. 60-ih u malim klubovima u Engleskoj a zbog fascinacije s 2 ili 3 uglavnom nepoznata američka izvođača koji su blues svirali "drugačije" i odatle je takvo anglo-sviranje "bluesa" osvojilo i Ameriku povratno. Začudo, Juga kasni minimalno, brža je i od većine "zapadnih" zemalja (bez Eng i USA), ali mediji baš ne vole r'n'r ovdje,, nema ga u masovnoj distribuciji, kasni tehnološki, instrumenti, oprema pa se dosta improvizira, a bilo je i toga da panduri hvataju hipike po ulici i šišaju ih. Punk ne kasni uopće, centar punka je Ljubljana u drugoj polovini 70-ih. Istina, drugdje ga nema. Ali Pankrti '78-e stavljaju binu na glavnu ljubljansku ulicu, nabrajaju sve po spisku komunjarama, pljucaju po prolaznicima i deru se: Lublana je bulana! Za usporedbu Sex Pistols niti godinu dana ranije tek postaju poznati javnosti sa onim svojim albumom. Ti si naveo odraze te scene koji su nam svima poznati, dalje. Novi val, itd. Nek uče hrvatski 🙂

[@pet05et73]

You did great job!! ❤️

[@najrenchelf2751]

I did think of Euro Neuro pretty quickly after I saw Croatia's song in full - glad I'm not the only one to have that association! :D

[@mariacorlan6520]

Great job, very good video lesson.

[@bagavondo2477]

i must commend your work. very good explanations research, rather successfully translating the essence of the band to noncroat public

[@eurovego]

Thx for clarifying the background behind this song. Impressive multiartist! So intelligent. I will vote!

[@antecule6349]

Thank you for amazing review .. mama ŠČ

[@Xfd960]

Either we are gona win or end up dead last, there is no middle.

[@Ivoperos]

Excellent research job! Well done!

[@tagaway6173]

Great work, Thank You guys! I don't really like it, But I wanted a video from you guys so I can appreciate it more 🤪

[@jonathanbrett-warren2031]

Thanks for the explanation on this!

[@bskiy]

I'm just curious if you have invented an eurovision AI that finds entries from each year and corresponding references