In the past week or more, the hype around the Finnish Eurovision contender, Käärijä, who took second place in the finals on Saturday night, has been surreal.
Pineapple juice was in many places sold out as people prepared to mix piña coladas (the drink is mentioned several times in Käärijä’s song “Cha Cha Cha”), any items in the color of green—from barrels to wasabi—were put on sale on marketplaces that sell second-hand goods (Käärijä is clad in lime green bolero sleeves), and children have been singing their interpretations of the lyrics for the pleasure of their parents:
“Pidän kaksin käsin kiinni juomista. (I hold my drink with both hands.),” Käärijä raps early in the song.
Some children heard it like this: “Pidä kaksin käsin kiinni huorista. (Hold a grip on the hookers with both hands.)”
Now when all the hype is calming down, and Finland lost to Sweden’s Loreen by the total points from the jury and public (Finland won the public votes), people are taking their fury to social media, shouting:
“Finland is the real winner. It will always be the favorite of the public Screw the jury!”
