The Flemish song lifting Ukrainians' spirits
An old song by the Belgian duo Nicole & Hugo has become popular, in the most remarkable of places: Ukraine.
The song is Goeiemorgen, morgen (Good morning, morning). It was released in 1971.
It’s a cheery song with positive lyrics, but when it showed up on TikTok in 2022, that’s not how Ukrainians saw it.
In Ukraine, the song is used in situations where something goes wrong. That has everything to do with the fact that ‘goei’ sounds like a Ukrainian expletive. In other words, the lyrics are intentionally misheard and put in a new context.
A Ukrainian TikTok user has described the purpose of the song as to dedramatize the situation in the face of the tough conditions they face due to the war.
If you’re not familiar with the song, you can discover it here.
Did you know that the song was Belgium’s entry for the 1971 Eurovision song contest? It was performed, although not by the duo. They had to pull out as Nicole Josy caught jaundice. They got another chance, however, with Baby, Baby at the 1973 contest, and again in 1974. That year, they reached second place with their song Met de zomer mee (Along with the summer).
The celebrated duo were a couple in real life as well. They were nearing their 51st wedding anniversary when Nicole passed away on 4 November 2022.