The music video appeared, without much fanfare or explanation, in April. Its three stars—La Tigresa del Oriente and La Pequeña Wendy, both from Peru, and Delfín Hasta El Fín, from Ecuador—all populist specimens of unironic camp, were already YouTube stars. Maybe that’s why “En Tus Tierras Bailaré,” an inexplicable, Spanish-language musical tribute to the beauties of Israel, with a title that translates to “In Your Lands I’ll Dance,” has effortlessly racked up nearly 4 million views and spawned countless tributes and parodies. But where did it come from? Why did three South Americans team up to sing about their love for Israel and their plans to dance in Jerusalem? And why does the video superimpose their dancing on shots of the Tel Aviv skyline and—of all things—Hamantaschen?
“It’s not a song in favor of Israel,” said Gastón Cleiman, an advertising man in Buenos Aires who wrote the song’s lyrics and who, along with Sebastian Muller, dreamed up the idea. “It’s a song against prejudice.” Cleiman is freelancer; Muller works for an interactive firm in Madrid whose clients include Nike and Coca-Cola. Both men swear the project was their own initiative, with neither official money nor messaging. The music was written by Gaby Kerpel, another Argentine Jew, who also scored De La Guarda and Fuerza Bruta and is part of a Latin electronic collective known as Zizek and performs reinterpreted Colombian cumbia under the alter ego King Coyo, and the video was directed by Picky Talarico, better known for directing Latin mega-stars’ videos and high-profile commercials.
It started with Muller and Cleiman, who were channeling their mutual obsession with the millions-strong YouTube sensations Wendy (who, at 8, recorded sugary-voiced videos about her thirst for breast milk andbeer), La Tigresa (a surgically enhanced hairdresser from the Peruvian Amazon fond of leopard print andreborn as a singer at 65), and Delfín, an amiable but stone-faced Ecuadorean whose first rise to his feet in indignation had been for a disco-beat ode to 9/11.
“One sees them and is seduced,” Cleiman said, speaking in Spanish. “These are things upon which you cannot force reason, because then surely you will find defects. But the truth is, you cannot stop watching them.”The video is incredibly cheesy:
The lyrics, for those who speak Spanish, are:
- Israel me da un sentimiento de tristeza.
- Me nombrás Israel y se me viene la guerra el caos
- Me da mucho miedo que por la calle pueda haber explosivos
- Gente muy resignada
- Un pueblo...
No puede ser, ¡no!
Con mucho cariño para todos los hermanos Latinoaméricanos.
Las superestrellas de la canción popular, juntos por un mensaje de amor e igualdad, la pequeña Wendy, Delfín hasta el Fin y la Tigresa del Orienteeeeeee.
Caminando por Israel,
Un amorsito encontraré
Cariñito, amorsito, vamos, vamos a cantar.
¡Israel yo te quiero conocer.!
Gracias vida mia
al enseñarme este lugar
ay, ay, ay, que bonito este lugar.
En Jerusalém, yo bailaré.
Oh, amorcito en Jerusalém,, me, me, me, me, me
yo te amaré.
Y ahora el pasito de Delfín
Coro
Israel, Israel que bonito es Israel,
Israel, Israel que bonito es Israel,
Israel , Israel, en tus tierras bailaré.
Israel, Israel que bonito es Israel,
Eso papi.
grrrrrr.
Madrecita, madrecita,
que bonito es Tel Aviv,
con sus estrellas y su lunita
en Tel Aviv yo bailaré
Israel, Israel que bonito es Israel,
Israel, Israel que bonito es Israel,
Israel , Israel, en tus tierras bailaré.
Israel, Israel que bonito es Israel,
Ay papito, si tan sólo pudiera ver este lugar, esta gente estos sabores ( llorando).
Cantemos juntos, bailemos juntos
Y mi pueblo como el mar rojo se dejará
todos los hombres y las mujeres en el a a a a a bailarán
No puede ser. Dios mío, que bonito es Israel.
Israel, Israel que bonito es Israel,
Israel , Israel, que bonito es Israel
Para todo el mundo, niños ancianos, maestros, pescadores y futbolistas
estrella, famoso, panadero o agricultor. Sin prejuicios, el amor fluye por las venas
de todos , acércate Israel a Latinoamerica, acércate a Latinoamérica Israel
Israel, Israel que bonito es Israel,
Israel, Israel que bonito es Israel,
Israel , Israel, en tus tierras bailaré.
Israel, Israel que bonito es Israel, (bis)
Or,
I want you to know Israel.!Perhaps the most bizarre part is that there are numerous spoofs of this video on YouTube, with ordinary (and weird) people singing about how great Israel is.
Through my life
to teach this place
ay, ay, ay, how beautiful this place.
In Jerusalem, I will dance.
Oh, sweetie in Jerusalem, I, me, me, me, me
I love you.
Israel, Israel Israel is beautiful,
Israel, Israel Israel is beautiful,
Israel, Israel, dance on your land.
Israel, Israel Israel is nice,
Mama, Mama,
how beautiful it is Tel Aviv,
with its stars and its little moon
I will dance in Tel Aviv
Let us sing together, dance together
And my people as the Red Sea will be left
all men and women in the dance aaaaa
My God, how beautiful it is Israel.
Israel, Israel Israel is nice,
Israel, Israel, that Israel is beautiful
For everyone, children elderly, teachers, fishermen and footballers
star, famous, baker or farmer. Without prejudice, love flows through the veins
of all Israel come closer to Latin America, come to Latin America Israel
Israel, Israel Israel is beautiful,
Israel, Israel Israel is beautiful,
Israel, Israel, dance on your land.
Israel, Israel Israel is nice...