Mama ŠČ!

"Mama ŠČ!"
Single by Let 3
from the album ŠČ!
Language	Croatian
Released	20 January 2023 (2023-01-20)
Length	2:34
Label	Dallas
Composer(s)	Damir Martinović Zoran Prodanović
Lyricist(s)	Damir Martinović
Let 3 singles chronology
"Drama (Remake)" (2022) "Mama ŠČ!" (2023) "Babaroga" (2024)
Audio
"Mama ŠČ!" on YouTube
Lyric video
"Mama ŠČ!" on YouTube
Music video
"Mama ŠČ!" on YouTube
Eurovision Song Contest 2023 entry
Country	Croatia
Finals performance
Semi-final result	8th
Semi-final points	76
Final result	13th
Final points	123
Entry chronology
◄ "Guilty Pleasure" (2022)
"Rim Tim Tagi Dim" (2024) ►
Official performance video
"Mama ŠČ!" (First Semi-Final) on YouTube "Mama ŠČ!" (Grand Final) on YouTube

"Mama ŠČ!" (Croatian pronunciation: [mâma ʃtʃə̂])^[a] is a song by Croatian shock rock band Let 3, released on 20 January 2023.^[1] The song represented Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 after winning Dora 2023, Croatia's national selection for that year's Eurovision Song Contest.^[2][3] The song peaked at number one in Croatia and entered the charts in Iceland and Lithuania.

Background and composition

In interviews with Jutarnji list, the band reported that the song title is a reference to the Russian letter Shcha (Щ).^[4] The song, according to the band, is an anti-war song; in the interview, the band reported that after total Armageddon has been waged on Earth, a rocket would land on Earth, containing the letters "ŠČ".^[1] In other interviews, the band has also claimed that "ŠČ" could also mean the sound someone makes when somebody orgasms, a blood type, or a sound someone makes when they are meditating.^[5]

In further interviews with the Croatian newsite Pressing, the band claimed that the song was a metaphor for the Russian Federation. The band claims that in the song, they mock dictators for being "childish", with an emphasis on the Russian president Vladimir Putin and his decision to launch the Russian invasion of Ukraine.^[6]

According to Hrvoje Cvijanović, the "tractor", which is mentioned numerous times in the song, is symbolism for the Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, who has aided Russia in the invasion, including by gifting a tractor to Putin for his 70th birthday.^[7] The song criticizes both leaders, calling them "psychopaths",^[4] although rather allusively, since performers are precluded from promoting political messages in the Eurovision Song Contest.^[8]

Commercial performance

On the issue of 6 February 2023, "Mama ŠČ!" debuted at number 27 on the Croatian HR Top 40 chart.^[9] This marks the band's first chart entry in less than a year, the last being "Drama", a collaboration with Croatian singer Alka Vuica in early 2022 issued on 21 March.^[10] In its second week on the chart, the song fell two spots to number 29.^[11] After the performance at Dora 2023, the song rose to a new peak at number four in its third week on the chart.^[12] By peaking at number four, "Mama ŠČ" became the band's highest charting song on the HR Top 40 chart to date.^[13] A week later, in its fourth week on the chart, the song topped the chart becoming Let 3's first chart topper in Croatia.^[14]

In the week of 25 February 2023, "Mama ŠČ" debuted at number six on Billboard's Croatia Songs chart, becoming the band's first song to do so.^[15] It was also Croatia's first Eurovision entry to chart on the Croatia Songs chart.^[16] The song stayed on the chart for a total of four weeks.^[17][18]

Eurovision Song Contest

Main article: Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023

Dora 2023

Dora 2023 was the twenty-fourth edition of Dora, a music competition which selects Croatia's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. The competition consisted of eighteen entries competing in one final on 11 February 2023.^[19]

Let 3 on Dora 2023

The song was considered by Croatian media outlets as a heavy favorite within the public to win Dora 2023. During their live performance, the band were dressed in stereotypical military uniforms, with one member dressing up as Vladimir Lenin holding two rockets. All members had roses in between their buttocks.^[20] At the end of the show's voting, it was revealed that "Mama ŠČ!" had won the competition, thus earning the Croatian spot for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.^[2] After winning Dora, Let 3 announced that they might travel to Liverpool on an ecologically acceptable tractor "with [the] steering wheel on the other side" since they were going to the United Kingdom.^[21][22]

At Eurovision

According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. Croatia had been placed into the first semi-final, to be held on 9 May 2023, and was scheduled to perform in the first half of the show.^[23] Unlike previous years, the semi finals were determined by televote only, instead of both jury and televote.

Croatia performed in slot 7 during the first semi final on 9 May 2023. At the end of the show, it was announced that Croatia had qualified for the Grand Final. It was later announced that they had placed 8th out of 15 in the semi final, with 76 points. On the final on 13 May, they placed 13th overall with 123 points, including being ranked 7th with the televoters with 112 points.^[24]

Charts

Chart performance for "Mama ŠČ!"

Chart (2023)	Peak position
Croatia (Billboard)[25]	6
Croatia (HR Top 40)[14]	1
Iceland (Plötutíðindi)[26]	37
Lithuania (AGATA)[27]	24

Notes

1. In order to be pronounced, the final syllable is realised with a schwa, normally not part of the phonology of the Croatian language.

References

1. Rožman, Klara (10 February 2023). "Let 3 na Dori nastupaju u vojnim uniformama, otkrili su nam i što znači 'šč' iz naslova njihove pjesme 'Mama Šč!'" [Let 3 perform in military uniforms on Dora, they also revealed to us the meaning of 'šč' in the title of their song 'Mama Šč!']. Jutarnji list (in Croatian). Retrieved 11 February 2023.
2. Percy, Lucy (11 February 2023). "Croatia: Let 3 win Dora 2023 and will sing "Mama SC!" at Eurovision". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
3. "Let 3 win 'Dora' in Croatia". Eurovision Song Contest. 11 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
4. L., G. (12 February 2023). "Profesor pojasnio značenje pobjedničke pjesme Leta 3: Evo što je ŠČ, tko je majka, a što znači traktor!" [The professor explained the meaning of the winning song by Let 3: Here is what ŠČ is, who is their mother, and what the tractor means!]. Jutarnji list (in Croatian). Retrieved 13 February 2023.
5. "Što zapravo znači "ŠČ"? Mrle i Prlja iz Leta 3 otkrili su o čemu se radi" [What does "ŠČ" actually mean? Mrle and Prlja from Let 3 talked what it was all about]. Index.hr (in Croatian). 11 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
6. "Let3: Možda su ljudi dobro prepoznali da naša pjesma govori o Putinu" [Let 3: Maybe people recognized that our song is about Putin.]. n1info.hr (in Croatian). 13 February 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2023.>
7. Jackson, Patrick (7 October 2022). "Ukraine war: Vladimir Putin gets a tractor for his 70th birthday". BBC. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
8. "Objavljen službeni prijevod Mame ŠČ na engleski, poslan je BBC-ju na pregled" [The official translation of Mama ŠČ into English has been published and sent to the BBC for review]. Index.hr. 16 February 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
9. "Pjesme s Dore 2023. ušle na listu, Noelle i dalje prva" [Songs from Dora entered the list in 2023, Noelle still number one] (in Croatian). top-lista. 6 February 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
10. "Vatra feat. Božo Vrećo s novom pjesmom ulaze visoko na listu" [Vatra feat. Božo Vrećo with a new song enter high on the list] (in Croatian). top-lista. 21 March 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
11. "HR TOP 40 Week 6 2023" (in Croatian). top-lista. 12 February 2023. Archived from the original on 12 February 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
12. "HR TOP 40 Week 7 2023" (in Croatian). top-lista. 19 February 2023. Archived from the original on 20 February 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
13. "Let 3 ostvario svoj najbolji plasman na HR Top 40" [Let 3 achieved its best placement on the HR Top 40] (in Croatian). top-lista. 20 February 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
14. "HR TOP 40 Week 8 2023" (in Croatian). top-lista. 26 February 2023. Archived from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
15. ""Mama ŠČ" na Billboardovoj ljestvici najslušanijih" ["Mama ŠČ" on Billboard's most played list] (in Croatian). glazba.hr. 22 February 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
16. "Billboard objavio novu listu slušanosti u Hrvatskoj, Let 3 se probio među cajke" [Billboard published a new list of listeners in Croatia, Let 3 made its way to the charts] (in Croatian). index.hr. 22 February 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
17. Čulić, Ilko (8 March 2023). "Generacija Zed: Kako je postpandemijski Orient Express pregazio hrvatsku estradu" (in Croatian). ravnododna.hr. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
18. "Croatia Songs (Week of May 27, 2023)". Billboard. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
19. Jiandani, Sanjay (Sergio) (20 September 2022). "Croatia: HRT confirms participation at Eurovision 2023". Esctoday. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
20. "Let 3 na pozornici se pojavio u haljinama: U stražnjicama imali ruže, a u rukama držali rakete" [Let 3 appeared on the stage in dresses: They had roses in their buttocks and rockets in their hands]. 24sata (in Croatian). 11 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
21. "Let 3 nakon pobjede na Dori: 'Kako ćemo do Liverpoola? Javili su mi da pripremaju traktor s posebnom promjenom'" [Flight 3 after the victory at Dora: 'How will we get to Liverpool? They informed me that they are preparing a tractor with a special change']. Riportal (in Croatian). 12 February 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
22. "Let 3 nakon pobjede na Dori: 'Ne znamo kako ćemo do Liverpoola. Javili su mi da pripremaju..." [Let 3 after the victory at Dora: 'We don't know how we will get to Liverpool. They informed me that they are preparing...]. Net.hr (in Croatian). 12 February 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
23. Groot, Evert (31 January 2023). "Eurovision 2023: Allocation Draw results". Retrieved 31 January 2022.
24. "Grand Final of Liverpool 2023 - Eurovision Song Contest". eurovision.tv. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
25. "Croatia Songs (Week of February 25, 2023)". Billboard. 22 February 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
26. "Tónlistinn – Lög" [The Music – Songs] (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
27. "2023 20-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.