What the song actually means: All the symbols and references in Contrasta's "In corpore sano"

Contrast during her performance in the second semifinal of Eurovision / Photo: EPA

From the moment he appeared on stage, The contract had won over audiences in the Balkans. She was part of an indie-pop band called "Zemlja gruva", which participated in Beovision in 2008, and in 2019 announced their first solo project. Her works intertwine on the line between dance music and performance.

And, after the Eurovision Song Contest, the European audience that eagerly analyzes "In corpore sano" is also enchanting. The song itself is referential and has four main themes: the relentless pressure on women to comply with unrealistic standards of beauty. lack of attention to mental health issues, inability to obtain health insurance and pandemic care.

Pressure on women to comply with unrealistic beauty standards

You may not have been aware that Megan Markle is known for her hair, but journalists have spent hundreds of thousands of words writing on the subject. When Konstrakta sings her introductory verses, it is as if she were reading the title of a celebrity magazine. The introductory verse lets us know that the line between health and beauty is becoming blurred. He then says that he only cares about the enlarged spleen because it is not attractive. In the second verse she talks about doing something that is actually healthy for her, but then puts it in the context of what she is wearing. She is always aware of how she looks to others, even when she is doing something that is only for her and her dog. Women focus on beauty and equate it with real health.

The topic of health

"In corpore sano" translates as "sick mind" into a healthy body, which is a redefinition of the original verse "healthy mind into a healthy body" by the poet Juvenile. According to him, health is the only thing worth praying for, but over the centuries the saying "mens sana in corpore sano" has been used to suggest a connection between body and mind. Usually in the context that you need physical fitness to stay mentally sharp. But this song starts with a sick mind in a healthy body and the feeling of being wrong is complemented by a reversal of the whole thought. It is about someone obsessed with their distorted perception of physical health to the point that mental health is out of the question.

Constant hand washing ranges from good hygiene to a disturbing obsession, her worries about spots around the lips seem like hypochondria and when she starts thanking her heartbeat automatically it is really clear that this female character needs help, not just help related to hair. At the very end of the song, she has a moment of revelation which she covers up by singing in Latin. The use of Latin can have several meanings. It is the language of Catholicism, so it may indicate that her illness is spiritually contrasting with the Serbian language she uses to describe her body.

The condition of the artist

She identifies as an artist in the song. This verse is a deliberate reference to Marija Abramovi,, who is known for her grueling works that often require her to repeat the same actions for hours or days, a specific reference to Abramovi од's 1975 work - art must be beautiful, artists must to be beautiful - as Abramoviпиша herself described: I brush my hair with a metal brush in my right hand and at the same time I comb my hair with a metal comb in my left hand while I do it, I keep repeating art must be beautiful, artists must be beautiful while I do not destroy my hair and I do not face.

Ritualistic repetition is taken from Abramovi и and means transformation of something utilitarian into something abstract and symbolic. Later in the song we find out the negative side of being an artist in Serbia.

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Pandemic worries

Artists and other self-employed people are not covered by health insurance, and Konstrakta is angry about that, back in February she posted a photo on her Instagram where she poses with her latest valid health insurance cards. The artist is impersonal in the eyes of the state, so although this song is mainly a critique of our superficial society, it also has a personal stamp. This is the perfect anthem for the pandemic, the repetition of important but monotonous daily walks, constant hand washing.

 

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The most impressive thing is not that Contrast has packed all these layers in three minutes, but that it did it in a way that people still want to sing and dance together.

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