Do you hear the people sing (about their love for Europe)?
ADVERTISEMENTCliches and stereotypes are on full display in a video that pokes fun at European countries ahead of EU elections.
More than a dozen satirists joined forces under the banner Comedians for World Peace to put together a feel-good song for Europe.
The anthem — which is also a nod to the 1984 charity single Do They Know It's Christmas? — centres on the chorus "Alone, we are alone".
The song makes fun of ''big'' and ''small'' European countries, playing with clichés and very real geopolitical situations, such as Brexit and eastern European countries' fear of Russia.
In Germany, which opens the ball, boasts about its great qualities, such as ''Porsche, Helmut Kohl and good humour'' – it also mentions Hitler, jokingly, just like Austria, which is otherwise very proud of its ''taxis with horses, glaciers, skiing and Oedipus complex'', and concludes: ''Once Austria was big, and Europe was small. Now things should be the other way round!''
Nothing is off-limits: the French ''love to behead kings and say other are idiots'', but need Europe because they ''wouldn't want the Germans to come back!''
The Portguese insist that no, ''they are not Spanish'', thank you very much; the Swiss congratulate themselves about not caring about the EU and being ''alone and mean''.
The Dutch stay ''loyal as a dog'' to the European Union despite ''not being allowed to make decisions''; Hungary sings about its ''ruin pubs, hospitals and schools'' and Slovenia about Melania Trump and having ''lots of bears'' while Finland admits it would be ''the poor man's Norway'' without the EU.
The best geopolitical jokes come from Lithuania – ''Because Europe is wide, but Russians are near. With a huge missile!'' — and the UK — ''We once built a great empire, now we build a good hand-dryer. I’m sure we’ll be fine on our own.'' The United Kingdom, however, would like to make very clear that ''Bentley, Rolls Royce cars, the Queen and Nigel Farage'' are ''actually German, not ours''.
Armenia, a country that is neither a member of the EU nor part of the single market, comes to sing along and begs to get EU membership.
All countries conclude their lyrics by singing ''Alone, we are alone'', repeatedly – except one: the UK, which ends its couplet by claiming ''We want to be alone''. The singer, sporting a 'Cancel Brexit' t-shirt, doesn't seem so sure about his country's plans, though...
''Do they know it's Europe?'' is sung by artists from all over Europe: Neo Magazin Royale, Ta Teden z Juretom Godlerjem, Even Tot Hier, Ben Olinger, Heti Dörges Villam Gezaval, Noin viikon studio, Alex Vizorek, Skavlan, ArmComedy, Willkommen Österreich, 5 Para a Meia Noite, Laikykitės ten, News Bar, Prime Time, Deville Late Night.
If you don't like this song, or don't like Europe, or don't like songs about Europe: well, it doesn't matter, the song's writers said: ''If you don't feel like voting after hearing this song, you still have to vote (except Switzerland, Norway and Armenia)''.