Why is Serbia singing about Meghan Markle? Translated lyrics and the meaning of Eurovision song explained
Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle has received an unlikely shout-out at the Eurovision Song Contest.
No, you arenât hallucinating â the track âIn corpore sanoâ from singer Konstrakta directly alludes to the Duchess in its opening lines, and itâs very intentional.
But those looking up a translation of the Serbian and Latin lyrics arenât likely to be much more enlightened immediately.
Beneath the songâs dark and ominous beat, the lyrics in question translate as: âWhat could be the secret of Meghan Markleâs healthy hair? What could it be? I think itâs all about deep hydration. They say our skin and hair show it all.â
So, why does Serbia mention Meghan Markle?
There is plenty of hidden meaning in the track that may not be immediately obvious to those hearing it for the first time.
Reading the lyrics in full (below), it becomes clear that the opening lines are intended to parody the mediaâs fixation on celebrity, junk science and âwellnessâ tips â while other parts of the track allude to dog-walking, hand-washing, and the importance of universal healthcare.
Confused? Good. Speaking at a press conference in Turin, Konstrakta explained the song is intended in part to reflect the âdisorientationâ people can feel about health.
She said: âWeâre all a little bit disoriented because of this great field of information offering us many, many opposite ways to be healthy. Behind all of that, there is a great field of consumption, you spend a lot of money to be healthy nowadays.
âThis is really a multi-layered song, you need to read the lyrics to dive into the meanings, and you can read it in many ways.â
The Latin title of the song is a saying that translates as âa healthy mind in a healthy bodyâ. Konstrakta explains: âIt has a dual meaning. We are so much focused on a healthy body, and in a way, maybe mind is suffering. On the other hand, this field of mental health is another field of consumption opening.â
She added: âIn a way, everybody nowadays has an obsession with a healthy life, because we are living in such an atmosphere.â
The song has been interpreted as a much sharper critique within Serbia, where the lack of health insurance remains a difficult issue.
Konstrakta has had personal experience of this too: her late bandmate Miroslav NiÄiÄ was uninsured and died from leukaemia, though she stresses the song is not directly based on that experience.
She said: âAs for health insurance in our country, itâs a particular subject, we have some issues, and with this song, we started some discussion â thatâs OK. But these are only metaphors, this theme of the song is universal, health is universal. I am speaking globally.â
Translated lyrics in full
A healthy mind in a healthy body [Spoken backwards in Latin]
What could be the secret of Meghan Markleâs healthy hair?
What could it be?
What could be the secret of Meghan Markleâs healthy hair?
What could it be? (What could it be?)
I think itâs all about deep hydration
They say our skin and hair show it all
For example, deep undereye circles could signal liver trouble
The pesky spots around the lips point to an enlarged spleen
Thatâs not a good spleen, not a very pretty spleen
And the artist must be healthy
To be healthy, to be healthy
To be healthy
To-to-to-to be healthy
To be healthy, to be healthy
must be, must be, must be
How lucky the existence of the autonomic nervous system
No need to control my heartbeats
The heart beats, the heart beats, alone
A summerâs day, the colours bright, skirts of mine, on my body
My dog and I, we walk
just the two of us, counting steps
The skirt goes around my leg
We are walking and thatâs all!
And it does not have to get better!
The heart beats by itself!
I surrender my trust, let it beat by itself!
I surrender my trust, let it beat! Let me breathe!
God grant us health, grant us health, grant us health!
(God grant us health)
Since thereâs no medical insurance for me
Now how will they follow me?
(All in the name of health)
How will they care for me?
(All in the name of health)
The artist is invisible
(All in the name of health)
You canât see me, itâs magical
(All in the name of health)
The artist could be healthy
To be healthy
To be healthy
To be healthy
To-to-to-to be healthy
To be healthy, to be healthy
must be, must be, must be
(A healthy mind in a healthy body) [Latin]
(A healthy mind in a healthy body) [Latin]
In a healthy body, in a healthy body
A healthy body [Latin]
and what now?!
A sick mind in a healthy body
A sad soul in a healthy body
A desperate mind in a healthy body
A frightened mind in a healthy body
Now what shall we do?
