Estonian Eurovision entry defends 'Espresso Macchiato' after Italy calls for song to be banned

A song by Tommy Cash, which pokes fun at Italian stereotypes, has sparked outrage in Italy, with the country’s consumer association Codacons appealing to the European Broadcasting Union for the track to be banned. 

It features lyrics about mafia figures and coffee culture, with Cash singing: “Ciao bella, I’m Tomaso, addicted to tobacco. Mi like mi coffè very importante,” and “Mi money numeroso, I work around the clocko. That’s why I’m sweating like a mafioso.”

Codacons released a statement last month asking whether it is appropriate “to allow a song that offends a country and an entire community” to be part of Eurovision. 

The association said the song was filled with “the usual cliches of coffee and spaghetti, but above all the mafia and the ostentation of luxury, which conveys a message of a population tied to organised crime.”

“I love Italy and have the utmost respect for the country,” Cash explained during an interview with Italy’s Rai Radio2. He admitted he never expected the song to cause such a backlash, revealing that it was actually his grandmother’s emotional reaction to the song that convinced him to release it in the first place.

Cash, who can be seen drinking coffee from a takeaway cup in the music video for ‘Espresso Macchiato’ – seen as another jab at Italian coffee culture – is due to represent Estonia at the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel in May.

“Life is like spaghetti, it’s hard until you make it,” Cash sings. But, will he “make it” to Switzerland?