Ja Ja Ding Dong! How schlager found its joyful place in the pop camp

Will Ferrell's new Eurovision movie dances to the bouncing beat of schlager, Germanic folk-pop reclaimed from the spectre of nationalism by embracing kitsch

At the beginning of the new Netflix movie Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, aspiring musicians Lars (Will Ferrell) and Sigrit (Rachel McAdams) are workshopping material that will hopefully be good enough for Songvakeppnin, the Icelandic talent show for a Eurovision place. But performing at a local bar, their attempts at presenting something new are cut short by patrons who clamour for Ja Ja Ding Dong, which the pair half-heartedly agree to perform. It's an old hit, and exactly what the title suggests: oompah rhythms, accordion accompaniment, and lyrics halfway between nursery rhyme and sexual innuendo.

Ja ja ding dong (Ding dong)
Mylove for you is growing wide and long
Ja ja ding dong (Ding dong)
I swell and burst when I see what we've become
Ja ja ding dong (Ding dong)
Come, come on, baby, we can get love on
Ja ja ding dong (Ding dong)
When I see you I feel a ding-ding dong