Fifty years ago, in 1973, a cross-cultural phenomenom occurred.  A Spanish folk group from the Basque region lost the Eurovision contest to singer from Luxembourg, who sang a lesser-remembered tune: “Tu Te Reconnaitras,” thus proving that cultural contests are often worthless barometers of taste.

The runner-up loser was the group Mocedades which sang “Eres Tú.”  Within months the losing, but quite catchy, tune became a worldwide phenomenom. It reached number 9 on the U.S. charts, which was amazing, given our American tendency to live in a bubble of monolingualism. Some translated versions were made, and they were just pitiful. The original Spanish, however, stands as a musical masterpiece.

The lyrics were simple, and one could easily translate them, after only half-way through a high school course in Level 1 Spanish.

Como una promesa, eres tú,  eres tú  -- Like a promise, you are, you are

Como una mañana de verano -- Like a summer morning.

Como una sonrisa, eres tú, eres tú -- Like a smile, you are, you are

Así, así, eres tú  -- So, So, you are.

All the lyrics, with the option to translate them,

What amazes one about “Eres Tú” is how such simple, quite basic, lyrics stand the test of time, and remain so moving. If you know just simple Spanish, the power of those lyrics is jaw-dropping.

Compare that to modern insults, such as Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies.” With all the technology available to composers today: Garage Band, Soundtrap -- is that the best music that they can come up with?

The reason “Eres Tú” is a masterpiece is that it carries a timeless sense of beauty, while today’s art is just ugly. We, as a society, have been taught to appreciate what we should disdain: ugliness.

The Greeks defined beauty as all things in proper proportion, which is why they often tried to reduce it to a mathematical formula. Hence the golden ratio, which is found in nature, architecture, and even photographs. The common 8:5 photo ratio approximates a golden ratio.

Society has lost this sense of proportion in all areas, the most obvious area being our music.

John Keats may have said it best.

Beauty is truth, truth beauty -- that is all

Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.

I read that in my thirties and did not understand it. I foolishly separated truth as a quality distinct from beauty, not realizing their connection. I understand it now. Beauty, real beauty, is a type of truth.

Beauty of whatever form: art, literary, mathematical, philosophical, religious, even physical beauty, is all worth pursuing… as long as things are kept in proportioned balance, which is the essence of beauty. And beauty, though it can be complex, does not have to be. Often it is wonderfully simple.

A simple chorus of “Old Rugged Cross” has driven more men to Christ than so many ornate classical oratorios.

And as wonderful as Shakespeare’s sonnets are, nothing compares to the 23^rd Psalm.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

By contrast, the semi-obscene poem, HOWL, by Allen Ginsberg, though it is interesting, does not convey truth nor beauty, but merely a colorful, though solipsistic, description of decadence during the beat era. The problem was that it glorified such vice as worthy.

Truth and beauty can be so simple that we often overlook or misinterpret it. How many Christians, of whatever denomination, come to the biblical text with preconceived notions, and have read the scripture dozens of times, before realizing that the gift of salvation is totally free and does not depend on our behavior, but only on our belief, faith.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Eph 2:8

Spiritual truth and beauty in one verse, simply put. The core of the gospel. No fancy words. Simple to understand. Yet, ten of thousands of theologians, and hundreds of denominations, have mangled it. To paraphrase the preacher J. Vernon McGee, that verse is so simple, only a theologian could screw it up. And they regularly do.

Our culture today has no appreciation of beauty, but instead pushes ugliness. Real ugliness. The 2018 Eurovision contest winning tune, “TOY,” constitutes a genuine atrocity. And it is Israeli?

The Jewish people who gave us Mendelssohn, Gershwin, Copland, among dozens of hosts of other Jewish geniuses -- not to mention the sublime Aaronic blessing -- now presents the world with that caterwauling noise?! As art?!

That song was the best that Israel could do? And the Europeans let it win a Eurovision contest?

Holy Beethoven, Batman!

Nor was it the Israeli singer’s weight that was the problem, either. Kate Smith was hefty, but her songs were beautiful.

Israel should have known better. It earlier won a Eurovision contest in 1979 with this wonderful gem, called Hallelujah, about singing a song of happiness. Even the English version is amazing.

Truth can be found in rock and pop. Carole King gave us a great jazz-rock tune in “Jazz Man,” with its incredible description:

When the jazz man’s testifying, the faithless man believes

He can sing you into paradise or bring you to your knees

It's a gospel kind of feelin', a touch of Georgia slide

A song of pure revival and a style that's sanctified

I love Barry White’s “Love’s Theme,” or even Springsteen’s working class “Thunder Road,” where the guy begins to look beyond the surface imperfections in a girl to find something of value.

You ain’t a beauty, but eh, you’re alright.

And that’s all right with me…

Neither am I against sloppiness. A citizen in work clothes at a council meeting is not ugly, and can even convey a sense of democratic nobility. And female beauty is a positive good -- the Greeks understood that -- as long as it is not the chief characteristic sought in a woman. Rather, I am talking about cultural ugliness, like positively celebrating homosexuality, or genital mutilation on confused children, or pedaling demonic violence as art. Gangsta Rap celebrates murder.

But let us go back to that 1973 hit: “Eres Tú.”

The melody was good, the song was short, the words were simple -- comparing one’s love to a poem, a guitar in the night, or a smile. Yet, the song is timeless.

It was beautiful, and our culture has forgotten what beauty is.

Image: PxFuel