A-Ba-Ni-Bi
| A-Ba-Ni-Bi | |
|---|---|
| Izhar Cohen , Alphabeta | |
| publication | 1978 |
| length | 2:59 |
| Genre (s) | Disco |
| text | Ehud Manor |
| music | Nurit Hirsh |
| Label | Polydor |
| album | Izhar Cohen |
The song A-Ba-Ni-Bi ( Hebrew B language for the word ani meaning I ) was the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1978 in Paris . It was interpreted for Israel by Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta accompanying group .
Origin and history
With A-Ba-Ni-Bi , Israel won a Eurovision program for the first time, so that, according to the applicable rules, the Eurovision Song Contest took place in a non-European country for the first time the following year.
The lyrics are penned by Ehud Manor . The music, in rhythmic disco style , was composed and conducted by Nurit Hirsh . Manor and Hirsh had already designed the Israeli Eurovision contribution together in 1973 , which was then presented by Ilanit . A-Ba-Ni-Bi was originally intended for an Israeli children's song festival, but then came into the Eurovision preliminary decision at the instigation of Ehud Manor . The text is about young children talking about love in the language of prayer, and this is also the refrain a-ba-ni-bi o-bo-he-be-w o-bo-ta-ba-ch , which in standard Hebrew ani ohew otach ( Hebrew אני אוהב אותך, "I love you") corresponds. The introduction in the children's B language did not initially meet with general enthusiasm. Nevertheless, the song was successful in later years and found its place in a favorite medley , for example in the semi-finals in Athens in 2006 .
The song was programmed on the evening of the event at eighteenth place between the Spanish duo Baccara , which for Luxembourg Parlez-vous français? sang, and the Austrian band Springtime with Mrs. Caroline Robinson . Musically, A-Ba-Ni-Bi is influenced by the disco style of the Bee Gees , Cohen and his five-person accompanying group Alphabeta - three women and two men - were dressed in white and ended the performance with a surprising dance. Ultimately, the Israeli entry won with 157 points and received 20 points more than second-placed Belgium . When it became clear that Israel was going to win, Jordanian television stopped broadcasting, showing a bouquet of daffodils and declaring that Belgium had won the competition.
The following year , the Israeli contribution in Jerusalem was again the winner, with Hallelujah from the Milk & Honey group . After Spain (1968 and 1969) and Luxembourg (1972 and 1973), Israel became the third country to win the Eurovision competition for two consecutive years. Later, from 1992, Ireland won the competition for three consecutive years. Izhar Cohen also took part in the Eurovision Song Contest 1985 in Gothenburg , Sweden , where he finished fifth with Olé, Olé .
A-Ba-Ni-Bi has been covered many times , including by the Turkish band Grup Vitamin in their album Aşkın Gözyaşlar ("Tears of Love", 1994). It was performed in 2018 by Netta Barzilai , who won the Eurovision competition with Toy that year .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ John Kennedy O'Connor: The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History . Carlton Books UK, 2007, ISBN 978-1-84442-994-3
- ↑ Netta - A-Ba-Ni-Bi on YouTube