She met Abi Ofarim, a guitarist and dancer, in 1959 and subsequently married him. With her husband and without him she began to sing Hebrew and international folk songs.
In 1960 Esther got a small role in the film Exodus. In 1961 Esther won the Song Festival in Tel Aviv, where she sang "Saeni imcha bemachol" and "Neama". Two years later, Esther made the 2nd place at the Eurovision Song Contest with "T'en vas pas", representing Switzerland.
From then on, her duo with her then husband Abi Ofarim began take off. In 1966 they had their first hit in Germany with "Noch einen Tanz". Their greatest success in Germany was "Morning of my Life" in 1967, which was written by the Bee Gees. In 1968 the Ofarims had their international breakthrough with "Cinderella Rockefella", which hit the top of the charts in a number of countries including the UK. They played many live concerts in New York and London, and in 1969 they toured around the world.
As result of problems in both business, and personal relations, they divorced in 1970 [1] (in German).
Esther started her solo career with several albums and concerts. In 1984 she played in Joshua Sobol's piece "Ghetto", produced by Peter Zadek in Berlin (Germany). There she sang some songs, including "Frühling" and "Unter deinen weissen Sternen". The play was extremely successful, which was attributed in part to Esther's strong presence.
Since 1998, Esther Ofarim has been performing several concerts each year, especially in Israel and Germany. This includes annual concerts in the Hamburger Kammerspiele.
Ofarim's songs were prominently featured in the 2004 Israeli film, Walk on Water.
El Condor Pasa
Esther Ofarim Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Con la luz de un feliz amanecer.
Sus alas lentamente desplegó
Y bajó al río azul para beber.
Tras él la Tierra se cubrió
De verdor, de amor y paz.
Tras él la rama floreció
En el trigal.
El cóndor de los Andes descendió
Al llegar un feliz amanecer.
El cielo, al ver su marcha sollozó
Y volcó su llanto gris cuando se fue.
Tras él la Tierra se cubrió
De verdor, de amor y paz.
Tras él la rama floreció
Y el sol brotó en el trigal
En el trigal
The lyrics of Esther Ofarim's "El Condor Pasa" describe the beauty and power of nature through the imagery of the Andean condor, a bird that is native to the South American mountains. The song begins with the condor awakening at the break of dawn and slowly spreading its wings to fly down to the blue river to quench its thirst. The Earth is then covered with greenery, love, and peace as a result of the condor's presence. The imagery suggests that nature flourishes and grows in the wake of the condor's magnificence.
As the condor descends, the sky begins to weep when it sees the condor leaving, and the Earth is once again transformed as it says goodbye. The condor's flight becomes a symbol of the fleeting beauty of nature and the inevitable passage of time. The song is both a celebration of the power and beauty of the Andean condor and a lament for the transience of nature and life itself.
Overall, "El Condor Pasa" is a deeply emotive and poetic tribute to the natural world, using the imagery of the Andean condor to evoke a sense of wonder, awe, and reverence.
Line by Line Meaning
El cóndor de los Andes despertó
The Andean condor awakened
Con la luz de un feliz amanecer.
With the light of a happy sunrise.
Sus alas lentamente desplegó
It slowly unfolded its wings.
Y bajó al río azul para beber.
And descended to the blue river to drink.
Tras él la Tierra se cubrió
Behind him, the Earth was covered
De verdor, de amor y paz.
With greenery, love, and peace.
Tras él la rama floreció
Behind him, the branch bloomed.
Y el sol brotó en el trigal
And the sun sprouted in the wheat field,
En el trigal.
In the wheat field.
El cóndor de los Andes descendió
The Andean condor descended
Al llegar un feliz amanecer.
Upon the arrival of a happy sunrise.
El cielo, al ver su marcha sollozó
The sky, upon seeing his departure, sobbed,
Y volcó su llanto gris cuando se fue.
And poured out its gray tears when he left.
Contributed by Audrey K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@SiscoGilBreijo
El cóndor de los Andes despertó
con la luz de un feliz amanecer.
Sus alas lentamente desplegó
y bajó al río azul para beber.
Tras él la Tierra se cubrió
de verdor, de amor y paz.
Tras él la rama floreció
y el sol brotó en el trigal
en el trigal.
El cóndor de los Andes descendió
al llegar un feliz amanecer.
El cielo, al ver su marcha sollozó
y volcó su llanto gris cuando se fue.
Tras él la Tierra se cubrió
de verdor, de amor y paz.
Tras él la rama floreció
y el sol brotó en el trigal
en el trigal.
@vimedcia.ltda.363
No hay que ser Peruano unicamente para sentir orgullo por tan magestuosa cración musical........soy de Ecuador y desde que tengo uso de razón este tema musical se ha convertido en parte de mi vida........en cualquier versión que la escuche puedo oirla todo el día sin cansarme y más aún cuando me siento deprimido y necesito revitalizarme para empezar de Nuevo después de DIOS es una de las cosas en que primero pienso y evoco.
@RomanAdar
She is an Israeli singer and used to be very famous during the 60s and early 70s, she and her husband Avi. They mostly lived and appeared in Germany. I had the privilege to serve with her brother during my basic army training. His name was Shlomo and had a great voice as well. Thanks for sharing
@imusfan48
Roman Adar That is so interesting, thanks for sharing that personal history of your relationship to Esther. I live in Ohio, and would love to see her perform someday, where do you live?
@RomanAdar
imusfan48 You're welcome and I thought I've replied earlier. I live in San Jose, CA.
@lyricrogersofficial
My mom and I love Esther Ofarim too!
@JBCo2012
+Lyric S. Rogers again we meet my friend!
Thanks to You, turning me on to Esther's music!
Thanks!
@michalluz4067
תודה על השיתוף. יש לה קול ממגנט של ממש, מעניין לשמוע את אחיה.
@luisporras8259
Que hermossa voz,soy musico Peruano y radico en guyana framcesa, no se imaginan el orgullo y gusto que me da al escuchar el condor pasa en muschisimas versiones asi que como peruano grabare este tema instrumental con trompeta. Hare todo lo posible por interpretarla similar a esta hermosa voz.
@carlosmejia1309
Lo mejor que hay en el universo es la música...es lo único que no tiene antítesis
@ceciliajimenez790
Respetuosamente sugiero sea original, ésta voz es de la cantante ,ya se nos entregó y nos alimentó el alma Usted cómo músico siempre busque su estilo,si es posible un parte aguas dentro del ámbito musical.