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.
Machrozet
Esther Ofarim Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hayu bo karnayim shel shemesh acharon
Yadai nisrefu bekivshan hachama
Ach hi sha′ala ha'omnam rak lishmo?
Ratzta hi machrozet saviv latzavar
Shekeshet rakia tachvir lemula,
Ratzta hi machrozet saviv latzavar
[...]
Ratzta hi machrozet saviv latzavar
Shekeshet rakia tachvir lemula,
Ratzta hi machrozet saviv latzavar
Shekeshet rakia tachvir lemula.
[...]
Ratzta hi machrozet saviv latzavar
Shekeshet rakia tachvir lemula,
Ratzta hi machrozet saviv latzavar
Shekeshet rakia tachvir lemula.
[...]
Ratzta hi machrozet saviv latzavar
Shekeshet rakia tachvir lemula,
Ratzta hi machrozet saviv latzavar
Shekeshet rakia tachvir lemula.
The lyrics of Esther Ofarim's song Machrozet are a beautiful combination of Hebrew words that reflect the depth of emotion and the struggle of the human spirit. The first verse talks about how the singer brought a melody to the red-eyed person. The second line goes on to describe how there were rays of sun in the horns of the last sun. The next line talks about how the singer's hands were burned in the sun's stove. However, the last line of the verse wonders if the person from the beginning is only interested in hearing the melody or if they want to know something deeper.
The refrain of the song talks about how the singer spread a tape around the neck, broke the bow of the sky. The phrase "Shekeshet rakia tachvir lemula" means "break the bow of the sky," which means destroying the limits of the universe and achieving freedom. The refrain repeats several times in the song, emphasizing the need to break free from society's constraints and limitations and achieving a true sense of freedom.
Overall, Machrozet is a powerful song that speaks to the human spirit's desire for freedom and the need to break free from the constraints of society.
Line by Line Meaning
Heveti charuz la eino aduma
I brought a red rose to his eyes
Hayu bo karnayim shel shemesh acharon
There were rays of the last sun in them
Yadai nisrefu bekivshan hachama
My hands burned in the heat of the sun
Ach hi sha′ala ha'omnam rak lishmo?
But she only asked to hear his name?
Ratzta hi machrozet saviv latzavar
She ran around the waist
Shekeshet rakia tachvir lemula,
Breaking the bow of the highest heaven
Ratzta hi machrozet saviv latzavar
She ran around the waist
Shekeshet rakia tachvir lemula.
Breaking the bow of the highest heaven
Ratzta hi machrozet saviv latzavar
She ran around the waist
Shekeshet rakia tachvir lemula,
Breaking the bow of the highest heaven
Ratzta hi machrozet saviv latzavar
She ran around the waist
Shekeshet rakia tachvir lemula.
Breaking the bow of the highest heaven
Contributed by Arianna N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.