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.
Rataplan
Esther Ofarim Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pour voir toutes ses dames
Et la première qu'il a vue
Lui a ravi son âme lui a ravi son âme
|: Rataplan rataplan rataplan plan plan plan :|
|: Marquis, dis-moi, la connais-tu :|
Le marquis lui a répondu
Sire roi, c'est ma femme
Rataplan...
|: Marquis, tu es plus heureux que moi :|
D'avoir femme si belle
Si tu voulais me l'accorder
Je me chargerais d'elle
Rataplan...
|: Sire si vous n'étiez pas Roi :|
J'en tirerais vengeance
Mais pusique vous êtes le Roi
A votre obéissance
Rataplan...
|: Marquis, ne te fâche donc pas :|
T'auras te r'compense
Je te ferai dans mes armées
Beau Maréchal de France
Rataplan...
|: Adieu ma mie, adieu mon cur :|
Adieu mon espérance
Puisqu'il te faut servir le Roi
Séparons-nous d'ensemble
Rataplan...
|: La reine a fait faire un bouquet :|
De belles fleurs de lyse
Et la senteur de ce bouquet
A fait mourir Marquise
Rataplan... 3x
The lyrics of Esther Ofarim's song, Rataplan, tell a story of a king who is seeking to find one of his ladies. The first lady he sees captures his heart and he asks the Marquis if he knows her. The Marquis, who is married to the lady, confirms her identity. The king then asks if he can have her, but the Marquis declines the offer. The king warns the Marquis that if he weren't the king, he would seek vengeance, but because he is the king, he must obey him. The Marquis gets upset, but the king reassures him that he will be rewarded by making him the Marshal of France. The lady, however, bids farewell to her love, as she must serve the king as well. Finally, the queen gives the lady a bouquet of lilies, which kills the Marquis.
The lyrics tell a simple and somewhat tragic love story, with a touch of political power play. The "rataplan" refrain serves as a pulsing beat, possibly symbolizing the military marching drums or even the beating of the characters' hearts. The Marquis' refusal to hand over his wife to the king contrasts with the king's sense of entitlement and authority as a ruler. The floral imagery at the end, with the lilies causing the Marquis' demise, adds a final touch of bitterness and sadness.
Line by Line Meaning
Le roi a fait battre tambour :
The king ordered for drums to be played to gather all his ladies
Pour voir toutes ses dames
In order to see all his ladies
Et la première qu'il a vue
And the first lady he saw
Lui a ravi son âme lui a ravi son âme
Took away his heart, took away his heart
Rataplan rataplan rataplan plan plan plan :
Drumming, drumming, drumming rhythmically
Marquis, dis-moi, la connais-tu :
Marquis, tell me, do you know her?
Qui est cette jolie dame
Who is this beautiful lady?
Le marquis lui a répondu
The marquis replied to him
Sire roi, c'est ma femme
My lord king, it's my wife
Marquis, tu es plus heureux que moi :
Marquis, you are luckier than me
D'avoir femme si belle
For having such a beautiful wife
Si tu voulais me l'accorder
If you would grant her to me
Je me chargerais d'elle
I would take care of her
Sire si vous n'étiez pas Roi :
My lord, if you were not a king
J'en tirerais vengeance
I would seek revenge
Mais pusique vous êtes le Roi
But since you are the king
A votre obéissance
I am at your service
Marquis, ne te fâche donc pas :
Marquis, do not be angry then
T'auras te r'compense
You will be rewarded
Je te ferai dans mes armées
I will make you a beautiful Marshal in my armies
Beau Maréchal de France
Handsome Marshal of France
Adieu ma mie, adieu mon cœur :
Goodbye my love, goodbye my heart
Adieu mon espérance
Goodbye my hope
Puisqu'il te faut servir le Roi
Since you have to serve the king
Séparons-nous d'ensemble
Let us part ways together
La reine a fait faire un bouquet :
The queen had a bouquet made
De belles fleurs de lyse
Of beautiful lily flowers
Et la senteur de ce bouquet
And the scent of this bouquet
A fait mourir Marquise
Made Marquise die
Rataplan... 3x
Drumming... 3x
Contributed by Asher G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
04opocin
Une chanson tirée de son album français "Esther Ofarim" (1973).
Lyric Rogers
I love how Esther pronounces the "r"
funklover24
👏👏👏