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.
Yatzanu At
Esther Ofarim Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bamerkhakim hivlikhu haorot.
Veat hait yafa kishtey eynaikh
Et hadmaot hayu ban atzurot
Yilel hatan veat halakht lakerem,
Vedimatekh nashra kemo saraf
Veat zakhart et hashaot beterem
Veat zakhart tzkhokenu kemo nakhal
Veat zakhart rikud vemapukhit
Veat zakhart et aremat-hashakhat
Veet maga yado shel hayakhid
Veyim notart vehabdidut khoveket
Veat posaat bakramim leat -
At tekhaki al-ken kol-kakh besheket
Nifradnu vekhiyaknu bemabat
The song "Yatzanu At" by Esther Ofarim is a sorrowful and poetic account of a lost love. The song describes two lovers who have been separated and how they are reminded of each other by the world around them. The first verse speaks of how they used to wander together, looking for beauty and how now, when the stars are out, they remind her of him. The second verse describes the bride left alone on her wedding day, crying in the vineyard, and how the tears from her eyes resembled the drops of dew on the grapevines. The third verse talks about how the memories of the past, the laughter, dance and hustle remind her of him, as they used to share it all, and now she is left with his memory. The final line speaks of how she's left with nothing but the quiet, the silence of their separation that surrounds her.
The lyrics convey a sense of loss and longing, regret, and heartache. The melody, too, expresses the same emotion, and Ofarim's voice does justice to the poignant lyrics. The song has a timeless quality about it and it speaks to anyone who has experienced the pain of separation or loss.
Line by Line Meaning
Yatzanu at, kniver haya halayil,
You and I left, a knife was laying at night,
Bamerkhakim hivlikhu haorot.
In the distance, the lights flickered.
Veat hait yafa kishtey eynaikh
And you were beautiful with your sparkling eyes,
Et hadmaot hayu ban atzurot
Tears were trapped in the blues.
Yilel hatan veat halakht lakerem,
The groom sang as you walked to the vineyard,
Vedimatekh nashra kemo saraf
We shed tears like burning candles.
Veat zakhart et hashaot beterem
You remembered the hours before,
Yatzanu bamishol hatzar lakrav
We were walking on the narrow path.
Veat zakhart tzkhokenu kemo nakhal
You remembered our laughter like a stream,
Veat zakhart rikud vemapukhit
You remembered a dancing whirl,
Veat zakhart et aremat-hashakhat
You remembered the sound of silence,
Veet maga yado shel hayakhid
And the touch of the unique one.
Veyim notart vehabdidut khoveket
If you have stayed and loneliness is devouring,
Veat posaat bakramim leat -
And you open the shutters softly -
At tekhaki al-ken kol-kakh besheket
You will laugh then, so silently,
Nifradnu vekhiyaknu bemabat
We parted and cried at the door.
Contributed by Ella B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Robert McMorran
Thanks for uploading. Here is the track listing (from the ester ofarim website):
1. Shir hanoded
2. Yatzanu at
3. Zemer nuge
4. Ma omrot eynayich
5. Yerushalem
6. Hayu Leilot
7. Layla Layla
8. Ve'ulai
9. Hitragut
10. Rakefet
11. Shirat Hanoded
Recorded in 1973 and originally released in vinyl, it was re-released on CD and is available from Amazon Germany.
Hans van Niekerk
Thanks for uploading. Here is the track listing (from the ester ofarim website):
1. Shir hanoded
2. Yatzanu at
3. Zemer nuge
4. Ma omrot eynayich
5. Yerushalem
6. Hayu Leilot
7. Layla Layla
8. Ve'ulai
9. Hitragut
10. Rakefet
11. Shirat Hanoded
Recorded in 1973 and originally released in vinyl, it was re-released on CD and is available from Amazon Germany.
Hertzel Rahmani
Thank you with all our hearts for reviving this great album for us to enjoy, Ester Ofarim is the greatest !!! there will never be born a voice like hers, ever!!
Carola Denkewitz
Ich kenne seit über 50 Jahren keine so glockenklare, mit Seelenschwingen ins Herz fliegende Stimme.
Eveline Berridge
Thanks for recording my favorite songs by Esther Offarim whose voice is so wonderful and not altered by age.
Claude Bylion
Both face and voice totally sent from heaven to the Holy Land.
Marianne Zach
Wunderbare Stimme und wunderschöner Song
Kuekator
Very good recordings! Esther is one of the best singers in music-history!
3rik R Vargas
Thank you who ever you are, for bringing to life this magnificent voice. Blessings.
Boyfris Vaughdi
19 years old, currently spinning this record alone in the middle of the woods inside a 1968 camper. it's 1:03AM. pure bliss.
רווחה יבנאל
ענקית , מיוחדת וזמיר שלא יגמר לעולם.
ben bsy
You did a good job: to share this gem with us and to digitize it. I was in my teens when Ester & Abi were popular over here.-
Cheers from Germany.