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.
suzanne
Esther Ofarim Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You can hear the boats go by
You can spend the night beside her
And you know that she's half crazy
But that's why you want to be there
And she feeds you tea and oranges
That come all the way from China
And just when you mean to tell her
Then she gets you on her wavelength
And she lets the river answer
That you've always been her lover
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that she will trust you
For you've touched her perfect body with your mind.
And Jesus was a sailor
When he walked upon the water
And he spent a long time watching
From his lonely wooden tower
And when he knew for certain
Only drowning men could see him
He said "All men will be sailors then
Until the sea shall free them"
But he himself was broken
Long before the sky would open
Forsaken, almost human
He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone
And you want to travel with him
And you want to travel blind
And you think maybe you'll trust him
For he's touched your perfect body with his mind.
Now Suzanne takes your hand
And she leads you to the river
She is wearing rags and feathers
From Salvation Army counters
And the sun pours down like honey
On our lady of the harbour
And she shows you where to look
Among the garbage and the flowers
There are heroes in the seaweed
There are children in the morning
They are leaning out for love
And they will lean that way forever
While Suzanne holds the mirror
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that you can trust her
For she's touched your perfect body with her mind
The song "Suzanne" by Esther Ofarim tells the story of a man's journey with a mysterious woman named Suzanne. The first verse describes Suzanne's location near a river where boats pass by, and the singer's willingness to stay with her despite her craziness. Suzanne offers the singer tea and oranges from China, and in a moment of hesitation when he intends to tell her he cannot offer her love, she divides the barriers and convinces him that he has always been her lover. The second verse tells the story of Jesus as a sailor and a man who felt broken long before his fate was sealed. The final verse cuts back to Suzanne, who takes the singer's hand and shows him the beauty in the sewers and seaweed where many think they would only find garbage. The singer is awed by the heroes, the children, and the love he sees, while Suzanne holds the mirror, inviting him to "travel blind" with her.
The song's first refrain offers tragic foreshadowing of Jesus's fate, as he spends his life watching from a lonely wooden tower, waiting until only drowning men can see him. The repetition of the refrain throughout the song hints at the limited time and inevitability of the singer's journey with Suzanne, which is primarily spiritual, with them traveling together through their minds. The last refrain shows the depth of the connection between the singer and Suzanne, as he feels she has touched his perfect body with her mind. The song combines religious imagery with the mysteries and beauty of everyday life.
Line by Line Meaning
Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river
Suzanne invites you to her home near the river.
You can hear the boats go by
While at Suzanne's place, you can hear the passing boats.
You can spend the night beside her
You can stay with Suzanne overnight.
And you know that she's half crazy
You are aware that Suzanne is a little bit crazy.
But that's why you want to be there
However, her craziness is part of the allure of being with her.
And she feeds you tea and oranges
While you're with her, Suzanne gives you tea and oranges.
That come all the way from China
The tea and oranges originate from China.
And just when you mean to tell her
Just as you're about to express something to her,
That you have no love to give her
you realize that you don't have any love to offer her.
Then she gets you on her wavelength
However, Suzanne connects with you on a deep level.
And she lets the river answer
The river provides a response through some sort of sign or symbol.
That you've always been her lover
The symbolism indicates that you've been in love with her all along.
And you want to travel with her
You want to go on adventures with Suzanne.
And you want to travel blind
You want to experience these adventures without inhibition.
And you know that she will trust you
You feel confident that Suzanne will trust you.
For you've touched her perfect body with your mind.
You have connected with her on a deeper level than just the physical.
And Jesus was a sailor
The song changes to a reference about Jesus.
When he walked upon the water
In the Bible, Jesus famously walked on water.
And he spent a long time watching
He watched over humanity for an extended period of time.
From his lonely wooden tower
Perhaps from a metaphorical place of loneliness and isolation.
And when he knew for certain
Jesus knew with certainty that only drowning men could see him.
Only drowning men could see him
Only those who were struggling the most could see and appreciate him.
He said "All men will be sailors then
Jesus declared that all people will be like sailors,
Until the sea shall free them"
until they are freed from the burdens of life.
But he himself was broken
Despite his divinity, Jesus was vulnerable and fragile.
Long before the sky would open
Jesus was broken long before a divine revelation or change occurred.
Forsaken, almost human
This speaks to Jesus' humanity and the way he was abandoned and alone.
He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone
He was weighed down by the wisdom and knowledge of those around him.
And you want to travel with him
The song returns to the desire to travel with someone.
And you want to travel blind
Again, the idea of experiencing life without fear or inhibition is present.
And you think maybe you'll trust him
There is a desire to trust Jesus.
For he's touched your perfect body with his mind.
Jesus has connected with you on a deeper level than just the physical.
Now Suzanne takes your hand
The song transitions back to Suzanne leading the way.
And she leads you to the river
Suzanne takes you to the river again.
She is wearing rags and feathers
Suzanne is not dressed in fancy clothes - she wears rags and feathers.
From Salvation Army counters
Her outfit is likely from a thrift store or similar type of shop.
And the sun pours down like honey
The sun shines like a thick, sweet liquid, adding to the atmosphere of the scene.
On our lady of the harbour
The sun shines on Suzanne, who is perhaps seen as the queen of the harbor.
And she shows you where to look
Suzanne guides you towards where you need to look.
Among the garbage and the flowers
You need to look amidst the trash and the beauty for something important.
There are heroes in the seaweed
Metaphorically, there are heroes that are hidden in unlikely places.
There are children in the morning
There are children who, like newborns, represent a promise of a new day.
They are leaning out for love
The children and other symbols of beauty and love reach out for love and understanding.
And they will lean that way forever
These symbols of love and beauty will always crave and reach out for love.
While Suzanne holds the mirror
Meanwhile, Suzanne holds the mirror or the perspective that allows them to see and appreciate these things.
And you want to travel with her
As before, there is a strong desire to be with Suzanne.
And you want to travel blind
The desire to experience life without inhibition is present once more.
And you know that you can trust her
You feel confident in your ability to trust Suzanne.
For she's touched your perfect body with her mind.
Once again, Suzanne has connected with you on a deeper level than just the physical.
Contributed by Jasmine W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@agamemna
Diese Stimme, diese Persönlichkeit, dieses Charisma + dieser Song: ein Geschenk an die Welt. Was für ein Genuss, dieser wunderbaren Sängerin lauschen zu dürfen. Danke, liebe Esther Ofarim,
@annerosebaum7017
Denke und fühle ebenso. Esther hat mich ein Leben lang verzaubert. Seit der Trenmung von Abi hat sie sich künstlerisch erst voll entfaltet und sehr anspruchsvolle Lieder gesungen. Das ist jedenfalls meine Meinung.
@harrytee1
So ist es. Heute hört man viel von Leuten die professionell nicht singen können. Glück auf.
@Pieps.22
@@harrytee1wohl nicht mal schreiben, geschweige denn singen. Sie ist großartig
@nathelondon3719
She sings in seven languages with perfect diction, emotion, understanding and phrasing. She sings Cohen, Brel, Stevens, Coward, Newman etc etc BETTER than the originals.
@kevvome
Beautiful Esther. A mix of Cleopatra and Kate Bush.
What a brilliant combination.
And all these years later she still has the voice of an angel.
I love this lady.
@herbertluthe6850
'a mix of cleopatra and cate bush': I wish I had come up with genious line. best version I know, most deatiful singer I ever saw - adorable!
@einsteinisgreat
don't think I have ever heard anything so beautiful.
@einsteinisgreat
@Lucia the Hermit just keep playing it.
@sophieblake1
I saw Ester Ofarim and her then husband Abi at the Albert Hall in, I think, 1968. She was beautiful to look at and beautiful to listen to. Although she became quite well known she never achieved the fame she and her voice deserved. Abi was originally a folk singer and had a voice that was pleasant enough but nothing to compare with Ester. I believe they later split up.