Gil's showbiz career took-off in May 1997 when he was spotted in a Munich underground station by a talent scout for Bravo magazine and was asked to do a pictorial story spread. The article generated thousands of letters from fans and he landed a recording contract with BMG. His first single "Round 'N' Round (It Goes)" was released in November 1997 and became a Top 40 smash in Germany. His album Here I Am was released to international success in May 1998.[1]
After several other successful singles, Gil became disenchanted with being a teen idol. His 2003 release On My Own showcased his move in a different musical direction. Starting in 2005, Gil was the lead singer of Zoo Army. Zoo Army consisted of Gil, Tal (his brother), Roland Söns and Dominik Scholz. They released their first single "I'm Alive" and album 507 in the first half of 2006.
In 2010, Gil formed another band,"Acht" which focuses on a driving hard rock sound. Acht's debut album, "Stell dir vor," is entirely in German, reflecting a new domestic-marketing approach.
He is also active as an actor and played the part of Christoph in the Pro7-Production Endlich Sex! (Finally Sex!) in 2004 and Stefan Döbbelin in the TV two-part Sturmflut, Die (The Storm Tide) in 2006. His latest role is Max in the psycho-thriller Strip Mind which opened in Germany on January 3, 2007.
His Israeli father, Abi Ofarim, was a star in his own right, a folk artist, who had a group with his first wife Esther Ofarim. Gil's mother, Sandy, is Abi's third wife. Gil speaks German, Hebrew, and English. He sings in English and German.
Although Gil is virtually unknown in mainstream United States, he has an impressive underground fan following.
If You Only Knew
Gil Ofarim Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everything,
To have you be mine.
I'd give the stars above,
And all my love,
How can you be so blind?
(bridge)
So blind?
All the time,
For you,
Yes it's true.
(chorus)
If you only knew,
That I'm crazy for you,
Then you'd understand.
If I only knew,
What you're goin' through,
Then I'd understand.
Now I know that I,
Have no chance,
Oh to make you mine.
If I ruled the world,
Would you be my girl,
How can you be so blind?
(bridge)
(chorus)
(music solo)
(chorus x2)
The song "If You Only Knew" by Gil Ofarim is all about unrequited love. The singer is deeply in love with someone who doesn't seem to notice, and the singer would do anything to make that person see how they feel. The first verse sets up the idea that the singer is willing to give anything to the person they love. They would give "anything, everything" to have the person be theirs. The singer goes on to say they'd "give the stars above" and "all my love" to the object of their affection.
The bridge of the song repeats the idea of the singer's frustration and their desperate desire to be with the person they love. They're going "out of my mind, all the time" for the object of their affection, and they can't understand why the person can't see how much they care. The chorus of the song directly addresses this disconnect between the singer and the person they love. If only the person knew how crazy the singer was for them, they'd understand how much they cared. Similarly, if the singer just knew what the person was going through, they would understand why the person can't return their love.
The song's final verse is the most heartbreaking, as the singer realizes that they have no chance with the person they love. They wish they could rule the world and have the person be theirs, but they know it's not possible. The final chorus repeats the same sentiments as before, driving home the frustration and sadness of unrequited love.
Line by Line Meaning
I'd give you anything,
I am willing to offer you all of my possessions and material possessions.
Everything,
Anything you desire, I'll give it all.
To have you be mine.
I wish to have you as my lover and partner.
I'd give the stars above,
My love for you is infinite, I would even offer you the stars above.
And all my love,
With all the love in my heart, I choose to give it all to you.
How can you be so blind?
Why can't you see the love in my heart for you?
So blind?
Are you really not aware of what I feel?
I'm going out of my mind,
I am becoming insane and losing myself over my love for you.
All the time,
Every second of everyday I obsess over you.
For you,
I am doing all this for you.
Yes it's true.
I am telling the truth about my love for you.
If you only knew,
If you were aware of how I feel about you,
That I'm crazy for you,
You would recognize how insane I am about you.
Then you'd understand.
You would understand the depths of my love for you.
If I only knew,
If I were aware of how you truly felt,
What you're goin' through,
The struggles you are experiencing,
Then I'd understand.
I would comprehend your feelings and what you are struggling with.
Now I know that I,
I am aware of the fact that,
Have no chance,
I have no possibility or opportunity
Oh to make you mine.
To become your partner or lover is not possible for me.
If I ruled the world,
An exaggeration to say that if I were powerful enough to control the world,
Would you be my girl,
Will you choose to be my partner if I had the power to control everything?
How can you be so blind?
Why can't you see how much I want to be with you?
Contributed by Reagan I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.