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.
The Reason
Gil Ofarim Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sitting watching cars drive to the land of nowhere
Do I care?
Throwing buds, throwing coins
Throwing each others consciousness of the ground
All year round
But I know I must be strong
Chorus:
You are the reason why I live
The reason why I cry
The reason why I always hate to say goodbye
The reason why I smile
I can't deny
You're the reason why I breathe
Because of your love
Running here, running there
Run to see you everywhere and anywhere
You are the one I need the most
But right now I feel like a ghost somehow
Somehow
Chorus
Don't wanna go where they are
Don't want to go where they'll be
It's not the way it used to be
Don't want to live in the past
It was running too fast
You are the reason
Chorus (repeat)
In the opening lines of Gil Ofarim's song The Reason, the artist portrays a sense of detachment and disinterest towards his surrounding environment. The act of sitting and watching cars drive by convey a sense of boredom, as if there is no clear direction or purpose for the characters in the song. The juxtaposition of this mundane scene with the later mention of consciousness being thrown to the ground perhaps implies that this sense of meaninglessness has deeper implications. However, despite these feelings, the artist acknowledges that he must be strong and carry on.
The chorus of the song highlights the true focus of the song: a love interest who is the reason for the artist's existence. The duality of positive and negative emotions towards this person is something that the artist cannot deny. The mention of being unable to say goodbye to this person indicates the strong attachment Gil has and the significant role this person plays in Gil's life. The lyrics express the artist's yearning for this person's love and how it is the one thing that drives him.
The song's message is a powerful commentary on how love influences and shapes our lives. The song is characterized by a raw vulnerability and honest exploration of one's emotions in a way that makes it relatable to many people.
Line by Line Meaning
Sitting here, sitting there
I am idly sitting and watching everything around me
Sitting watching cars drive to the land of nowhere
I watch cars go by, aimlessly driving without any particular destination
Do I care?
I am uncertain if I care about what is happening around me
Throwing buds, throwing coins
Throwing away our thoughts and wasting money mindlessly
Throwing each others consciousness of the ground
We are neglecting our personal thoughts and feelings and not paying attention to each other's emotions
All year round
This has been going on for a long time
But I know I must be strong
I understand that I need to be resilient and push through this challenging time
And I know that I have to carry on
I understand that I have to move forward and continue with my life
Chorus: You are the reason why I live
The love and support that I receive from you is the reason that I am alive and happy
The reason why I cry
I shed tears because I feel emotionally connected to you and the relationship we share
The reason why I always hate to say goodbye
I never want to leave your side and depart from your company
The reason why I smile
Your affection and care towards me brings happiness to my life
I can't deny
I cannot reject the fact that you are an essential part of my life
You're the reason why I breathe
Without your love and support, I don't think I can exist
Because of your love
Your love is what makes my life worth living
Running here, running there
I am frantically trying to find you and be near you
Run to see you everywhere and anywhere
I want to see you wherever and whenever possible
You are the one I need the most
You are the most important person in my life and I need you desperately
But right now I feel like a ghost somehow
Despite my need for you, I feel empty and invisible when you are not around
Somehow
For some reason, I cannot explain
Don't wanna go where they are
I don't want to be with other people right now
Don't want to go where they'll be
I don't want to be where other people will be in the future
It's not the way it used to be
Things have changed and are not the same as they were in the past
Don't want to live in the past
I don't want to be stuck in the memories from the past
It was running too fast
The time past by too quickly and it's hard to forget
You are the reason
You are the sole reason behind my existence and happiness
Chorus (repeat)
The reason why I live, cry, hate to say goodbye, smile, and breathe is all because of your love, which I cannot deny
Contributed by Jake D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@radjasinaga1050
Sitting here, sitting there,
Sitting watching cars drive to the land of nowhere.
Do I care?
Throwing buds, throwing coins,
Throwing each others consciousness of the ground.
All year round.
But I know I must be strong and I know I have to carry on.
You are the reason why I live, the reason why I cry,
The reason why I always have to say goodbye.
You are the reason why I smile, I can't deny.
You are the reason why I breathe, because of your love.
Running here, running there, run to see you everywhere, and
Anywhere.
You are the one I need the most but right now I feel
Like a ghost somehow, somehow.
Don't want to go where they are, don't want to go
Where they'll be, it's not the way it used to be.
Don't want to live in the past, it was running too fast
You are the reason
@smurfin84
I used to be a gig fan of Gil when I was younger. He still looks great and sounds fantastic. What's there not to love?!
@bolauren9399
hes a liar hehe
@NeonPinkEyeShadow04
curses on being an american gil fan...just saw this video for the first time and WOW! It was different, but in an absoultely amazing way. Gil is a total rocker!!!!
@voiceOfThruth
Gil you will be more popular if you continue to sing in SOLO! Just like before
@jali1130
越聽越好♥
@Sakura1602
Wie der Vater, so der Sohn. 2 Männer die mein Leben geprägt haben. Durch euch bin ich das, was ich jetzt bin. Ich danke euch und natürlich auch der süßen Esther. ;)
@silverchyld
I never followed Gil but I always heard about him; just saw his older videos and then I click on this and his voice is all changed and it surprised me... but defititely in a good way ;) ... he's adorable. [shakes head in awe]
@jessakamitz
I'm glad everyone enjoyed the video :) Gil will always be my favorite male singer.
@avhec24
i really adore you gil.. wish you in every thing you do.. keep it up! i love you
@KaosChick98
The last time I saw him was when he did his thing with the Moffatts. HE SURE HAS GROWN!! <3 gorgeous voice!!!!!