Of Mizrahi Jewish (Yemenite-Jewish) descent, Haza's music is known as a mixture of traditional Middle Eastern and commercial singing styles, fusing elements of Eastern and Western instrumentation, orchestration and dance-beat, as well as lyrics from Mizrahi and Jewish folk tales and poetry.
By the late 1980s, Haza was an internationally successful artist, achieving large success in Europe and the Americas and appearing regularly on MTV. During her singing career, she earned many platinum and gold discs and her music proved highly popular in the club scene. By the 1990s, at the peak of her career, she regularly featured in movie soundtracks, such as that of Dick Tracy (1990) and famously in the Prince of Egypt (1998), and her vocals were popularly sampled in hip hop. Her death in 2000 from an AIDS-related illness shocked the Israeli public and was the subject of much controversy in Israel. In Israel, Haza was a highly influential cultural figure, referred to as one of the country's biggest cultural icons, who helped to popularize Mizrahi culture.
Biography
In 1969, at the age of 12, Haza joined a local theater troupe, and manager Bezalel Aloni spotted her singing talent. He staged many of his productions around Haza, and later became her manager and mentor. At the age of 19, she became Israel's first pop star and retrospectively, music journalists described her as "The Madonna of the East".
She came to fame in the late 80s, with her album Shaday and her single Im Nin'Alu which reached #1 on several European charts in 1988 and remained for nine straight weeks in top position on the German charts. Then she impressed the whole world with her album Yemenite Songs, which was later released in the US as Fifty Gates of Wisdom. She added more high-tech elements and worked with producers such as Thomas Dolby and Don Was.
She also lent her vocals to a 1992 re-recording of The Sisters of Mercy's single "Temple of Love," subtitled "Touched by the Hand of Ofra Haza" (a tongue-in-cheek reference to New Order who had a hit with "Touched by the Hand of God").
Her voice has been described as mezzo-soprano, of near-flawless tonal quality, capable of lending itself to a variety of musical styles with apparent ease. Her style, including elements of Hebrew pop, sounds tasty, yet exotic, and the strength of her voice gained her many admirers.
Ofra Haza died at the age of 42 in 2000 – the cause being widely reported as organ failure or pneumonia, reportedly arising from HIV/AIDS complications. Her family declined to confirm or deny these reports however, stating that it was Haza's wish that the matter should remain private. There was considerable media interest into the circumstances of her death. Ofra Haza married Doron Ashkenazi in 1997, who died in 2001 of an overdose of crystallized cocaine. He was suspected of having infected Haza with the HIV virus.
Ofra represented Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest in Germany in 1983 with the song “חי” (Chai (חי), usually pronounced like the English word “hi” or “high,” a word and symbol that means “life”) and finished second with six points disparity. Her greatest hits collections Melody of the Heart Vols 1 and 2 comes in two 3CD boxed set collections.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ofra_Haza
Face To Face
Ofra Haza Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Very deep inside yourself
Can you recognise the stranger
You've become
And suddenly you're standing
On your own
Far from Home
Far from Home
Look in my eyes
And when we're face to face
Tell me no lies
You know we need help
And I'm with you
All of the way
All of the way
All of the way
Only love can take a man
And turn him inside out
Time to turn the page and start
A whole new story now
Once again we're standing
On our own
With far to go
With far to go
With far to go
The lyrics to Ofra Haza's song Face To Face are all about self-reflection and honesty. The opening lines speak to the idea that it's only when we go deeply inside of ourselves that we can recognize the person we have become, suggesting that sometimes we become strangers to ourselves, and may need to make a journey inward in order to reconcile the differences between who we used to be and who we have become.
The chorus of the song is perhaps the main point being made, with the singer asking to be told no lies when they are face to face with the person they are addressing. There is a sense that the singer has been through a lot and needs help, but is willing to be with the person they are addressing "all the way" in order to get to where they need to go. The final verse furthers this idea, suggesting that it is only love that can truly shift a person and make them "start a whole new story now."
Overall, Face To Face is a song about honesty and reconciliation, and the importance of being able to face ourselves and others with openness and authenticity.
Line by Line Meaning
Only when you travel
You can only recognize how much you've changed when you explore your deepest self.
Very deep inside yourself
You have to look into your soul, to fully realize who you've become.
Can you recognise the stranger
When you look deeply, you realize that the person you've become may feel foreign.
You've become
You've changed and evolved over time.
And suddenly you're standing
You find yourself in a new place in life without warning.
On your own
You are alone and unsure of your next steps.
Far from Home
You feel disconnected from where you come from or what you know.
And when we're face to face
When we're together and connected.
Look in my eyes
Make eye contact as a physical and emotional connection.
Tell me no lies
Be honest and genuine with how you feel and who you are.
You know we need help
Acknowledging that we can't do everything by ourselves.
And I'm with you
I am here for you to offer support and guidance.
All of the way
I am committed to being with you through all of the ups and downs.
Only love can take a man
Love has the power to completely transform a person.
And turn him inside out
Love can challenge and change even the deepest parts of a person.
Time to turn the page and start
It's time to move on and begin a new chapter in life.
A whole new story now
This new chapter is a fresh start with new beginnings.
Once again we're standing
We're in a new place again.
On our own
Starting anew brings new challenges and obstacles.
With far to go
The journey ahead is long and uncertain.
With far to go
The journey ahead is long and uncertain.
With far to go
The journey ahead is long and uncertain.
Contributed by Kaitlyn W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mrhcl6kerson1783
I love every song in this album, though it's not easy to find in stores I just bought my copy finally 👌😌
@Bettybop378
She is so versatile, I love her African neo-soul influences in this song.
A truly original artist.
@jacobhansen6450
The EVERMISSING Ofra Haza!! She left us WAY to early!! BUT...she will for ever LIVE...through her music!! OFRA, SHALOM!!
@AntonioSanchez-tm7wj
Her voice was so clear, pure and nice...I miss you Ofra.