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
Galbi
Ofra Haza Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Galbi ya heb il hawa
La tin na ou mini
Min fain tarik al ma hiba
La da chil galbak
You stole my heart
You take my breath away
What Can I do
What can I sayWhen you're so far away
What Can I do
What can I sayWhen you're so far
Ahhh Galbi
Galbi ya heb il hawaLa tin na ou mini
Galbi ya heb il hawaLa tin na ou mini
Ma had bi gay rak sha bi
Al ka si wa sini
Ma had bi gay rak sha bi
Al ka sini
Ahhh Galbi
The song, Galbi by Ofra Haza, is a romantic ballad that speaks of a love that is so intense that it leaves the singer out of breath and at a loss for words. The opening line talks about the singer's heart being stolen by their lover, leaving them in a state of longing and yearning for their return. The following line discusses the singer's inability to focus or think straight, as they are obsessed with the memory of their lover.
The chorus goes on to express the singer's helplessness and frustration at being separated from their lover. They wonder what they can say or do to ease their pain, as their lover is far away, seemingly out of reach. The second verse continues with the theme of longing and love, describing the singer's desire to be reunited with their lover. They speak of their intense attachment to their lover and the feeling of incompleteness without them.
The song is a beautiful ode to love and the power it has over our hearts and minds. Through vibrant imagery and heartfelt lyrics, Ofra Haza has captured the essence of what it feels like to be deeply in love and unable to be with the object of our affection.
Line by Line Meaning
Galbi ya heb il hawa
My heart is filled with love
La tin na ou mini
Can't live without you
Min fain tarik al ma hiba
Where did you go, my love?
La da chil galbak
My heart can't bear it
You stole my heart
You took my heart
You stole my soul
You took my soul
You take my breath away
You make me breathless
What Can I do
I don't know what to do
What can I sayWhen you're so far away
I can't say anything, you're too far away
Ma had bi gay rak sha bi
No one can love me like you do
Al ka si wa sini
My heart is filled with longing
Ma had bi gay rak sha bi
No one can love me like you do
Al ka sini
My heart is longing
Ahhh Galbi
My heart
Lyrics © ACUM Ltd.
Written by: AHARON AMRAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@HalilCalkTR
I'm from Turkiye. I've been listening to her for 34 years. Ofra Haza was one of the most beautiful voices on earth. Not a day goes by that I don't miss her voice. She's gone too early. Her music and her voice timelss.
@zvipatent
Merhaba ! Hugs from Israel
@giorgosfylaktou2610
@@zvipatent I REMEMBER OFRA HAZA AS A TEENAGER BACK IN 1983 WHEN SHE REPRESENTED ISRAEL 🇮🇱 AT MUNICH'S EUROVISION SONG CONTEST WITH 'CHAI'. OFRA HAZA SHOULD HAVE WON THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST. IT REALLY DESERVED IT.🇨🇾🇨🇾👍👍
@zvipatent
@@giorgosfylaktou2610 Thanks for your kind post. It was a great song, sung by a great singer. Hugs from Israel. αγκαλιές brother
@giorgosfylaktou2610
@@zvipatent 🇨🇾🇨🇾👍👍
@orfsmn1659
Hello from Japan🇯🇵
I like this song too!!
@jJ_L8
I am from Slovakia. As Galbi was released in 1988, I was 11. All my friends and the whole family were crazy for Ofra.. Especially my grandma.. ❤
@belleepoque2544
I recently discovered Ofra. I'm 17...Her music is beautiful! So much better than what is being created today
@clairejoness11
Anooo. Túto pesničku sme milovali. Úžasný hlas❤
@ourson66
Love Ofra - Rest in Peace. I had the privilege of seeing her live in Toronto many years ago - she was spectacular. What a voice! What a loss.