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
Im Nin' Alu
Ofra Haza Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
DAL THAE NA DI VIM
DAL THAE MA ROM
LO NIN'ALU
JA JA JA JA
I'M NIN'ALU LU LU
I'M NIN'ALU LU LU
EL HI
EL HI
I'M NIN'ALU LU LU
I'M NIN'ALU LU LU
EL HI
JA JA JAL JAL
YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU
LIKE NO OTHER
LIKE NO OTHER
IN MY PRAYER
HA YOT SHA HAM RO SE WA SOHVIM
MI YOM BA RI OH NICH LA LU
I'M NIN'ALU LU LU
I'M NIN'ALU LU LU
EL HI
I'M NIN'ALU
TAKE ME AWAY I NEED YOUR HELP
SOMEBODY CRIES WITHIN THE HERD
OH... MY GOD I NEED YOUR HELP
UBE SHESH KA NO FA YIM SA VIVIM
OFIM BE ET YIT GALJA LU
EL HI
EL HI
I'M NIN'ALU LU LU
I'M NIN'ALU LU LU
EL HI
I'M NIN'ALU
DAL THAE NA DI VIM
DAL THAE MA ROM
LO NIN'ALU...
Ofra Haza's song "Im Nin'alu" contains a mixture of Hebrew and Arabic lyrics, and has become an iconic song in the world of Middle Eastern music. The song revolves around the theme of longing for a higher power, and is essentially a prayer.
The lyrics of the song speak about being trapped and in need of help from a higher power, which is addressed as "im nin'alu" - meaning "if they are locked." The song expresses a deep sense of longing and connection to this higher power, using poetic and metaphorical language such as "in my prayer" and "somebody cries within the herd." The repetition of the phrase "el hi" - which means "my God" - adds to the spiritual and emotional intensity of the song.
In addition to its powerful lyrics, "Im Nin'alu" is known for its catchy melody and distinctive rhythm. The use of traditional Middle Eastern instruments such as the oud and the darbuka, along with Haza's powerful vocals, creates a unique and mesmerizing sound.
Line by Line Meaning
I'M NIN'ALU
I believe in a higher power
DAL THAE NA DI VIM
She is a door to the secret, within us
DAL THAE MA ROM
She is a door to the heavens, come to us
LO NIN'ALU
We will not be taken
JA JA JA JA
Chanting the name of the higher power
I'M NIN'ALU LU LU
I believe in the higher power
EL HI
My God
YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU
Expressing love to the higher power
LIKE NO OTHER
Unique and powerful love
IN MY PRAYER
Expressing devotion through prayer
HA YOT SHA HAM RO SE WA SOHVIM
She who was, is and will be in the future
MI YOM BA RI OH NICH LA LU
From the day she created us, she accompanies us
TAKE ME AWAY I NEED YOUR HELP
Asking for help from the higher power
SOMEBODY CRIES WITHIN THE HERD
Expressing the collective human need for help
OH... MY GOD I NEED YOUR HELP
Urgent plea to the higher power
UBE SHESH KA NO FA YIM SA VIVIM
Flying above us and fixed in the heavens
OFIM BE ET YIT GALJA LU
Ascending and descending through time
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@playnatethegreat
who loves the music of Ofra Haza in 2024?
@olivere5497
Not after what happened in Gaza.
@Avidcomp
@@olivere5497 But what happened on 7th October didn't move you against Gaza. How is being fickle and ignorant working out for you?
@Avidcomp
Yes. Love her xxx
@AnAdorableWombat1
@@olivere5497if you can’t like a beautiful musical artist because of something she didn’t do then you need psychiatric help. Because you have zero common sense and clearly you are unable to think for yourself.
@oliviersimonnin6983
So do I!
@Adara007
Who else is listening to Ofra Haza'a beautiful voice and music in 2021? - Edit: Now it's 2024; her music is absolutely timeless!
@aquafari
Timeless classic. This song will live on forever.
@LightLife4
Absolutely. It's a shame that she's no longer with us RIP Ofra
@elxxxterrible
Kybele Kordax and also the meaning of it awful, thank you Ofra Haza 🙏 😊