Yoav’s debut album, Charmed and Strange (2008), had an extraordinary effect on people around the world. Since its release, he has been on a journey of sold-out headline shows in Canada, the U.S., and Europe. A North American tour with Tori Amos saw Yoav sell almost 9,000 discs off stage in just 3 months. He’s been an iTunes Canada ‘Single Of The Week’ feature artist. He’s had a #1 song in Russia, where he also received a special RAMP award (Rock Alternative Music Prize) in recognition of his achievements. After only one radio session in Denmark, within 24 hours Charmed and Strange climbed to # 1 on their iTunes album chart.
Born in Israel and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, Yoav’s parents favored classical and traditional music, encouraging their son towards those genres. Nevertheless, at the age of nine, Yoav began sneaking off to the neighbors to soak up the hits of British radio acts. By twelve, while his family slept, he was in the backyard practicing quietly on a battered guitar his older brother had given him.
Yoav is not an easy artist to pigeonhole. His progressive, acoustic, singer/songwriter style is fused with an electronic aesthetic, giving a mindful nod to DJ culture, and escapes conventional definition. “Wherever I’ve been, I’ve always been outside of things. And the people I’ve connected with have always been that way, too. It makes you lonely but, at the same time, I wouldn’t change it. I’m really glad I’m living the life I’m living. Different cultures, different art, different mindsets. I want more.”
Moving from the U.K. to New York further expanded Yoav’s musical mindset. A percussive style eventually took hold in his guitar playing, and inventive live sets followed. Beats are pounded out on his guitar’s body, loop stations add layers of sound and voice, and everything is artfully conducted by his dexterous hands and feet. “If you look at a guitar, there is a standard way you play it,” remarks Yoav. “You either pick or play chords.” But why stop there? “I’m very into hip-hop and electronic music, and some other sounds you wouldn’t necessarily associate with the acoustic guitar, looping and processing them. Melodically and rhythmically, everything changes when you move away from picking and strumming.”
Yoav’s songs have been featured on the popular TV shows One Tree Hill, So You Think You Can Dance, and The Mentalist. He also performed on the immensely popular UK music show, Later with Jools Holland and on MTV Live.
Experimentation with sound from his acoustic guitar is an area in which Yoav thrives, and a direction he is intent on continuing to explore. With his second album, A Foolproof Escape Plan, he further pushes the sounds of pop music and instrumentation. True to his reputation as global citizen, Yoav spent 2009 writing songs in London, South Africa, and Venice Beach, California, collaborating with a mélange of musicians and artists from around the world to add to the richness of his sound. Joey Waronker—the outstanding American music producer and drummer who has worked with Thom Yorke, Beck, Smashing Pumpkins, and R.E.M.—took the producer’s chair.
Like Charmed and Strange, most of the sounds on Yoav’s sophomore album, A Foolproof Escape Plan, were created solely with his acoustic guitar. Except for a few piano and cello parts, all the drum, bass, keyboard and piano sounds were beaten and dragged out of his trusty Lowden acoustic.
The songs on A Foolproof Escape Plan further reflect Yoav’s experiences and his connection to current global issues, but this is also a highly personal record that is both honest and introspective. The debut single Yellowbrite Smile uses the iconic cliché of a smiley face to reflect the passive acceptance of our increasingly absurd and fast-paced existence, the selling of distraction, and the commercialization of happiness. In Easy Chair, Yoav reminisces about childhood, his signature guitar beats pulsating throughout. Many of the songs on A Foolproof Escape Plan explore his experience of the spiraling chaos of the world around him: Changing relationships. A world unbalanced. The constantly transforming face of music. In his own way, Yoav is embracing the answers he uncovers, and calming the chaos with loops, beats, voice and guitar in hand.
We All Are Dancing
Yoav Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For the dreams and all the sweet things I adore
But once I’m in
So hard to find
My way back out again
My body shaking to the chord
When I feel I can’t take in anymore
I hear I say
We all are dancing anyway
We all are dancing anyway
We all are dancing anyway
My heart is a bursting mushroom ball
That burning everything
We’ll come undone
And that’s the way
When she’s finds me everything will be okay
We all are dancing anyway
We all are dancing anyway
We all are dancing...
I’m starting to believe
I’m starting to remember
Starting to remember
Starting to remember
Starting to remember
Surrender!
We all are dancing anyway
We all are dancing anyway
I might as well be
I might as well set our selves free
We all are dancing anyway
I might as well be
We all are dancing anyway
We all are dancing...
The song "We All Are Dancing" by Yoav is a beautiful piece of music that speaks to the universal human experience of finding solace and release in dancing. The lyrics are poetic and introspective, offering a glimpse into the artist's thoughts and feelings as he navigates the ups and downs of life.
The opening verse, "My head is a convenient store for the dreams and all the sweet things I adore, but once I'm in, so hard to find my way back out again," speaks to the idea that our minds are often cluttered with thoughts, desires, and dreams, making it difficult to stay present and focused. The chorus, "We all are dancing anyway," suggests that perhaps dancing is a way to let go of all those distractions and just be in the moment.
The second verse, "My body shaking to the chord, when I feel I can't take in anymore, I close my eyes, I hear I say, we all are dancing anyway," further emphasizes the idea of surrendering to the music and allowing it to move us physically and emotionally. The line "we all are dancing anyway" is repeated throughout the song, reinforcing the idea that no matter what else is going on in our lives, we can always find comfort and freedom in dancing.
The bridge of the song, "I'm starting to believe, I'm starting to remember, starting to remember, starting to remember, surrender," suggest that the act of dancing is not just a physical release, but also has the power to remind us of who we are and what is truly important in life. The final chorus, "I might as well be, we all are dancing anyway," is a call to action, encouraging listeners to embrace the dance and let it take us wherever it may lead.
Overall, "We All Are Dancing" is a powerful and inspiring song that celebrates the human spirit and the transformative power of music and dance.
Line by Line Meaning
My head is a convenient store
My mind is filled with all the dreams and sweet things that I love.
For the dreams and all the sweet things I adore
My mind stores everything that I love and want to achieve.
But once I’m in
Once I start to think about these things...
So hard to find
...it's difficult to get out of that mindset.
My way back out again
I struggle to return to reality.
My body shaking to the chord
When I hear the music, my body moves to its rhythm.
When I feel I can’t take in anymore
When I feel overwhelmed by everything around me...
I close my eyes
...I shut my eyes to let myself be carried away by the music.
I hear I say
I tell myself...
We all are dancing anyway
...that everyone is dancing, so I might as well join in.
My heart is a bursting mushroom ball
My heart is like a mushroom that bursts with emotions.
That burning everything
These emotions consume everything else in my mind.
We’ll come undone
We will lose control of ourselves.
And that’s the way
That is just how it is.
When she’s finds me everything will be okay
If I find her, things will be better.
We all are dancing anyway
It doesn't matter what happens, we're all still dancing.
I’m starting to believe
I'm beginning to have faith...
I’m starting to remember
...and I'm starting to remember...
Starting to remember
...that we all dance.
Surrender!
Let myself go and succumb to the music.
We all are dancing anyway
No matter what else is happening, we are all here dancing together.
I might as well be
I might as well join in.
We all are dancing anyway
We all are dancing together no matter what happens.
We all are dancing...
We will keep dancing.
Contributed by Charlie R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Giorgos kiriakakos
That melody!
Listening this song for years and you execute it even better.
Дмитрий Морев
Awesome! You are magician!
One of my favourite musicians, thank you very much for your music!
Michael Polosin
absolutely magic, speechless❤
Gert Bekker
I don’t think you know what you did right here dude. Absolutely beautiful bro!
Ekaterina Fedorova
Hey Man!!!!So glad to listen to you!:) I had a fantastic chance to hear you live in Russia,Voronezh 2013:)Thanx for your music:)
OfficialChefJohnson
🔥🔥🔥🔥 keep doing your thing brotha proud of you 👊🏾
How to get into your body
incredible!
Julia Capital Real Estate
I listening this composition dozens of times
Daniel Wachowski
Love this music
Alexandre GUILBERT
Thanks Yoav! Top!