Abanibi - א-ב-ני-בי - Israel 1978 - Eurovision songs with live orchestra 

I came here after humming this to myself this morning. It still pops into my head since hearing it at 12 years old and I’m 57 now!

When countries sang in their own languages!

My mum, who can't even remember who won last year, still remembers this song winning despite being 12 years old at the time. Apparently it made it onto UK radio too!

I would've never imagined that I'd be enjoying an Eurovision song that came out 22 years before I was born.

One of the best Eurovision tracks back then when Eurovision was a real song contest !

This is one that stuck in my memory from my childhood. Good luck to Israel in the 2024 competition, they have a great song this year.

This brings back memories of growing up in Queens NY with my sis and Israeli parents, listening to Hebrew music, classical, opera being alive and having my family alive and happy.

Still a so positive song to sing! Greek greetings to Israel. Shalom

What an addictive song! It's amazing that people still come to hear it! Amazing songs for Israel in Eurovision! long live a-ha-va (love ) עם ישראל חי 💙

One of my favourite songs from Eurovision , love from Somalia .

If you were to begin singing this song in the middle of a crowd in Israel, there is a 75% chance other people would start singing. People sing this song even to this day. 😊

I was in 8th grade & my friend told me Israel had won Eurovision a couple days previously & that one of our local "top 40" fm radio stations was playing the Abanibi in HEAVY rotation! I literally RAN home getting off the bus in my neighborhood to go hear it & it was TRUE! An Israeli pop song was PLAYING ON AMERICAN RADIO!

The obvious winner that year. 12 points...! Greetings from Athens. 😊🇬🇷

I was a very little Child and this is still one of the Best of Eurovision

Greetings to Israel from Cyprus (Greek side)! Love Israel!

2:40 that part is priceless! Amazing 70’s music.

Shalom Israel. Blessings from Poland 🤗🙏❤️🇵🇱❤️

Me and my Dad call this: "I wanna be a polar bear"

Love from Greece 🇬🇷🇮🇱

I am 53 now but this song stay in my rememberance greatings to everyone from Belgium

so a catchy song and one the songs that I remenber so much among winners songs, congratulations Israel !!!....love from Madrid 🇪🇸...

Such a catchy number to brighten up the day. Well done Israel

I was a kid at that time but this song is still twisting my mind . Great job Israel, you deserved to win the contest !

One of the proudest moments in my life watching this performed live, along with the rest of Israel...and WINNING!!!

12 points from Greece

One of my favorite songs of esc ever.Shalom Israel

One of the best songs ever. Love from Belgium.

Nurit Hirsh's arrangement was great. Such a talented lady.

My folks moved to United States from Israel in 1978. I was 8, unfortunately by 9 I forgot most of the language But this song, I remember. 45 years later I decide to look it up Getting a lump in my throat. 🥲

This is still ringing in my head over 40 years later....😂😂

I am from Corfou island.and I like all the songs of Israel at all the Eurovision I remember all the songs but this song are from the better. Wonderful!!!!

Israeli music is beautiful! This song rocks!

I love this song! Love from Spain

בשוק שהשיר הזה גדול ממני ב33 שנה ואני שומע אותו עדין!!!!!

The best song ever siged in Eurovision.

After all these years I still love the song

I remember singing this song in the Kitchen while we were working and listening to it at the Tel-Aviv Youth Hostel at 36 Beni Dan. Such joy and happiness.

here from israel real glory for our country

I think Israel One of the bests winners in Eurovision

One of the best Eurovision winners!

wow I never thought that I will listen a song coming from 1978. Now it's November 2020 and even my mom was 1 year old at that time, crazy !

I really enjoyd Isreael's song when I first heard it,was little younger than today. but still remembering the rhythm and feeling the Song. Loved it then. And, suprisingly, still love it. In the year of 2020....

Thank you very much from Japan .

Beautiful song!🤍💙😍👏🔝❗

I never new i would vibe to a 70 music

May light fill the hearts of Israel and let them be propelled towards a world where harmony and peace exist now

12 points from California - love this song! ❤

One of my top 5 favourite Eurovision songs. I have a link to it in my home screen and play it whenever I feel like a self-indulgent moment. Just played it to my husband for the first time who has no memory of it. He said it was a great song. The orchestra too are fantastic.

Shalom, Israel! Mucho amor desde España🇪🇸❤️🇮🇱

remember this song so well - and I was in Israel the following year when they hosted and won it again! This started our family's love for Eurovision especially my sister Jude Habib

This is one of my favorite songs

Israel must win Eurovision every year!! Beautiful country. I want visit this country buy i'm in quarantine!!😭😭. I Will visit you and love from Italy!! Forever Israel 🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱!!!

Nurit Hirsh Is My Favourite Conductor

I fell in love with Izhar Cohen that year :-p

The backing singer in the middle was gorgeous 😍

One of my top three favourite entries ever. Even in 2021 it still sounds as amazing as it did on the day it won.

I don't understand a word, and I still listen & bob my head to the song multiple times =D Something is just really attractive about a song in native language.

The girl in the middle is so pretty , great song worthy winners 👍🏻

Catchy song ideal for this contest at the time Back then when the music and songs were a Lot better

I was 13 years old then, but I remember this wonderful song as if it were yesterday.

So much respect to these song!!!

Una linda canción que causó sensación y luego fue versionada en español. ¡Bravo Israel!

This brings back memories. I was in the Royal Albert Hall for the ESC in 1968 (held in Britain because the UK had won in 1967 with Puppet on a String). That was the one and only time I saw Cliff Richard perform live. I thought Congratulations was a wonderfully uplifting song but then so was La La La. Those were the days! Signed: An old fogey.

I love this song. Me and Janet sing this when we get together in Spain. I love Eurovision. Israel have catchy songs.

Omg. ..I heard this wen I was a pre teen...N I loved it

Beautiful, beautiful song, I remember this song, I was a little girl!!, 🥰🥰

Omg. This song had a severe impact on my childhood in Sweden. 🎶Abatta bia bai bae🎶 One of my favorite dolls, i called this 😂❤👏🏼

I love Israel forever from Spain 🇪🇦🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱❤❤❤

Wonderful song!! I was 14years old when it came on Eurovision,I was crazy about it!!! Still sounds as good as back then😍

One of the greatest Eurovision songs. We need songs to be sung in their original language 🎉

שיר יפה🎉🎉❤

I was 9 in '78 and remember Wogan jokingly refer to this as 'I wanna be a polar bear' on his radio show, and I still hear them lyrics when this is played. :-)

Fun fact:when it became clear that israel will win the contest, the jordanian tv stop the transmission and showed pictures of flowers. The next day they said that belgium won the competition

The sudden ending of this song (along with the Bet language) is amazing

Je me souviens avec émotion de ce grand prix eurovision retransmis depuis le palais des congrès de paris . Nous étions si fiers de l'organiser en1978. Le décor était magnifique et la soirée fut merveilleuse. Mes favoris étaient :Luxembourg .Italie.Irlande et Israël. Bravo Israël pour cette belle victoire .

listened and seen thai version of this song in 2006 thai movie "The Possible" since then i am fan of this song..... never known that original is Israeli; the country which reside in my heart beside my home country India.....!

love it....one of the best songs ive heard....54 now..still love it

When Eurovision was fun!

I wanted to explain what does "ah bah ni bi aboe beh" mean. The singer tells us about a special language, where the words made by the same words as Hebrew, but the letter "b" is written in the middle. It means, that the key to the language is to remove all the "b" from the sentence. So, after we remove (not all) the "b"s from the sentece, we have "Ani ohev otah, ani ohev otah meod", that means "I love you, I love you very much".

Still a hot jam 42 years on.

I like the way he dances.

I love it fantastic amaizing FABULOUS ❤❤❤❤

המוזיקה זה טוב מאוז!! טוב מאוד ישראל!!!

In the first year Israel joined the Eurovision Song Contest (Paris,1978), they already came out with a strong, winning song ! I had the honour to meet them backstage at that time and loved their spontanious behaviour (especially from the girls) and their good laughs and sense of humor......It was also the year in wich the State of Israel celebrated its 30 years existance !

אני אוהבת השיר הזאת

Killer dance moves!

אהבתי!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥

Magnifique chanson 👍🙏 très beau d'écouter l'hébreu 👏👌...

The best ever eurovision song amazing

איזה כיף לי שאני ישראלית עם ישראל חייייייי I love Israel (my country !!)

Israel..the land..people and music i love

Simply great song! Polar Bear or not, with or without a bra, this song if remade today (with new tech and arrangment) would have been again a huge hit worldwide.

It fills me with joy hearing this- finally, my country being proud of our language, it's amazing! אבניבי מתבתהבה!

love I love you I love I love you I love Love you When we were children We would love in secret Who were we nice to? Only to uncles and aunts And the poor girls suffered Those sweethearts, they’d just get beaten up And what we really felt We whispered only in the Bet language I love I love you I love I love you Love is a beautiful word It’s a wondrous prayer, it’s a language Love is good to me It will always overcome And we shall speak in a language of love I love I love you I love I love you I dream and I wake up to three words And what is the world? Three words And that is how I feel now Just like back then, in the Bet language I love I love you I love I love you I love I love you I love I love you I love I love you

The male backing singer on the left is fabulous!😂😂

The VHI jump makes it so real ❤ I'm transported to my childhood

Came here after seeing him on 2019 Eurovision

Ο τραγουδιστής μοιάζει πολύ με το δικό μας Θέμη Αδαμαντίδη όταν ήταν νέος φυσικά.Καλα με το τραγούδι είχε γίνει χαμός 11 χρόνων ήμουν το 79

The greatest song I ever seen in Eurovision dong contest

Hallelujah the next year was much better!