One of my favorite Eurovision stories of all time; Yardena Arazi was determined to win in 1988, and she didn't just rely on songwriting and her talents, but she also turned to the stars for aid. She asked her clairvoyant, and she told her that song number 9 would win the contest. Israel was drawn number 9 in the running order, so Yardena was naturally confident. However, Cyprus suddenly withdrew when it turned out that their song had been released earlier than allowed for entries. They had been drawn number 2, so every song bar Iceland's (who were drawn first) got shuffled back a slot. This made Israel fall back to slot number 8, while the song that came after, Switzerland, were number 9. And the clairvoyant was right; song number 9 did indeed win the contest.
I love this song ❤ I was only 7 in 1988 and didn’t know that much about Israel … I remember that I somehow connected this song with Spain back then, even though the music isn’t Spanish at all. Perhaps it was something with the outfits? Later I learned that there is a country called Israel, and that they make great music. 😊
Yardena Arazi has a long history with the Eurovision song contest: 1976: represented Israel as part of the "Chocolate, Mint, Bubblegum" trio and finished 6th 1979: hosted the Eurovision in Jerusalem 1982: finished 2nd in the Kdam (Israeli pre-selection) 1983: finished 2nd in the Kdam again 1984: Was supposed to represent Israel, but the country withdrew its participation that year 1985: finished 3rd in the Kdam 1987: hosted the Kdam 1988: represented Israel and finished 8th (this is the video you're watching right now) She was also named "Female singer of the year" in Israel 5 times, first time in the 1980's and last time in the 2010's!
Fun fact: Before the contest took place Yardena had gone to a future teller and she told her that song number 9 would win - this was the original position that was drawn for Israel. A few weeks later Cyprus - who was drawn 3 - withdrew from the contest and Israel has moved down to song number 8… Céline got the magic 9 and the rest is history.
A lot of politics surrounds the eurovision,many 'neighborly gestures(Greece/Cyprus;the Scadinavians...)so i don't think voting is really honest.We in Israel don't expect much from Europe ..we're used to stand alone..we are proud of our achievements..and our singing artists
@@noamzacks3315 The alliance between Greece and Cyprus is really no big deal when many other countries vote as block. I wrote something positive about your country and you respond with accusations about mine. Such a shame...
Fantastic old-school Israeli entry - you immediately know what country it's from, and that is what I miss about Eurovision these days. Also nice to see Jeremy Lloyd taking time off from writing 'Are You Being Served?' to do a bit of moonlighting on the guitar ;-)
I agree that it was much better back in the 1980's when all songs were in their original languages, and had a taste of their own culture. Now it all sounds the same, it's boring.
A million times yes. Eurovision used to be about watching various cultures, hearing different languages, seeing different styles of music... Now it's just one lumpy homogenized thing where 90% of the contestants sing in English and most compositions have this generic "2000s Eurovision Style".
Yardena Arazi reminds me physically of Mexican actress and singer Verónica Castro, famous due to her soap opera Los ricos también lloran, produced by Televisa.
בן אדם, הוא רק בשר ודם אבק פורח במדבר בן אדם כדרך העולם כצל עובר כחרס הנשבר אדם הוא רק אדם ורוב ימיו לילות ואין אדם מושלם בכל המעלות אז תן לו לחלום ותן לו נשימה תן לשם , תן לחם, תן ליפת, נחמה אל תכביד ידך עליו ותן תקווה ואל תדון אותו תמיד לכף חובה כי אדם הוא אדם הוא אדם הוא רק אדם בן אדם נעור וכבר נרדם ימיו קצרים סופם עצוב בן אדם אורח בעולם בא מעפר ולעפר ישוב אדם הוא רק אדם... הוא לא ילמד לנצח הוא שוכח לאהוב הוא לא יודע שיומו קרוב כי... אדם הוא רק אדם..
Ben 'adam hu rak basar va-dam 'Avak poreakh ba-midbar Ben 'adam, be-derekh ha-'olam Ke-tzel 'over, ka-kheres ha-nishbar 'Adam hu rak 'adam ve-rov yamav leylot Ve-'ein 'adam mushlam be-khol ha-ma'alot 'Az ten lo lakhalom ve-ten lo neshima Ten le-Shem, ten le-Kham, ten le-Yefet nekhama 'Al takhbid yadkha 'alav ve-ten tikva Ve-'al tadun 'oto tamid le-khaf khova Ki 'adam hu 'adam hu 'adam Hu rak 'adam Ben 'adam ne'or u-khvar nirdam Yamav ktzarim, sofam 'atzuv Ben 'adam 'oreakh ba-'olam Ba me-'afar u-le-'afar yashuv 'Adam hu rak 'adam ve-rov yamav leylot Ve-'ein 'adam mushlam be-khol ha-ma'alot 'Az ten lo lakhalom ve-ten lo neshima Ten le-Shem, ten le-Kham, ten le-Yefet nekhama 'Al takhbid yadkha 'alav ve-ten tikva Ve-'al tadun 'oto tamid le-khaf khova Ki 'adam hu 'adam hu 'adam Hu rak 'adam Hu lo yilmad la-netzakh, hu shokheakh le'ehov Hu lo yode'a she-yomo karov Ki 'adam hu rak 'adam ve-rov yamav leylot Ve-'ein 'adam mushlam be-khol ha-ma'alot 'Az ten lo lakhalom ve-ten lo neshima Ten le-Shem, ten le-Kham, ten le-Yefet nekhama 'Al takhbid yadkha 'alav ve-ten tikva Ve-'al tadun 'oto tamid le-khaf khova Ki 'adam hu 'adam hu 'adam Hu rak 'adam 'Adam hu rak 'adam ve-rov yamav leylot Ve-'ein 'adam mushlam be-khol ha-ma'alot 'Az ten lo lakhalom ve-ten lo neshima Ten le-Shem, ten le-Kham, ten le-Yefet nekhama 'Al takhbid yadkha 'alav ve-ten tikva Ve-'al tadun 'oto tamid le-khaf khova Ki 'adam hu 'adam hu 'adam Hu rak 'adam
L'essere umano è solo carne e sangue. Polvere che vola nel deserto. L'essere umano, nella via del mondo. È come un'ombra che passa. Come un fragile vascello. L'uomo è solo un uomo e quasi tutti i suoi giorni sono notti. E nessuno è perfetto o pieno di tutte le virtù. Dagli solo incoraggiamento e lascialo sognare. Come Caino, come Abele o Seth, confortalo. Non sovraccaricarlo e riempirlo di speranza. E non giudicarlo sempre nel modo peggiore. Perché l'essere umano è solo: un essere umano. È solo un essere umano.
I find he text is really meaningful, and that's most important, but the music is also very good. I would have voted this to be in first place - the winner ot that year.
Is that an LED screen in the background at 2:51?? Or is it just a bunch of lights together that gives it that appearance. Either way I didn’t expect to see that in 1988. Fascinating.
a música reflete uma festa,como aconteceu no brasil, em 1988 nasceu uma nação democrática, com presidencialismo, a coroa é representativa do modelo antagonico visto em reis como 'herodes', modelo para tirar a atenção do profeta, em lugar totalmente diferente do inicio em uma belém fora de rota, mas cheia de democracia e que ama a paz social.......1988 é muto importante, pois leva acesso aos anos a sua frente
Den som har litt fantasi, kan skrive om teksten på denne til en sang om artisten Ben Adams. Men det er kanskje for få som husker denne sangen til å ta poenget.
Why on earth does Israel participate in the EUROvision contest?!?! What does Israel have to do with Europe? Has the eastern border of Europe stretched to the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea while I was sleeping??
