A-Ba-Ni-Bi
Encyclopedia
"A-Ba-Ni-Bi" was the winning song in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978
, performed for Israel
by Izhar Cohen
and Alphabeta
.
This was Israel's first Eurovision win, which meant under the rules of the contest that they would host the following year's contest, marking the first time that the Eurovision Song Contest
would take place outside geographical Europe
. According to author and historian John Kennedy O'Connor, broadcasters in many of the non-participating Arab countries in North Africa and Asia, who had been transmitting the contest, had to cut the broadcast when it was clear Israel was going to win. Jordanian TV ended the show with a still photo of a bunch of daffodils rather than acknowledge the Israeli entry.
The song (written by Ehud Manor
and composed and conducted by Nurit Hirsh
, a duo who had collaborated frequently in writing Israeli Eurovision entries, including the country's debut
) is an up-tempo disco
number, heralding a move towards this style of performance in later years. While sometimes derided as a weak entry — particularly given its title — the song is regarded by most fans as one of the better entries in Contest history, often being performed as part of a medley
of favourites, as at the introduction to the 2006 semi-final
in Athens
.
The song deals with the way in which children relate to love. Cohen sings that, growing up, "we loved secretly/Who were we nice to? — Just uncles and aunts" and that love was conducted secretly and "We whispered only in the Bet language". He compares this to adulthood, where he realises that "Love is a beautiful word" and that humanity should "speak in a language of love", instead of the language of secrecy. For this reason, the song uses the Bet language - a children's language game where each syllable of the word is repeated with a bet
replacing the consonant. Thus, the Hebrew "a-ni o-hev o-tach" ( - I love you) becomes "a-ba-ni-bi o-bo-he-be-v o-bo-ta-ba-ch". Musically, the song is somewhat unusual among Contest entries for ending almost immediately after the key change — most entries have either a bridge or a repetition of the chorus after this point.
At the Contest, Cohen and his five backing vocalists (two men — Reuven Erez and Itzhak Okev, and three women — Lisa Gold-Rubin, Nehama Shutan, and Esther Tzuberi) all wore white clothing and remained mostly stationary, swaying in time to the music.
The song was performed eighteenth on the night (following Luxembourg
's Baccara
with "Parlez-vous français?
" and preceding Austria
's Springtime
with "Mrs. Caroline Robinson
"). At the close of voting, it had received 157 points, placing 1st in a field of 20. When it became apparent during the later stages of the voting sequence that Israel was going to win the Contest, Jordanian television
cut the broadcast and showed pictures of flowers. Afterwards, the Jordanian news media
refused to acknowledge the fact that Israel had won and announced that the winner was Belgium (which had actually come second).
The song was succeeded in 1979
as Contest winner and as Israeli representative
by Gali Atari
& Milk and Honey
performing "Hallelujah
" for Israel. Israel thus became the third country, after Spain
(1968,1969) and Luxembourg
(1972, 1973) to win the Contest twice in successive years. Since then, only Ireland
has achieved that distinction, winning three times in a row, beginning in 1992. Izhar Cohen returned to the Contest at Gothenburg
, Sweden in 1985
, then finishing 5th in a field of 19 with "Olé, Olé
".
Eurovision Song Contest 1978
The Eurovision Song Contest 1978 was the 23rd of its kind, and was held on 22 April 1978 in Paris. With Denise Fabre and Léon Zitrone as the presenters - the first time more than one presenter hosted the contest - the contest was won by Izhar Cohen & the Alphabeta who represented Israel, with their...
, performed for Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
by Izhar Cohen
Izhar Cohen
Izhar Cohen is an Israeli singer and actor.Representing Israel, he won the 1978 Eurovision Song Contest with the group Alphabeta performing "A-Ba-Ni-Bi" with music by Nurit Hirsh and words by Ehud Manor...
and Alphabeta
Alphabeta
Alphabeta were a group of Israeli singers who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1978 with Izhar Cohen.The group consisted of Reuven Erez, Lisa Gold-Rubin, Nehama Shutan, Ester Tzuberi, and Itzhak Okev.The winning song was called A-Ba-Ni-Bi....
.
This was Israel's first Eurovision win, which meant under the rules of the contest that they would host the following year's contest, marking the first time that the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
would take place outside geographical Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. According to author and historian John Kennedy O'Connor, broadcasters in many of the non-participating Arab countries in North Africa and Asia, who had been transmitting the contest, had to cut the broadcast when it was clear Israel was going to win. Jordanian TV ended the show with a still photo of a bunch of daffodils rather than acknowledge the Israeli entry.
The song (written by Ehud Manor
Ehud Manor
Ehud Manor was an Israeli songwriter, translator, and radio and TV personality.-Career:Manor began working for Israel radio in the 1960s, as a musical editor...
and composed and conducted by Nurit Hirsh
Nurit Hirsh
Nurit Hirsh is an Israeli composer, arranger and conductor who has written over a thousand Hebrew songs. -Biography:Nurit Hirsh studied at the Academy of Music in Tel Aviv, majoring in piano. She also studied composition with Mordecai Seter, orchestration with Noam Sheriff and conducting with ...
, a duo who had collaborated frequently in writing Israeli Eurovision entries, including the country's debut
Ey Sham
"Ey Sham" was the Israeli entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1973, performed in Hebrew by Ilanit....
) is an up-tempo disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
number, heralding a move towards this style of performance in later years. While sometimes derided as a weak entry — particularly given its title — the song is regarded by most fans as one of the better entries in Contest history, often being performed as part of a medley
Medley (music)
In music, a medley is a piece composed from parts of existing pieces, usually three, played one after another, sometimes overlapping. They are common in popular music, and most medleys are songs rather than instrumental. A medley which is a remixed series is called a megamix, often done with tracks...
of favourites, as at the introduction to the 2006 semi-final
Eurovision Song Contest 2006
The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens, Greece on 18 May and 20 May 2006 . The hosting national broadcaster of the contest was Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi . The Finnish band Lordi won the contest with the song "Hard Rock...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
.
The song deals with the way in which children relate to love. Cohen sings that, growing up, "we loved secretly/Who were we nice to? — Just uncles and aunts" and that love was conducted secretly and "We whispered only in the Bet language". He compares this to adulthood, where he realises that "Love is a beautiful word" and that humanity should "speak in a language of love", instead of the language of secrecy. For this reason, the song uses the Bet language - a children's language game where each syllable of the word is repeated with a bet
Bet (letter)
Bet, Beth, Beh, or Vet is the second letter of many Semitic abjads, including Arabic alphabet , Aramaic, Hebrew , Phoenician and Syriac...
replacing the consonant. Thus, the Hebrew "a-ni o-hev o-tach" ( - I love you) becomes "a-ba-ni-bi o-bo-he-be-v o-bo-ta-ba-ch". Musically, the song is somewhat unusual among Contest entries for ending almost immediately after the key change — most entries have either a bridge or a repetition of the chorus after this point.
At the Contest, Cohen and his five backing vocalists (two men — Reuven Erez and Itzhak Okev, and three women — Lisa Gold-Rubin, Nehama Shutan, and Esther Tzuberi) all wore white clothing and remained mostly stationary, swaying in time to the music.
The song was performed eighteenth on the night (following Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
's Baccara
Baccara
Baccara was a female vocal duo formed in 1977 by Spanish artists Mayte Mateos and María Mendiola . The pair rapidly achieved international success with their debut single "Yes Sir, I Can Boogie", which reached number one across much of Europe...
with "Parlez-vous français?
Parlez-Vous Français?
"Parlez-vous français?" was the Luxembourgish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978, performed in French by Spanish disco duo Baccara...
" and preceding Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
's Springtime
Springtime (band)
Springtime was an Austrian band of the 1970s.The band consisted of Norbert Niedermayer, Walter Markel, Gerhard Markel and Erwin Broswimmer. The group represented Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978, in Paris, performing the entry Mrs. Caroline Robinson...
with "Mrs. Caroline Robinson
Mrs. Caroline Robinson
The song "Mrs. Caroline Robinson" was the Austrian representative at the Eurovision Song Contest 1978, performed in German by Springtime.The song was performed nineteenth on the night...
"). At the close of voting, it had received 157 points, placing 1st in a field of 20. When it became apparent during the later stages of the voting sequence that Israel was going to win the Contest, Jordanian television
JRTV
Jordan Radio and Television is the state broadcaster of Jordan. It was formed in 1985 from the merger of Jordan Radio and Jordan Television....
cut the broadcast and showed pictures of flowers. Afterwards, the Jordanian news media
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
refused to acknowledge the fact that Israel had won and announced that the winner was Belgium (which had actually come second).
The song was succeeded in 1979
Eurovision Song Contest 1979
The Eurovision Song Contest 1979 was the 24th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 31 March 1979 in Jerusalem, Israel. The presenters were Daniel Pe'er and Yardena Arazi, and the event was staged at the International Convention Center. Representing Israel, Gali Atari and Milk and Honey were the...
as Contest winner and as Israeli representative
Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest
Although geographically not in Europe, Israel is within the European Broadcasting Area and can thus participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. Israel is a member of the European Broadcasting Union, and made its first appearance in 1973. Israel has participated in the contest 34 times, and has won...
by Gali Atari
Gali Atari
Avigail "Gali" Atari is an Israeli actress and singer.-Career:She first appeared on the international scene in 1971, when she represented Israel at the World Popular Song Festival in Japan with the songs "All free" and "Give love away"...
& Milk and Honey
Milk and Honey (group)
Milk and Honey was an Israeli singing group consisting of Re'uven Gvitrz, Shmulik Bilu and Yehuda Tamir. The group performed with Gali Atari at the Eurovision Song Contest 1979, where they won with the song, "Hallelujah". Their track peaked in the UK Singles Chart at #5 in April 1979. They made...
performing "Hallelujah
Hallelujah (Eurovision song)
"Hallelujah" was the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1979, performed in Hebrew by Gali Atari and Milk & Honey for Israel....
" for Israel. Israel thus became the third country, after Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
(1968,1969) and Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
(1972, 1973) to win the Contest twice in successive years. Since then, only Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
has achieved that distinction, winning three times in a row, beginning in 1992. Izhar Cohen returned to the Contest at Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden in 1985
Eurovision Song Contest 1985
The Eurovision Song Contest 1985 was the 30th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 4 May 1985 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The presenter was Lill Lindfors, and Norwegian duo Bobbysocks! was the winner of this Eurovision with the song "La det swinge"....
, then finishing 5th in a field of 19 with "Olé, Olé
Olé, Olé
"Olé, Olé" was the Israeli entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1985, performed in Hebrew by Izhar Cohen. This was Cohen's second participation, in 1978 he and the group Alphabeta had won the Contest with "A-Ba-Ni-Bi"....
".