Together We Are One (Eurovision song)
Encyclopedia
"Together We Are One"
"Together We Are One" (often known by the Hebrew
title "Ze Hazman" (Hebrew script
: זה הזמן; English
translation: "It's Time") was the Israel
i entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006
, performed in Hebrew and English by Eddie Butler. This was the first Israeli entry for which the official title did not contain at least some Hebrew.
The song is heavily influenced by gospel music
, a fact borne out by the presence of a pianist and backing singers with the appearance of gospel singers in the performance. Butler (one of the first African American
s to represent Israel) sings about the need to unite and overcome differences in order to progress as the human race. One verse appears to be delivered to a lover, leading some fans to speculate that the song is intended to be a love song to a woman who already has a family.
The video continues the gospel theme, although it proved controversial with the inclusion of footage of Palestinian militants and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
.
As Israel had finished the 2005 Contest
in fourth place, the song was pre-qualified for the final. Here, it was performed third (following Moldova
's "Arsenium", Natalia Gordienko
& Connect-R
with "Loca" and preceding Latvia
's Vocal Group Cosmos with "I Hear Your Heart
"). At the close of voting, it had received 4 points, placing 23rd in a field of 24.
"Together We Are One" (often known by the Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
title "Ze Hazman" (Hebrew script
Hebrew alphabet
The Hebrew alphabet , known variously by scholars as the Jewish script, square script, block script, or more historically, the Assyrian script, is used in the writing of the Hebrew language, as well as other Jewish languages, most notably Yiddish, Ladino, and Judeo-Arabic. There have been two...
: זה הזמן; English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
translation: "It's Time") was the Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006
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...
, performed in Hebrew and English by Eddie Butler. This was the first Israeli entry for which the official title did not contain at least some Hebrew.
The song is heavily influenced by gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
, a fact borne out by the presence of a pianist and backing singers with the appearance of gospel singers in the performance. Butler (one of the first African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s to represent Israel) sings about the need to unite and overcome differences in order to progress as the human race. One verse appears to be delivered to a lover, leading some fans to speculate that the song is intended to be a love song to a woman who already has a family.
The video continues the gospel theme, although it proved controversial with the inclusion of footage of Palestinian militants and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
.
As Israel had finished the 2005 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2005
The Eurovision Song Contest 2005 was the 50th Eurovision Song Contest, which was held at the Palace of Sports, Kiev, Ukraine. The winner was Greece's My Number One, written by Christos Dantis and Natalia Germanou and performed by Swedish-born Greek singer Elena Paparizou, who scored 230 points,...
in fourth place, the song was pre-qualified for the final. Here, it was performed third (following Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
's "Arsenium", Natalia Gordienko
Natalia Gordienko
Natalia Gordienko, sometimes spelled as Natalia Gordienco, is a professional dancer and singer of Ukrainian ancestry from Moldova.-Early life:...
& Connect-R
Connect-R
Stefan Mihalache , better known by his stage name Connect-R is a Romanian hip hop and pop musician, producer and occasional actor, best known for his association with Romanian hip hop group R.A.C.L.A. early in his career and the successful solo career that followed his leaving of the group...
with "Loca" and preceding Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
's Vocal Group Cosmos with "I Hear Your Heart
I Hear Your Heart
"I Hear Your Heart" was the Latvian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006, performed in English by Vocal Group Cosmos.The song is entirely a cappella, in line with the group's usual musical style. Lyrically, the group sings about the sound of their lovers' hearts, which can cut through the...
"). At the close of voting, it had received 4 points, placing 23rd in a field of 24.