Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 1983

Last updated

Eurovision Song Contest 1983
CountryFlag of Israel.svg  Israel
National selection
Selection processKdam Eurovision 1983
Selection date(s)5 March 1983
Selected entrant Ofra Haza
Selected song"Hi"
Selected songwriter(s)
Finals performance
Final result2nd, 136 points
Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄1982 •1983• 1985►

Israel was present at the 1983 Eurovision Song Contest, which was held in Munich, Germany. Their entry was "Hi" ("Alive"), [1] [2] written by Ehud Manor, composed by the previous year's Israeli representative Avi Toledano, and performed by Ofra Haza. The song was selected through Israel's traditional national final, the Kdam Eurovision .

Contents

Before Eurovision

Kdam Eurovision 1983

Israel's national final was held on 5 March 1983 at the Jerusalem Theatre and was co-hosted by Daniel Pe'er (who also co-hosted the 1979 international final in Jerusalem) and Dalia Mazor. [3] One of the competitors was Pe'er's 1979 co-host Yardena Arazi, who also competed as a member of Chocolate, Menta, Mastik in the 1976 contest. Arazi finished second, as she had in the previous year's national selection, and would later claim that the votes were incorrectly tallied and she, not Haza, had actually earned the ticket to Munich. However, she did not want to appear to be a sore loser, and let Haza take the victory. Arazi would later compete once again in the following Kdam in 1985 (as Israel sat the 1984 contest out due to coinciding with Yom HaZikaron), finishing third, co-hosted the 1987 Kdam, and would eventually be internally selected by the IBA in 1988, performing all the songs in the Kdam (including the eventual entry "Ben Adam"). The winner was chosen through several regional juries.

Final – 5 March 1983
DrawArtistSongPointsPlace
1Kesem"Ha'agada al Bel"563
2Gitit Shoval"Beyti"510
3 Ilana Avital "Od va'od"375
4Osnat Vishinski"Knafayim"510
5Isolir Band"Kol mi"346
6 Pnina Rosenblum "Tamid isha"213
7 Ofra Haza "Hi"731
8Michal Tal"Madu'a ze kashe"312
9Anat Rekem"Ya lel ya lel"307
10Yaldey Ha'shemesh"Holech ve shar"298
11 Yardena Arazi "Shiru shir Amen"722
12 Riki Gal "Panim"129
13Banana"Madonna"484
Detailed Regional Jury Votes
DrawSong
Tel Aviv
Tiberias
Haifa
Yavne
Jerusalem
Degania Bet
Lod
Total score
1"Ha'agada al Bel"108101087356
2"Beyti"21115
3"Od va'od"526665737
4"Knafayim"325
5"Kol mi"655454534
6"Tamid isha"112
7"Hi"12107121281273
8"Madu'a ze kashe"213
9"Ya lel ya lel"77323830
10"Holech ve shar"343546429
11"Shiru shir Amen"81212810121072
12"Panim"1432212
13"Madonna"4687710648

At Eurovision

Both Ofra Haza and conductor Nansi Silviu Brandes [4] remarked that competing in Munich held a special significance to the Israeli delegation. 1983 marked eleven years from the Munich massacre, which saw the murder of several Israeli Olympic athletes by the Palestinian militant organisation Black September, during the 1972 Summer Olympics. Additionally, following a visit to the Dachau concentration camp, Haza noted what significance there would be to an Israeli song winning in Germany, particularly one with a message of "all of Israel [being] alive." British commentator Terry Wogan remarked prior to their performance that the song and Haza's vocals had been well-received in rehearsals, and that Israel was considered "a sleeper" to potentially win the contest.

Israel performed sixteenth on the night of the contest, following Denmark and preceding Portugal. Unlike the previous year, in which Avi Toledano's "Hora" coming second was still a fair distance behind winner Germany, "Hi" was in contention through most of the voting, with two countries (Austria and the Netherlands) awarding Israel a maximum 12 points. Indeed, nine countries had Israel in their top three (including ten points from Belgium, host country Germany, eventual winner Luxembourg, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and Yugoslavia; and eight points from France), all but two rated them five points or higher (Greece and Italy, who each awarded three points), and only two more (Cyprus and Turkey) failed to award Israel any points at all. Nevertheless, this proved to make all the difference, as by the end of the voting it left Israel six points adrift of winning the contest. [5]

It was the second consecutive silver finish for Israel, and, as was the case the year before, the Israeli jury awarded twelve points to the winning song, in this case Luxembourg's Corinne Hermes with "Si la vie est cadeau".

Voting

After Eurovision

Ofra Haza went on to have a successful international career following her Eurovision participation. 1984 saw the release of her album Yemenite Songs , a collection of Yemeni Jewish songs and poems recalling Haza's heritage. It included her version of Rabbi Shalom Shabazi's poem "Im Nin'alu", which was remixed by Izhar Ashdot in 1987 and became a major hit in Europe the year after. Her international debut album, Shaday (1988), wound up selling over a million copies worldwide. [7]

Her 1992 album Kirya became the first Israeli album to be nominated for a Grammy, [8] and in 1994 she performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert, an achievement she shares with a handful of fellow Eurovision contestants, including Secret Garden, Jan Werner Danielsen, Alexander Rybak, Il Volo, and Wenche Myhre. She provided the voice of Yocheved in 1998's The Prince of Egypt for eighteen different international versions. She died in 2000 of AIDS-related complications, but remains an influential and highly popular figure in Israel to this day.

As stated above, Israel withdrew from the 1984 contest due to it coinciding with Yom HaZikaron. There have been persistent rumors that the song "Balalaika" by Ilanit was intended to represent Israel in Luxembourg, but the songwriters have stated it was never written with Eurovision in mind and there is no version of the song that meets the three-minute time limit of a Eurovision entry. "Hi" was therefore succeeded as the Israeli entry by Izhar Cohen's "Olé, Olé" in 1985.

Related Research Articles

Corinne Hermès is a French singer. She represented Luxembourg at the Eurovision Song Contest 1983 where she won with "Si la vie est cadeau", which brought the Grand Duchy its fifth and hitherto final victory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest</span> Participation of Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest

Israel has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 45 times since making its debut in 1973. Israel was able to enter the contest as the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA) was an active member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which was responsible for the event. The IBA was succeeded as the broadcaster in charge of the Israeli entry by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC/Kan) in 2018. Israel has won the contest four times, and has hosted the contest in Jerusalem in 1979 and 1999, and in Tel Aviv in 2019.

Israel participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with the song "Together We Are One" written by Orly Burg, Osnat Zabag and Eddie Butler. The song was performed by Eddie Butler, who had previously represented Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1999 as part of the band Eden where they placed fifth with the song "Yom Huledet". The Israeli entry for the 2006 contest in Athens, Greece was selected through the national final Kdam Eurovision 2006, organised by the Israeli broadcaster Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA). The competition took place on 15 March 2006 and featured eleven entries. "Ze Hazman" performed by Eddie Butler emerged as the winner after achieving the highest score following the combination of votes from four regional juries and a public vote. The song title was later translated from Hebrew to English for the Eurovision Song Contest and was titled "Together We Are One".

Israel participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with the song "HaSheket SheNish'ar" written by Pini Aaronbayev, Eyal Shachar and Ben Green. The song was performed by Shiri Maimon. The Israeli entry for the 2005 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine was selected through the national final Kdam Eurovision 2005, organised by the Israeli broadcaster Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA). The competition took place on 2 March 2005 and featured fourteen entries. "HaSheket SheNish'ar" performed by Shiri Maimon emerged as the winner after gaining the most points following the combination of votes from five regional juries and a regional televote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avi Toledano</span> Israeli singer and songwriter (born 1948)

Avi Toledano is an Israeli singer and songwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yardena Arazi</span> Israeli singer and entertainer

Yardena Shulamit Arazi is an Israeli singer and entertainer. In 2008 Arazi was named the most popular Israeli singer of all time at the 60th Independence Day celebration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shir Habatlanim</span>

"Shir Habatlanim" was the Israeli entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1987. It was performed in Hebrew by the comedic duo Lazy Bums and came 8th, scoring 73 points. It was the subject of a resignation threat by the Israeli Minister of Culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kdam Eurovision</span> Israeli national preselection of the Eurovision Song Contest

The Kdam Eurovision in short known as the Kdam was the Israeli national preselection of the Eurovision Song Contest. The competition was first introduced in 1981 and ran until 2014.

Israel participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song "Push the Button" written by Kobi Oz. The song was performed by the band Teapacks, which was internally selected by the Israeli broadcaster Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA) in January 2007 to compete at the 2007 contest in Helsinki, Finland. The song Teapacks would perform at Eurovision was selected through the national final Kdam Eurovision 2007 which took place on 27 February 2007 that featured four songs. "Push the Button" emerged as the winning song after achieving the highest score following the combination of votes from an eleven-member jury panel, an online vote and a public vote.

Israel participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "The Fire in Your Eyes" written by Dana International and Shay Kerem. The song was performed by Boaz Ma'uda, who was internally selected by the Israeli broadcaster Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA) in collaboration with the commercial broadcaster Keshet in November 2007 to compete at the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia, The song Ma'uda would perform at Eurovision was selected through the national final Kdam Eurovision 2008 which took place on 15 March 2010 that featured five songs. "Ke'ilu Kan" emerged as the winning song after achieving the highest score following the combination of votes from two regional juries, two thematical jury groups, a jury panel and a public vote. The song title was later translated from Hebrew to English for the Eurovision Song Contest and was titled "The Fire in Your Eyes".

Israel was present at the Eurovision Song Contest 1991, held in Rome, Italy. The Israeli broadcaster IBA continued to use a national final, Kdam Eurovision to select their entry.

Israel participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 with the song "Ding Dong" written and performed by Dana International, who had previously represented Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1998 where she won the contest with the song "Diva". The Israeli entry for the 2011 contest in Düsseldorf, Germany was selected through the national final Kdam Eurovision 2011, organised by the Israeli broadcaster Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA). The competition took place on 8 March 2011 that featured ten entries. "Ding Dong" performed by Dana International emerged as the winner after achieving the highest score following the combination of votes from three thematical jury groups, a twelve-member jury panel and a public vote.

Israel returned at the Eurovision Song Contest 1981 held in Dublin, Ireland, after withdrawing from the 1980 contest because of National Day of Remembrance.

Israel participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 1982, which took place in Harrogate, United Kingdom on 24 April.

Israel participated in, hosted, and won the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest, which was held on 31 March 1979 at the International Convention Center's Ussishkin Auditorium in Jerusalem. Their entry, "Hallelujah," was composed by Kobi Oshrat, written by Shimrit Orr, and performed by Milk and Honey.

Israel participated in and won the 1978 Eurovision Song Contest, held on 22 April 1978 in Paris, France. It marked Israel's first win at the contest and the first win for a country outside of continental Europe. The winning song was "A-Ba-Ni-Bi," composed by Nurit Hirsh, written by Ehud Manor, and performed by Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta.

Israel was represented by the artist Izhar Cohen, with the song "Olé, Olé", at the 1985 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 4 May in Gothenburg, Sweden. "Olé, Olé" was the winner of the Israeli national final, held on 28 March. This was the second time Cohen was in the Eurovision Song Contest, the previous time Cohen was in the ESC was in 1978 with Alphabeta with the song A-Ba-Ni-Bi.

Austria was represented by Westend, with the song "Hurricane", at the 1983 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in Munich on 23 April. Westend was the winner of the Austrian national final for the contest, held on 17 March. The song was chosen through a national final organised by broadcaster ORF.

Israel was present at the 1987 Eurovision Song Contest, which was held at the Palais du Centenaire in Brussels, Belgium. Their entry was "Shir Habatlanim", written and composed by Zohar Laskov and performed by actor-comedians Natan Datner and Avi Kushnir, who dubbed themselves the Lazy Bums. The song was selected through Israel's traditional national final, the Kdam Eurovision.

Israel was present at the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest held in Dublin, Ireland. They were represented by Yardena Arazi with the song "Ben Adam".

References

  1. ↑ "CHAI". www.hebrewsongs.com. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  2. ↑ "Hebrew Songs #22: Chai (Alive), by Ofra Haza". Hebrew-Language.com. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  3. ↑ "Israeli National Final 1983". Eurovision Song Contest National Finals Homepage. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  4. ↑ Tukker, Bas. "Nansi Silviu Brandes". Andtheconductoris.eu. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  5. ↑ "Final of Munich 1983". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  6. 1 2 "Results of the Final of Munich 1983". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  7. ↑ Pareles, John (24 February 2000). "Ofra Haza, 41, Israeli Pop Singer Who Crossed Cultural Bounds". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  8. ↑ "Ofra Haza". Grammy Awards. Recording Academy. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.