"Hallelujah" (Hebrew: הללויה) is a song recorded by Israeli band Milk and Honey with music composed by Kobi Oshrat and Hebrew lyrics written by Shimrit Orr. It represented Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 1979 held in Jerusalem, winning the contest.
| "Hallelujah" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Milk and Honey | ||||
| from the album Milk & Honey With Gali | ||||
| Language | Hebrew | |||
| B-side | "Lady Sun" | |||
| Released | 1979 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 3:27 | |||
| Label | Polydor | |||
| Composer(s) | Kobi Oshrat | |||
| Lyricist(s) | Shimrit Orr | |||
| Producer(s) | Shlomo Zach | |||
| Milk and Honey singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Eurovision Song Contest 1979 entry | ||||
| Country | ||||
| Artist(s) |
| |||
| As | Milk and Honey | |||
| Conductor | Kobi Oshrat | |||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 1st | |||
| Final points | 125 | |||
| Entry chronology | ||||
| ◄ "A-Ba-Ni-Bi" (1978) | ||||
| "Halayla" (1981) ► | ||||
Background
editConception
edit"Hallelujah" was composed by Kobi Oshrat with Hebrew lyrics by Shimrit Orr.[1] In 1978, Oshrat originally submitted the song to the national selection the Israeli Broadcasting Authority (IBA) organized to select its song and performer for the 23rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. The song was rejected as "the selection committee did not think 'Hallelujah' was strong enough". It was also rejected by song festivals in Chile and Japan.
National Selection 1979
editHowever in 1979, IBA accepted the song for its national selection for the 24th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, where it was intended to be performed by the band Hakol Over Habibi. Hakol Over Habibi, nevertheless, declined the opportunity to sing it because the lead singer Shlomit Aharon declared she did not want to go to Eurovision.[2][3]
After they decided to withdraw the song, the national final producers wanted Gali Atari to perform it instead. The group Milk and Honey was then formed especially for the national selection around Atari, giving her the company of the three male vocalists Shmulik Bilu, Reuven Gvirtz, and Yehuda Tamir, so that the group had the same number of singers and gender composition as Hakol Over Habibi.[4] The song only narrowly won the national Israeli selection with 63 points, only two more points than "Ein li ish milvadi", performed by Tzvika Pick, –later internationally known as the composer of 1998 Eurovision winning song "Diva"–.[5] It became the Israeli entrant –and Milk and Honey the performers– for Eurovision.
In addition to the Hebrew original version, they recorded the song in English –with lyrics by Shimrit Orr–, French –with lyrics by Michel Jourdan and Shimrit Orr–, and German –with lyrics by Fini Busch–.[6]
Eurovision
editOn 31 March 1979, the Eurovision Song Contest was held at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem hosted by IBA and broadcast live throughout the continent. Milk and Honey performed "Hallelujah" tenth on the night –entering the stage one by one rather than all together–, following West Germany's "Dschinghis Khan" by Dschinghis Khan and preceding France's "Je suis l'enfant soleil" by Anne-Marie David. Kobi Oshrat conducted the event's live orchestra in the performance of the Israeli entry.[7]
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At the close of voting, it had received 125 points, placing first in a field of nineteen, winning the contest.[8] As Spain had been leading on the penultimate round of voting, this was the first time the winning song had come from behind to clinch victory on the final vote. The last jury to vote was the Spanish one, who gave the contest to Israel, relegating "Su canción" by Betty Missiego to second position.[9]
This was the fourth occasion on which the host country had won the contest –Switzerland, Spain and Luxembourg had achieved the feat before this– and there have since been two more such occasions to date –Ireland winning once in Millstreet and once more in Dublin–. The song was succeeded as contest winner in the 1980 contest by "What's Another Year" by Johnny Logan for Ireland.
Aftermath
editIsrael could neither host nor compete in Eurovision in 1980, which was scheduled for the same day as Yom Hazikaron, Israel's Memorial Day: the festivities of the event would clash with the somber tone of the day, which is marked in Israel with memorial services, two minutes of silence, and large numbers of visitors at military and civilian cemeteries. It returned to the fold for the 1981 contest with "Halayla" by Hakol Over Habibi.
On 22 August 1981, Milk and Honey[a] performed their song in the Eurovision twenty-fifth anniversary concert Songs of Europe held in Mysen.[10] On 29 May 1999, in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999 held in Jerusalem all the contestants performed the song after the winning reprise as a tribute to the victims of the wars in the Balkans.[11] On 22 October 2005, in the Eurovision fiftieth anniversary competition Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest held in Copenhagen, Atari performed the song as part of the interval acts.[12] On 31 March 2015, in the Eurovision sixtieth anniversary concert Eurovision Song Contest's Greatest Hits held in London, Anne-Marie David performed the song as part of the closing medley.[13] On 18 May 2019, in the 'Switch Song' interval act during the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 held in Tel Aviv, Atari –who had refused to sing with her former Milk and Honey teammates– performed the song accompanied by Conchita Wurst, Måns Zelmerlöw, Eleni Foureira, and Verka Serduchka.[14][15] The television special Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light, aired on 16 May 2020 throughout Europe, features Atari performing the song in an empty Old City of Jerusalem as a Zoom-style sing-along with finalists of the Junior Songfestival 2018 and 2019.[16][17]
In 2018, to celebrate Israel's 70th year of independence, the Israeli Ministry of Culture and Sport released an updated version of the song. This version was sung by Atari and pop superstar Eden Ben Zaken and was performed in Jerusalem at the official state ceremony.[18]
Chart performance
editWeekly charts
edit| Chart (1979) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[19] | 15 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[20] | 4 |
| Finland | 1 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[21] | 1 |
| Israel (IBA) | 1 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[22] | 8 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[23] | 6 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[24] | 1 |
| Spain (Spanish Singles Chart) | 22 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[25] | 1 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[26] | 2 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[27] | 5 |
| West Germany (GfK)[28] | 11 |
Legacy
editThe husband-and-wife singing duo of Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme released the song in early 1979 on Warner Brothers Records. The song was a modest hit on the adult contemporary chart, and the couple also performed it on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. They also recorded a live version which was released on Applause Records in 1982.
In 1987, Oshrat's composition was covered by Marika Gombitová, Karel Gott and Josef Laufer, and recorded under the title "Hrajme píseň" ("Let's Play a Song") in Czechoslovakia. As a trio (featuring solo part performed by Czech actress Věra Galatíková), the song was presented on November 1, 1987, and with alternate lyrics by Zdeněk Borovec during the pre-filmed live show Abeceda: G+L created by Česká televize.[29][30]
There is also an undocumented Polish version by Eleni Tzoka, recorded under title "Alleluja miłość twa".
Notes
edit- ^ Atari was replaced by Leah Lupatin.
References
edit- ^ Oestermann, Richard (1999). Born Again, Richard Oestermann. Gefen Publishing House. ISBN 9789652292148. Archived from the original on 2021-08-12. Retrieved 2019-01-08.
- ^ http://www.andtheconductoris.eu/index.htm?http://www.eurovisionartists.nl/conductor/dir020.asp?ID=227 Archived 2020-08-07 at the Wayback Machine Kobi Oshrat - And the conductor is… Retrieved December 28, 2019.
- ^ The real story behind Hallelujah revealed Archived 2018-01-19 at the Wayback Machine, Maariv, August 23, 2006.
- ^ http://www.andtheconductoris.eu/index.htm?http://www.eurovisionartists.nl/conductor/dir020.asp?ID=227 Archived 2020-08-07 at the Wayback Machine Kobi Oshrat - And the conductor is… Retrieved December 28, 2019.
- ^ http://natfinals.50webs.com/70s_80s/Israel1979.html Archived 2019-12-18 at the Wayback Machine Israeli National Final 1979, retrieved December 28, 2019.
- ^ "Hallelujah - lyrics". The Diggiloo Thrush.
- ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 1979". Eurovision Song Contest. 31 March 1979. IBA / EBU.
- ^ "Official Eurovision Song Contest 1979 scoreboard". Eurovision Song Contest.
- ^ O'Connor, John Kennedy (2007). The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History. UK: Carlton Books. ISBN 978-1-84442-994-3.
- ^ "Songs of Europe". Eurovision Song Contest. 22 August 1981. NRK / EBU.
- ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 1999". Eurovision Song Contest. 29 May 1999. IBA / EBU.
- ^ "Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest". Eurovision Song Contest. 22 October 2005. DR / EBU.
- ^ "Eurovision Song Contest's Greatest Hits". Eurovision Song Contest. 3 April 2015. BBC / EBU. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- ^ "Switch Song (with Conchita Wurst, Måns Zelmerlöw, Eleni Foureira, Verka Serduchka) - Eurovision 2019". YouTube.com. 18 May 2019. Archived from the original on 16 June 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 2019 Grand Final". Eurovision Song Contest. 18 May 2019. IPBC/Kan / EBU.
- ^ "Hallelujah" on YouTube at Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light
- ^ "Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light". Eurovision Song Contest. 16 May 2020. NPO / NOS / AVROTROS / EBU.
- ^ "Israel Readies for 70th Anniversary in Song". Jerusalem Post. March 26, 2018. Archived from the original on April 21, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
- ^ "Milk and Honey – Hallelujah" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
- ^ "Milk and Honey – Hallelujah" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Hallelujah". Irish Singles Chart.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 19, 1979" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
- ^ "Milk and Honey – Hallelujah" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
- ^ "Milk and Honey – Hallelujah". VG-lista.
- ^ "Milk and Honey – Hallelujah". Singles Top 100.
- ^ "Milk and Honey – Hallelujah". Swiss Singles Chart.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Milk and Honey – Hallelujah" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
- ^ Graclík & Nekvapil 2008, pp. 177, 424.
- ^ Lehotský 2008a, p. 31.
Bibliography
edit- Graclík, Miroslav; Nekvapil, Václav (2008). Marika Gombitová: neautorizovaný životní příběh legendy československé pop music [Marika Gombitová: An Unauthorized Life Story of the Legend of Czechoslovak Pop Music] (in Czech). Prague, Czech Republic: XYZ. ISBN 978-80-7388-115-3. OCLC 294939865. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
- Lehotský, Oskar (April 23, 2008a). Slovak Popular Music in the Years 1977–1989 – Marika Gombitová (PDF) (in Slovak). Bratislava, Slovakia: Comenius University, Faculty of Arts. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2011-04-07.
External links
edit- "Hallelujah" at Discogs (list of releases)
- Lyrics of "Hallelujah" (in Hebrew)
- Lyrics of "Hallelujah" (in English)