''Esther Ofarim and Abraham'' is the American debut album by Israeli

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

duo

Esther & Abi Ofarim Esther & Abi Ofarim were an Israeli musical duo active during the 1960s, consisting of husband and wife Abi Ofarim and Esther Ofarim. They enjoyed particular success in Germany. They had hits in Europe with their songs "One More Dance," "Morning ...

. It was released on

Philips Records Philips Records is a record label founded by the Dutch electronics company Philips. It was founded as Philips Phonographische Industrie in 1950. In 1946, Philips acquired the company which pressed records for British Decca's Dutch outlet in ...

in 1963. The album was titled ''Songs Der Welt'' in Germany.

Recording and release

Singer

Esther Ofarim Esther Zaied, better known by her married name Esther Ofarim ( he, אסתר עופרים; born June 13, 1941), is an Israeli singer. She came second in the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest with the song " T'en va pas", representing Switzerland. Aft ...

and her husband Abi Ofarim relocated from Israel to Switzerland in 1963. Esther represented Switzerland in the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest, where she came in second place with the song " T'en va pas." The competition gave her considerable exposure and she signed to

. Prior to Eurovision, Esther had won first place in the

Kol Israel ''Kol Yisrael'' or ''Kol Israel'' ( lit. "Voice of Israel", also "Israel Radio") is Israel's public domestic and international radio service. It operated as a division of the Israel Broadcasting Service from 1951 to 1965, the Israel Broadcasti ...

song contest and the

Sopot International Song Festival The Sopot International Song Festival or Sopot Festival (later called ''Sopot Music Festival Grand Prix'', ''Sopot Top of the Top Festival'' from 2012–13 and ''Polsat Sopot Festival'' in 2014) is an annual international song contest held in S ...

. The duo recorded the album during their personal appearances in the United States in 1963. The musical direction, arrangement and production was done by

Milton Okun Milton may refer to: Names * Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname) ** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet * Milton (given name) ** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Fre ...

. The Ofarims recorded songs in French, Hebrew, Spanish, and English with Abi accompanying on guitar. The album opens with "

Dirty Old Town "Dirty Old Town" is a song written by Ewan MacColl in 1949 that was made popular by The Dubliners and The Pogues. History The song was written about Salford, Lancashire, England, the city where MacColl was born and brought up. It was original ...

" by British folk singer Ewan MacColl. "Viva la feria" is a traditional Spanish folk song. "Adama Adamati" and "Lay-La" are songs from the Ofarims' native Israel. "Cha Cha Ballahoo" is a calypso influenced song. "Every Night," a song originally from Scotland, was revived by folklorist

Cecil Sharp Cecil James Sharp (22 November 1859 – 23 June 1924) was an English-born collector of folk songs, folk dances and instrumental music, as well as a lecturer, teacher, composer and musician. He was the pre-eminent activist in the development of t ...

. There are more traditional folk songs on Side B with "

Freight Train Rail freight transport is the use of railroads and trains to transport cargo as opposed to human passengers. A freight train, cargo train, or goods train is a group of freight cars (US) or goods wagons (International Union of Railways) haul ...

" and "Oh Waly Waly," the latter is a rendition of " The Water Is Wide." Esther sings in French on "Entends-tu le vent?" and Spanish on "Ya viene marzo con flores." ''Esther Ofarim and Abraham'' was released in the United States in September 1963. In Germany, the album was released as ''Songs Der Welt (Songs of the World)'', and reached No. 2 on the

Albums chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include re ...

in 1966.

Critical reception

The album was chosen as '' Billboard'''s Folk Special Merit pick. ''Billboard'' (September 14, 1963):

Miss Ofarim has achieved considerable distinction in her native Israel as a folk stylist and actress. Here she makes her American disk debut, with a collection of folk material with French, Spanish and American roots. Particularly impressive is her apparent complete mastery of English which she sings without a trace of accent. Her voice is pure and sincere, and her support from brother Abraham on guitar is superior. The traditional "Freight Train" with wonderful guitar licks is especially rewarding.

Track listing

Chart performance

References

{{Authority control Esther & Abi Ofarim albums 1963 albums Philips Records albums Albums produced by Abi Ofarim