"Yom Huledet (Happy Birthday)" ( he, יום הולדת; meaning "
Birthday") was the entry in the
Eurovision Song Contest 1999, performed in
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
and
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
by
Eden. The song was written by Yitzhak Baranes, , Jacky Oved, and , and composed by Baranes, Lamai, Oved, and
Moshe Datz;
Datz previously produced the , as well as represented Israel in Eurovision in as part of
Duo Datz
Duo Datz (Hebrew: אורנה ומשה דץ, ''Orna U-Moshe Datz''; commonly referred in Hebrew as דץ ודצה ''Datz Ve-Datza'') is the common English name for the duo made up of Orna and Moshe Datz.
The popular artists are best known in Eur ...
with "Kan".
Composition
The song is a lively and fast-paced tune, showcasing the Contest's growing emphasis on dance-friendly music. In the song, the band sings about the simple happiness of having a birthday and enjoying it with a party. The song's sound is somewhat reminiscent of American music, influenced by two of the singers, Eddie and Gabriel Butler, who are
Black Israelites. Notably, their inclusion marked the first instance of black participants representing Israel at Eurovision.
According to Ya'akov Lamai, the song started out as a lower tempo song entirely in English.
The song was then rearranged by its four composers, together with producer , into an up-tempo number with a mix of mostly Hebrew lyrics with some English lyrics sprinkled in the chorus and throughout.
At the Eurovision Song Contest
The song was performed nineteenth on the night, following 's
Bobbie Singer
Bobbie Singer (born Tina Schosser, 22 February 1981, in Linz) is an Austrian singer, best known for her participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999.
Biography
Singer signed a record deal in 1996 at the age of 15, and released a single, "Eg ...
with "
Reflection" and preceding 's
Times Three
For the Eurovision Song Contest 1999, Malta entered "Believe 'n peace", performed by Times Three.
Before Eurovision
Malta Song for Europe 1999
The final was held on 19 and 20 February 1999 at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta ...
with "
Believe 'n Peace". At the close of voting, it had received 93 points, placing 5th in a field of 23.
It was succeeded as Israeli representative at the
2000 contest by
PingPong
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...
with "
Sameyakh
"Sameyakh" or "Sameach" ( he, label=Hebrew script, שמייח; meaning "happy") is a Hebrew song by the pop band PingPong, a quartet consisting of Guy Asif, Roy Arad, Yifat Giladi and Ahal Eden. The song was the entry in the Eurovision Song Cont ...
".
Reception
The song, and the album of the same name, did well commercially.
's Roie Hacohen named the song as the most iconic Israeli
one-hit wonder
A one-hit wonder or viral hit is any entity that achieves mainstream popularity, often for only one piece of work, and becomes known among the general public solely for that momentary success. The term is most commonly used in regard to music p ...
, citing the fact the song is played in "almost every Israeli birthday party". Aya Hayut of
ynet
Ynet (stylized as ynet) is one of the major Israeli news and general-content websites, and is the online outlet for the '' Yedioth Ahronot'' newspaper. However, most of Ynet's content is original work, published exclusively on the website and wri ...
also described the song as "one of the most listened to in every house in Israel" due to its popularity in birthdays.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
External links
Detailed info & lyrics, The Diggiloo Thrush, "Happy birthday (Yom huledet)".
Eurovision songs of Israel
Eurovision songs of 1999
1999 songs
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