"BaShana HaBa'a" (, "Next Year") is a 1970 Israeli song with music by Nurit Hirsch and lyrics by

Ehud Manor Ehud Manor (; born Ehud Weiner; July 13, 1941 – April 12, 2005) was an Israeli lyricist, translator, poet and radio and TV personality. He is widely considered to have been Israel's most prolific lyricist of all time, having written or translat ...

. The song was first performed by the duo Ilan & Ilanit.

Background

The song was written by Ehud Manor in memory of his younger brother Yehuda Weiner, who was killed during his military service in 1968. The song describes Manor's dream to spend more time with his late brother. Manor asked Nurit Hirsch to orchestrate his lyrics, at the request of Shlomo Zach, the manager of the singer

Ilanit Hanna Dresner-Tzakh (; born 17 September 1947), known by her stage name Ilanit (, ), is an Israeli singer. She was one of Israel's most popular singers from the late 1960s to the 1980s, both as a soloist and in the duo Ilan & Ilanit. Ilanit also ...

. Hirsch composed the song with a melodic and melancholic tune, in a 6/8 rhythm. Zach believed that the song did not suit Ilanit's career at that point, and he requested both Hirsch and Manor to create a version that was joyful and filled with hope. Hirsch adjusted the melody accordingly, changing the rhythm to 4/4. In parallel, Manor made changes to the lyrics. Originally, Manor concluded the song with the words: "Anafa levana tifros ba or knafayim, vehashemesh tishka b'tochan""A white heron will spread its wings in the light, and the sun will set within them"; a description of the reality seen from the balcony of his home, facing from the Carmel mount to the west. At the request of Hirsch, Manor chose the alternative and optimistic wording, "Hashemesh tizrach b'tochan""The sun will rise within them."

Versions of the song

In Israel

The song was first performed by the duo Ilan & Ilanit and had many versions over the years by different singer including Rinat Gabay, Gitit Shoval and Ron Druyan, Uzi Hitman,

Gali Atari Gali Atari (; born 29 December 1953) is an Israeli singer and actress. Atari won the Eurovision Song Contest 1979 which was held in Jerusalem, as part of Milk and Honey. Early life Atari was born as Abigail Atari (Hebrew: אביגיל עטרי) ...

and Hani Nahmias, Yaffa Yarkoni, Dalia Cohen, Hovi Star, Israel Gurion,

Sarai Tzuriel Sarai Tzuriel (; born 24 December 1952) is an Israeli actress and singer. Biography Sarai Zuriel was born in Kfar Yehoshua in the Jezreel Valley, the daughter of Esther Zuriel (Nems) and Father Zuriel (Cherniak), who were teachers and educat ...

Shiri Maimon Shiri Maimon (or Maymon; , ; born ) is an Israeli singer, television personality and actress, who rose to fame as the runner-up in the inaugural season of singing reality competition '' Kokhav Nolad''. She represented her native Israel in the ...

and Ido Maimon.

In the world

The song became popular among Jewish communities in the world. In 2020, the Jewish A Capella group the Maccabeats released a cover for the song.

Steve Lawrence Steve Lawrence (born Sidney Liebowitz; July 8, 1935 – March 7, 2024) was an American singer, comedian, and actor. He was best known as a member of the pop duo Steve and Eydie with his wife Eydie Gormé, and for his performance as Maury Slin ...

and

Eydie Gorme Eydie may refer to: * Eydie Gormé (1928–2013), American singer. * Steve and Eydie, an American pop vocal duet, * Eydie Whittington, a Democratic politician in Washington, D.C. * The World Of Steve & Eydie, a 1972 album released by Steve Lawrenc ...

featuring The Mike Curb Congregation also made a cover to the song. The same melody was arranged and sung by Iranian singer Aref as "Kochooloo" (K"uchulu)", and by Turkish singer Nilüfer as "Başıma gelenler".

Julius Wechter Julius Wechter (May 10, 1935 – February 1, 1999) was an American musician and composer who played the marimba and vibraphone. He also played various percussion instruments. He composed the song " Spanish Flea" for Herb Alpert and was leader of t ...

and the

Baja Marimba Band The Baja Marimba Band was an American musical group led by marimba player Julius Wechter. Formed by producer Herb Alpert after his own Tijuana Brass, the Baja Marimba Band outlasted the Tijuana Brass by several years in part due to TV producer Ch ...

covered the song on their 1971 album ''Julius Wechter and the Baja Marimba Band's Back'' under the title "Anytime of the Year (Bashana Haba'ah)".

Claudine Longet Claudine Longet (born January 29, 1942) is a Franco-American singer, actress, dancer, and recording artist popular during the 1960s and 1970s. Born in Paris, France, Longet was married to American singer and television entertainer Andy Williams ...

recorded it in 1971 as "Anytime of the Year," but with the Hebrew lyrics.

Roberto Blanco Roberto Zerquera Blanco (born 7 June 1937 in Tunis) is a German schlager singer, actor, and entertainer of Afro-Cuban origin. He is one of the most successful entertainers of all time in German-speaking countries. Early life Blanco is the so ...

performed a German version of the song called "Dieses Jahr" (1971).Roberto Blanco, Dieses Jahr
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Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

''. Accessed 17 April 2023.

External links

Hebrew and English lyrics of the song

References

Israeli folk songs {{israel-stub