A-Ba-Ni-Bi (Hebrew script: א-ב-ני-בי; was the winning song in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978, performed for Israel by Izhar Cohen and Alphabeta. This was Israel’s first Eurovision win, which meant under the rules of the contest that they would host the following year’s contest, marking the first time that the Eurovision Song Contest would take place outside Europe.
According to broadcaster John Kennedy O’Connor, broadcasters in many of the non-participating Arab countries in North Africa and Asia, who had been transmitting the contest, had to cut the broadcast when it was clear Israel was going to win. Jordanian television cut the broadcast and showed pictures of flowers.
At the contest, Cohen and his five backing vocalists (two men, Reuven Erez and Itzhak Okev, and three women, Lisa Gold-Rubin, Nehama Shutan, and Esther Tzuberi) all wore white clothing and remained mostly stationary, swaying in time to the music.
The song was performed eighteenth on the night, following Luxembourg’s Baccara with “Parlez-vous français?” and preceding Austria’s Springtime with “Mrs. Caroline Robinson”. At the close of voting, it had received 157 points, placing first in a field of 20. The song received points from every other voting country except Sweden, including 6 sets of maximum 12 points.
A-Ba-Ni-Bi-Lyrics (1978)
[chorus – twice]
Abanibi obohebev
Abanibi obohebev obotabach
K’shehayinu yeladim,
Ahavnu b’sodei sodot
El mi hayinu nechmadim
Rak l’dodim ul’dodot.
V’habanot hamiskenot savlu
Hametukot hen rak makot kiblu.
V’et mah shehirgashnu be’emet
Lachashnu rak bisfat habeit
[chorus, twice]
Ahavah, hi milah yafah
Hi t’filah yafah, hi safah.
Ahavah, hi elai tovah
Hi tamid titgabeir
Uvisfat ahavah nedaber
[chorus, twice]
Ani cholem v’kam shalosh milim
Umahu ha’olam? Shalosh milim.
V’zeh mah she’ani margish k’eit.
Mamash k’mo az. S’fat habeit
English Translation
I Love You
[chorus, twice]
I love, I love you**
I love, I love you**
When we were children,
we never spoke of love (except secretly)
To whom were we “nice”?
Only to uncles and aunts.
And the poor girls suffered,
the sweet ones only were hit.
And what we truly felt,
we whispered only in “B-language”
.
[“baby talk”}
[chorus, twice]
Love, it is a beautiful word
A beautiful prayer, a language
Love, it is good to me
It will overcome all
And we will speak the language of love.
[chorus, twice]
I dream, and three words appear
And what is the world? Only three words
And this is how I feel now
Truly just as then –“B-language”
** [in “baby talk”]
[chorus, thrice]
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