The sound of sadness: Israeli music since 7 October
In a country where wars are mapped out by songs, there are now new lyrics for the darkest day
With all that Israel has had to contend with in the past year, hate at the Eurovision Song Contest was the last thing the country needed – musically that is.
Traditionally a bit of fun for the contestants and with Israel’s impressive track record at Eurovision (Milk and Honey, Dana International, Netta), in the wake of the October 7 atrocities no one could have predicted the global attention and animosity experienced by entrant Eden Golan. Initially banning the song October Rain, the European Broadcasting Union allowed Israel to take part with changed lyrics; so it was Hurricane that Eden performed in Sweden in May. The song that achieved fifth place in the contest has become an anthem for a country in mourning.
Israel’s history is mirrored in its popular music – especially songs written during or after wars. In 1948, Haim Gouri and Sasha Argov composed Shir Ha’Reut (Song of Friendship). A favourite of Yitzhak Rabin, it was performed at the 1995 Peace Rally. In his final public act, the normally introverted Rabin shyly sang along just before he was gunned down by assassin Yigal Amir.
The song is still sung at commemorative events today and its lyrics resonate a year after 7 October:
“…Already a year, and few of us remain.
So many are no longer among us.
But we’ll remember them all.…”
Each conflict brings its own soundtrack. Naomi Shemer’s Jerusalem of Gold epitomises the 1967 genre, while her song Lu Yehi (Let it Be, inspired by The Beatles), reflects the hopes following the 1973 war. Lu Yehi prays for peace and the safe return of IDF soldiers. “Allow them to return safely here, all that we seek, let it be”.
Fast forward 21 years, Horef ’73 (Winter of ‘73) paints a more sombre picture. It speaks of the children conceived after the Yom Kippur war and the shattered and broken promises left behind.
“We are the children of Winter ’73….
When we were born the elders blessed us with damp eyes, saying,
May these children never go to war….”
By 1994, the hopes from 1973 seemed tangible: peace with Egypt and Jordan, and the Oslo accords ending the First Intifada. But this was before Rabin’s assassination.
Since 7 October Israeli songwriting has surged, ranging from furious raps to heart-wrenching ballads. Two songs reprise Horef ‘73. Teachers Mia Shilon, Barak Gonen and Doron Ben Ami, had formed a parody trio – Morat Ruch – during Covid. Their song October ’23 is not a parody but a tribute to their students’ bravery, using the same Horef melody but with new words. Lacking the hope of the original song’s dove and olive branch promise, it laments “True – there’s no dove, nor olive leaf”.
If October 23 is dark, Horef 23 is darker and angry. Written by Odeya Azoulay and rapper Izzy Erez Sharon it includes the line “We are the children of Winter ‘23” while questioning leaders and God. “They ruined my sabbath and the messiah is late”. Izzy also released a rap, Seventh of October, just days after the attack, which reached 200,000 views within a week. The lyrics challenge Israel haters with defiance.
“This is my Jewish blood on fire…
In our eyes we won’t look back,
We won’t raise our hands.
We’ll never forget that in heaven there’s one God,
the Star of David and Guardian of Jerusalem…”
Even angrier is Harbu Darbu, a drill song that topped the Israeli charts in November 2023. The title refers to an Arabic idiom for war-strike. Sung by Ness (Nessiya Levi) and Stilla (Dor Soroker) the song lists IDF units targeting Hamas, equated with Amalek (the Biblical enemy of Jews and ancestor of Haman from the Purim story), with a beat “One, Two, Shoot”. Ness and Stilla emphasise:
“This song is not really our song, it’s your song. For more than a month all the fighters, the female fighters, and the security forces all over the country have been giving their hearts and souls for all of us”.
Another rap. Ze Aleinu (It’s On Us), by Subliminal (Jacob Shimoni) opens with “Good Evening Gaza – Another Day, Another Dead Nazi”. Like Harbu Darbu it also compares Hamas to Amalek but ends with hope:
“Know that tomorrow will come.
And hope rises from the ashes.
It will grow, and will come, it’s on us (Ze Aleinu).
From now I swear I’m fighting for the next generation
Even if the road is long…”
The accompanying video is graphic and unforgiving – starting with a lullaby, a baby and images of the destruction, followed by IDF soldiers marching, with a soldier putting on tefillin and another wearing a superman tallit.
On a different, much more optimistic, note, Eyal Golan, a singer popular for almost 30 years, rewrote Am Yisrael Chai.
“Ho my land is our heritage,
our spirits will not fall now,
around us ‘swords of iron’
and the dove will spread her wings,
the hope of two thousand years,
we’ll go out in the streets to sing again”
In contrast, his daughter, Aline’s song Ain Li Makom (I have no place) is far less upbeat. Dedicated to the Gaza hostages, the video includes Michal Lobanov, the wife of Alex Lobanov who was recently murdered by Hamas alongside hostages Hersh Goldberg Polin, Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino and Almog Sarusi. Michal has since given birth to the couple’s second son but in the video she’s still heavily pregnant, with the words “Daddy come home” written on her stomach.
It is hard to comprehend that the morning which brought us the terrifying news of the Hamas attacks is now a year ago, but barely a week has passed since that day without another tragedy. Fallen soldiers, the return of dead hostages and the insurmountable grief of the bereaved relatives has been interpreted by musicians and they have already responded to the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Nadav and Assaf Frishman’s 2006 Lebanon war song, Yalla Ya Nasrallah, has been revived with a change in the chorus which now states: “We will send you back to Allah, with all of Hezbollah… it’s already been sentenced from above that this is your end ”
Perhaps the song that best encapsulates the sorrow and hope following October 7 is Ariel Zurayev’s anthem Am Echad (One Nation). “We joined forces to write and produce a music video that would be from the people of Israel,” says Zurayev. “It wouldn’t just be our song, but one for all of Israel, united together.” And the song has since transcended borders, with Noa Tishby and Gal Gadot amplifying its message at Hollywood’s Take Action, Build Hope event.
“…Our hope is not yet lost (Od Lo Avda Tikvateinu)
To be free in our country (Lihiyot Hofshi B’Artzeinu)
Hear O Israel, we are all one nation….
We will be victorious, there’s no doubt
In history, we won all the battles
And to all the haters, get lost, bye
Am Yisrael Chai (the People of Israel Live)!”
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