Yardena Arazi - A dream and yearning

I've noticed for quite a while now that I rarely post about female singers. I think it's a combination of two reasons:
1. I'm much more critical of female singing and I just enjoy male singing much more.
2. There aren't that many female singers in the Israeli music business.
I really don't want to feel that I have to search for female singers just to show more diversity, just like I don't want to specifically search for certain genres.
That being said, I really felt that Yardena Arazi's new single was very refreshing, probably because I'm more used to male singing, and it's a very honest and pretty song. It's hard to believe that Yardena recently celebrated her 60th(!) birthday because she looks great and only when you see clips of her from the 80's it makes sense. I've heard a lot about the huge Yardena Arazi vs. Ofra Haza rivalry, which almost tore the country apart (maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration but I remember reading that sentence somewhere). It seems that Yardena was always the prom queen- beautiful and popular but not really taken seriously and the Eurovision didn't really help. This song is part of her recent comeback and I really like the direction she's taking- it fits her perfectly. And who doesn't like seeing personal home videos of a famous pop star? This song also gets a different context with all the recent talk of the rise of the exclusion of women, especially in public singing. Yardena sings of her love and need for music (specifically performing as a singer) and I can't imagine taking that away from someone just to try and preserve the status quo. I'm probably making this connection because the women's segregation situation reached the government and Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman referred to Arazi thanking her for showing the significance of women singing, and how much it contributes to a positive atmosphere. These are kind words, and it's important that they were said, but they don't really comfort me as a woman and I have trouble seeing how things will get better soon.

I was born from crying
From an uncalm pain
I was born from a dream and yearning

I was an enchanted chord
And maybe I was a melody
I was an unforgettable shout

You, somewhere in the dark
It doesn't matter where you came from
I see you in my thoughts

Be whoever you are to me
A bit different a bit like me
With sensitive skin thirsty for love

Music is freedom
To express and be heard
I came from the need to express

You, on the edge of horizon
A bit different but familiar
For a blessed moment you're not a stranger to me.

Music is a way
To break the silence
A place to put grief
A source of comfort.

A wondered eyed childhood
A scratch of youth
A wonderful flash of happiness
All of the world: songs

You somewhere in the dark
It doesn't matter where you came from
I see you in my thoughts

Be whoever you are to me
A bit different a bit like me
With sensitive skin thirsty for love

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4160719,00.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow3t-4X1rHM

http://www.yardena-arazi.com