When the missiles from Iran started to fall last Sunday, my first thought was 'oh no, there goes Pride, again'. Last year's Pride celebrations were cancelled at the last minute because of the war with Iran, and it wasn't clear at all how long this round would be. But by Monday evening restrictions were lifted and the Pride Parade was back on. It was so nice to see everyone gather to celebrate love and freedom, and just to have a good time. It's not Pride weekend without Offer Nissim's legendary 'Ofra' party, long-awaited after his Purim party was cancelled because of the war. He released this new track with Shiri Maimon ahead of the concert, and I just can't get enough of it! Check out Shiri's stunning performance at Ofra here. Queen!
You said that one day you'd break my heart
So I ran away, but the fire pulled me close
And who are we to know
If it's just a moment or real love?
It takes its place, it scares us both
And sometimes, in the middle of life
Without a warning, the heart gets caught
And brings us to our knees
Blow the smoke around me
Mix up all my sense of time
With three glasses of wine
Make love to me once more
I just want to be close to you
And touch the sky
A broken heart never lies
Feel the way my heartbeat rises
Just look into my eyes
I cried the whole night long
Until there were no tears left to fall
Outside it's a party, inside it's screams
And I didn't know how to come back
When my whole body was drunk
And only my mind kept pulling me forward
And sometimes, in the middle of life
Without a warning, the heart gets caught
And brings us to our knees
Blow the smoke around me
Mix up all my sense of time
With three glasses of wine
Thank you Youtube user @benleontlv for the great translation!
I was so sad to hear of Astar Shamir's death today after battling cancer. She wrote so many classics, and one of them that stands out is 'Mid-September', which she wrote in 1982, following the Lebanon War and the Sabra and Shatila massacre. Gali Atari first performed it four years later, as the title track of her classic album, capturing the heavy mood at the time.
The year begins in mid-September With great and growing rage Stormy winds do battle on every front Winter kills and reaps
They say the end of the world is coming
At night the dark deepens
All summer long the sky was red with pain
Beneath it the earth was burning
Between us madness comes and goes
Life makes fools of us too
I look for the stillness in myself but can't find it
Shamir wrote 'Fireflies' 20 years later, and it's become one of her most beloved songs. Her beautiful soul shines in the song, and she will be dearly missed.
I am returning to the forest to gather fireflies
I left little lights behind when I left
Words heavy with sorrow, that couldn't fly
Songs I didn't gather when I left
I'm going back to the past to gather fireflies
To build from them a ladder of stars
Paths I didn't walk because they couldn't be
Maybe they are still waiting there for me
If my heart goes there
Come to the past without stopping
We'll gather all the good
We'll gather all the innocence
We'll gather fireflies and return
A girl there is waiting for me, she falls in love without seeing
