The mizrachim have decided to conquer Tel Aviv….it started a few years ago with Omer Adam’s ‘Tel Aviv‘ and now it has spread. Below are Kol Cambridge’s top five Tel Aviv related summer anthems for 2015 (all of which have featured/will feature on the show. You will never hear most of them on Gal Galatz, as they still maintain a discriminatory policy with regard their playlist….but as you can see from the views on YouTube this is what Israel is really listening to. Now turn up the volume and enjoy!
Number 5: Derech HaShalom by Pe’er Tasi
Okay, so this was more of a winter anthem, but this is still getting major airplay and seems to have been recent spur for all the Tel Aviv related music. Literally translated as ‘The Road of Peace’, this is actually a reference to one of the main arteries into Tel Aviv, called Derech HaShalom. Pe’er sings about a short-lived encounter with a local female, and is so nonchalant about it that he doesn’t even feel the need to make a proper music video.
Number 4: Malkat Hashoshanim by eden ben zaken
Written in honour of the Tel Aviv’s annual huge pride event, new up and coming star Eden Ben Zaken (whose surname means ‘son of the old man’) released her second single with a video filmed in Tel Aviv and full of slang used by the gay community. For only her second single, three and a half million views on YouTube is not to be sniffed at. With a title that means ‘The Queen of Roses’, she claims in the song to break hearts on the boulevards of Tel Aviv for a hobby. Eden also manages to throw in some comically pronounced English for good measure.
number 3: my name is by Maor Edri
Speaking of comically pronounced English, how about making it the title of your song? In apparent homage to Snoop Doggy Dogg, Edri puts his own twist on the introductory song (which interestingly has waited for his third album – maybe he feels he has not yet had enough exposure). Although not specifically mentioning Tel Aviv, Edri has said that the song is inspired by the Tel Aviv lifestyle, as he sings about hitting on an attractive lady in his building. His choice of chat-up line goes as follows: ‘My name is Maor Edri / It’s really nice to meet you too / Maybe you don’t know so I’m going to reveal a secret to you / I bring happiness all over the city / Maybe let’s grab a beer as the night is still young‘. One could maybe say that it sounds better in Hebrew but my wife assures me that it really doesn’t. Extra credit to Maor for filming his entire video in a lift.
Number 2: Mashke Yakar by pe’er tasi
After his huge winter hit, Pe’er is not letting up, and he is back for the summer with another massive tune that can be heard blaring out of tinted-windowed cars all over TA. This time not specifically referencing the white city, Tasi has said that the song is inspired by the Tel Aviv experience. After all the song means ‘expensive drink’ and as everyone who comes here knows, you need a small bank loan for a night out. Pe’er sings about his attempts to woo an attractive lady, and although he claims in the song that he does not have the self-confidence everyone thinks he has, he still seems confident enough not to produce a proper video (and get over 5 million views).
number one: Hakol kore b’tel aviv by dudu aharon and hasharif
So much to love about this song, a collaboration by two fantastic artists who are both from well outside Tel Aviv, singing about the fact that everything happens in the city. Dudu Aharon, one of my favourite singers at the moment, leads the track in a collaboration with Sharif, a Druze singer who shot to fame in his childhood. They helpfully throw the lyrics up on screen to enable us to follow, and help us empathise with a situation we have all no doubt encountered: “I’m fed up, bored / of karaoke at the neighbour’s / I heard of a street party / Florentine sounds great“. Like Maor Edri, they are also bringing great chat-up lines: ‘You know what? / nice to meet you / I know you from somewhere / maybe Ashdod?‘. Together with a rocking rhythm, and a great chorus, this has to be the official Kol Cambridge number one.
This blog post was inspired by an article in the weekend edition of Yediot Achronot
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