Yemenite Songs

Yemenite Songs (Hebrew: שירי תימן) is a 1984 album by Ofra Haza, in which the Israeli pop star returned to her roots interpreting traditional Yemeni Jewish songs with lyrics coming from the poetry of 16th century Rabbi Shalom Shabazi. The album was recorded with both traditional and modern musical instruments; wooden and metal percussion, Yemenite tin and tambala, strings, brass and woodwind as well as drum machines and synthesizers. The songs are sung in Hebrew with a Yemenite accent and in Arabic.[2]

Yemenite Songs
Studio album by
Ofra Haza
ReleasedNovember 1984
Length38:12
LabelHed Arzi
Globe Style Records
Ausfahrt
Shanachie Records
ProducerBezalel Aloni, Benny Nagari
Ofra Haza chronology
Bayt Ham • A Place for Me
(1984)		 Yemenite Songs
(1984)		 Adamah • Earth
(1985)
Alternative Cover
Fifty Gates of Wisdom
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]

In US, the album has been released under the title Fifty Gates of Wisdom (Yemenite Songs) having a slightly different track order.[3]

Composition

The opening song "Im Nin' Alu"'s a cappella intro would eventually become the starting point of Haza's international career as it was sampled by a number of European and American rap and dance acts like Eric B. & Rakim on their "Paid In Full" and M|A|R|R|S on "Pump Up the Volume" which led to Haza releasing a dance remix of her own recording in 1988 (subtitled Played In Full) which became a pop chart hit in many parts of the world. Remixes of both "Im Nin' Alu" and "Galbi" were included on the first international album Shaday.

Track listing

Side A:

  1. "Im Nin'alu" (Shabazi) - 5:18
  2. "Yachilvi Veyachali" (Shabazi) - 3:27
  3. "A 'Salk" (Shabazi, Traditional) - 4:45
  4. "Tzur Mentati"/"Se'i Yona"/"Sapri Tama" (Ben-Amram, Shabazi, Traditional) - 5:44

Side B:

  1. "Galbi" (Amram, Shabazi) 4:14
  2. "Ode Le-Eli" (Shabazi, Traditional) - 3:31
  3. "Lefelach Harimon" (Shabazi, Traditional) 5:08
  4. "Ayelet Chen" (Shabazi) - 6:30

Personnel

Production
  • Bezalel Aloni - record producer
  • Benny Nagari - music producer/arranger
  • Yoav Gera - Audio recording and mixing
  • Recorded at Triton Studios, Tel Aviv between August and September 1984.
  • Aharon Amram - artistic advisor

References
  1. Roden, Christina. Yemenite Songs at AllMusic
  2. The Rolling Stone Album Guide Anthony DeCurtis, James Henke, Holly George-Warren - 1992 "Fifty Gates of Wisdom (Shanachie, 1987) On Fifty Gates of Wisdom, Ofra Haza shucks the pop-disco conventions that made her a star in Israel and offers up a .."
  3. https://www.discogs.com/Ofra-Haza-Fifty-Gates-Of-Wisdom-Yemenite-Songs/release/1837193
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