Wiki
-
Length
3:32
"Im Nin'alu" (אם ננעלו) (English: If the gates are locked) is a Hebrew poem by 17th-century Rabbi Shalom Shabazi. It has been placed to music and sung by Israeli singer Ofra Haza and others. Haza first performed this song with the Shechunat Hatikva Workshop Theatre, appearing on television on IBA's General Television in 1978. The original version was included on the 1984 album Yemenite Songs, also known as Fifty Gates of Wisdom. The remixed version was part of her international debut Shaday of 1988.
"In Nin'alu" went on to become famous in Europe when a remixed version of the song, produced by Izhar Ashdot, reached the top 10 in many countries. The single reached number one in Finland, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and West Germany, where it stayed nine weeks atop the singles chart in mid-1988. In the United Kingdom, the track was a top-20 hit, peaking at number 15, and in the United States, it reached number 15 on Billboards Hot Dance Club Play chart and number 18 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. The single reportedly sold some three million copies worldwide, making it one of the first world music recordings to extend over to mainstream pop chart success. London-based duo Coldcut produced a remix of Eric B. & Rakim's "Paid In Full", which heavily samples "Im Nin'alu".
Even though Haza's version of the song shows her own interpretation, and its reception was present-day and popular, it still fits in with the Yemenite tradition that she represented. In 1997, Haza re-recorded the track for her eponymous album Ofra Haza, produced by Frank Peterson of Enigma and Gregorian. The German promo 12-inch for the album's lead single "Show Me" also featured two remixes of "Im Nin'Alu". And in 2008 two new remixes were included on the greatest hits compilation Forever Ofra Haza – Her Greatest Songs Remixed.
The international follow-up single to "Im Nin'Alu (Played in Full)" in 1988 was a remix of the track "Galbi", also originally from the Yemenite Songs album.
Poem "Im Nin'alu"
The poem begins with the words
אם ננעלו דלתי נדיבים דלתי מרום לא ננעלו
Im nin'alu daltei n'divim daltei marom lo nin'alu
Even if the gates of the rich are closed, the gates of heaven will never be closed
Track descriptions on Last.fm are editable by everyone. Feel free to contribute!
All user-contributed text on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply.
