Shaday

Shaday
Studio album by Ofra Haza
Released November 1, 1988
Recorded 1988
Genre Progressive electronic music, synthpop
Length 42:40
Label Sire/Warner Bros. Records
25816
Hed Arzi (Israel)
Teldec/WEA Records (international)
Producer Izhar Ashdot
Wally Brill
Ofra Haza chronology

Yemenite Songs
(1984)
Shaday
(1988)
Desert Wind
(1989)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]

Shaday is an album by Israeli singer Ofra Haza, released in 1988. Shaday, recorded both in Tel Aviv and England, became Haza's international breakthrough album and includes the Hebrew-English language remix singles "Im Nin'alu" and "Galbi," as well as "Shaday" and "Da'Ale Da'Ale," also released as remix singles. The name of the album is a somewhat controversial double entendre, meaning one of the acronyms for Yahweh but also a Modern Hebrew translation for "my breasts".

Album overview and single releases

Shaday was released after the international chart success of the single "Im Nin'alu (English Mix)". Like the follow-up single "Galbi", the original version of "Im Nin'alu" was included on the 1984 album Yemenite Songs, which consisted of traditional folk songs with lyrics coming from the poetry of 16th century Rabbi Shalom Shabazi. Both tracks were released in a wide array of dance remixes both in Israel and internationally, following Eric B. & Rakim, Coldcut, M/A/R/R/S, and a number of other hip-hop and dance acts sampling Haza's voice.

The hit single "Im Nin' Alu" was actually preceded by a 12" remix of "Galbi" named Special Mix (Long Version and Short Version) released by the record label Globe Style. It was an underground club hit in Israel, Europe and the United States in 1985 and 1986. For the Shaday album, the track was again remixed with an arrangement similar to that of "Im Nin' Alu" and also partly re-recorded with English language lyrics and subsequently re-issued as the follow-up single in both Europe and the United States in 1988.

"Love Song," an a cappella with lyrics from the Old Testament's "Song of Songs" (8:6-7), first recorded under the Hebrew title "Azah Ka'Mavet Ahavah" on the 1979 album Shir HaShirim (Love Songs), has, just like the original 1984 version of "Im Nin' Alu," been sampled and remixed frequently through the 1990s and 2000s.

Two further songs on the Shaday album were English-language versions of tracks previously recorded in Hebrew: "My Aching Heart" (as "Hake'ev Haze") and "Take Me to Paradise" ("Bo Venagen Otti"), both released on the Israeli pop album Yamim Nishbarim (Broken Days) in 1986.

The US Sire Records CD release of Shaday adds the 1988 12" Sehoog Mix of "Galbi" bonus track.

Track listing

  1. "Im Nin'alu" (English Mix) (Aloni, Ashdot, Shabazi) - 3:29
  2. "Eshal" (Aloni, Haza) - 3:57
  3. "Da'ale Da'ale" (Aloni, Haza) - 3:23
  4. "My Aching Heart" (Ashdot, Barak, Haza) - 5:47
  5. "Love Song" (Aloni, Traditional) - 2:27
  6. "Galbi" (Aloni, Amram) - 3:13
  7. "Face to Face" (Aloni, Haza) - 4:52
  8. "Take Me to Paradise" (Barak, Haza) - 4:48
  9. "Shaday" (Aloni, Haza) - 5:40
  10. "Galbi" (The Sehoog Mix) (Aloni, Haza) - 5:04

Charts

Chart (1988) Peak
position
US Billboard 200 130

Personnel

Production

References