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A-Ba-Ni-Bi was the Israeli entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1978 in Paris performed by Izhar Cohen & Alpha Beta. It is an upbeat disco-style song that talks about how children relate to love - the title itself is sung in the Bet language, a children's language game where each syllable of the word is repeated with a bet replacing the consonant. It is also one of the few songs that ends directly after a key change.

It is often a subject of mistaken lyrics among Eurovision fans, many believe that the line "a-ba-ni-bi o-bo-he-be-v" sounds like "I want to be a polar bear".

It was performed 18th on the night following Luxembourg and preceding Austria. At the close of voting, it was declared the winner with 157 points, giving Israel its first victory. Nurit Hirsh also made history by becoming the first (and only) female conductor to win the contest.

Lyrics[]

A-ba-ni-bi o-bo-he-bev
A-ba-ni-bi o-bo-he-bev o-bo-ta-bach
A-ba-ni-bi o-bo-he-bev
A-ba-ni-bi o-bo-he-bev o-bo-ta-bach
A-ba-ni-bi o-bo-he-bev
O-bo-he-bev o-bo-ta-bach

Keshehayinu yeladim
Ahavnu besodei sodot
El mi hayinu nechmadim?
Rak ledodim uledodot

Vehabanot hamiskenot savlu
Hametukot, hen rak makot kiblu
Ve'et ma shehirgashnu be'emet
Lachashnu rak bisfat haBet

A-ba-ni-bi o-bo-he-bev
A-ba-ni-bi o-bo-he-bev o-bo-ta-bach
A-ba-ni-bi o-bo-he-bev
A-ba-ni-bi o-bo-he-bev o-bo-ta-bach

Ahava hi mila yafa
Hi tfila yafa, hi safa
Ahava hi elai tova
Hi tamid titgaber
Ubisfat ahava nedaber

A-ba-ni-bi o-bo-he-bev
A-ba-ni-bi o-bo-he-bev o-bo-ta-bach
A-ba-ni-bi o-bo-he-bev
A-ba-ni-bi o-bo-he-bev o-bo-ta-bach

Ani cholem vekam shalosh milim
Umahu ha'olam? – Shalosh milim
Veze ma she'ani margish ka'et
Mamash kmo az, bisfat haBet

A-ba-ni-bi o-bo-he-bev
A-ba-ni-bi o-bo-he-bev o-bo-ta-bach
A-ba-ni-bi o-bo-he-bev
A-ba-ni-bi o-bo-he-bev o-bo-ta-bach

A-ba-ni-bi o-bo-he-bev
A-ba-ni-bi o-bo-he-bev o-bo-ta-bach
A-ba-ni-bi o-bo-he-bev
A-ba-ni-bi o-bo-he-bev o-bo-ta-bach

A-ba-ni-bi o-bo-he-bev
A-ba-ni-bi o-bo-he-bev o-bo-ta-bach

I love
I love you
I love
I love you
I love
Love you

When we were children
We would love in secret
Who were we nice to?
Only to uncles and aunts

And the poor girls suffered
Those sweethearts, they'd just get beaten up
And what we really felt
We whispered only in the Bet language

I love
I love you
I love
I love you

Love is a beautiful word
It's a wonderous prayer, it's a language
Love is good to me
It will always overcome
And we shall speak in a language of love

I love
I love you
I love
I love you

I dream and I wake up to three words
And what is the world? – Three words
And that is how I feel now
Just like back then, in the Bet language

I love
I love you
I love
I love you

I love
I love you
I love
I love you

I love
I love you

Eurovision Song Contest 1978
Participants
Flag of IrelandColm WilkinsonFlag of NorwayJahn TeigenFlag of ItalyRicchi e PoveriFlag of FinlandSeija SimolaFlag of PortugalGeminiFlag of FranceJoël PrévostFlag of SpainJosé VélezFlag of United KingdomCo-CoFlag of SwitzerlandCarol VinciFlag of BelgiumJean ValléeFlag of The NetherlandsHarmonyFlag of TurkeyNilüfer & NazarFlag of GermanyIreen SheerFlag of MonacoCaline & Olivier ToussaintFlag of GreeceTania TsanaklidouFlag of DenmarkMabelFlag of LuxembourgBaccaraFlag of IsraelIzhar Cohen & Alpha BetaFlag of AustriaSpringtimeFlag of SwedenBjörn Skifs
Songs
Flag of IrelandBorn to SingFlag of NorwayMil Etter MilFlag of ItalyQuesto amoreFlag of FinlandAnna rakkaudelle tilaisuusFlag of PortugalDa li douFlag of FranceIl y aura toujours des violonsFlag of SpainBailamos un valsFlag of United KingdomBad Old DaysFlag of SwitzerlandVivreFlag of BelgiumL'amour ça fait chanter la vieFlag of The Netherlands't Is OKFlag of TurkeySevinceFlag of GermanyFeuerFlag of MonacoLes jardins de MonacoFlag of GreeceCharlie ChaplinFlag of DenmarkBoom BoomFlag of LuxembourgParlez-vous français?Flag of IsraelA-Ba-Ni-BiFlag of AustriaMrs. Caroline RobinsonFlag of SwedenDet blir alltid värre framåt natten
Eurovision Song Contest
Editions
195619571958195919601961196219631964196519661967196819691970197119721973197419751976197719781979198019811982198319841985198619871988198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
Countries
AlbaniaAndorraArmeniaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBelarusBelgiumBosnia and HerzegovinaBulgariaCroatiaCyprusCzechiaDenmarkEstoniaFinlandFranceGeorgiaGermanyGreeceHungaryIcelandIrelandIsraelItalyLatviaLithuaniaLuxembourgMaltaMoldovaMonacoMontenegroMoroccoThe NetherlandsNorth MacedoniaNorwayPolandPortugalRomaniaRussiaSan MarinoSerbiaSerbia and MontenegroSlovakiaSloveniaSpainSwedenSwitzerlandTurkeyUnited KingdomUkraineYugoslavia
Winning Songs
RefrainNet Als ToenDors, mon amourEen beetjeTom PillibiNous les amoureuxUn premier amourDanseviseNon ho l'etàPoupée de Cire, Poupée de SonMerci, ChériePuppet on a StringLa, La, LaBoom Bang-a-BangVivo CantandoUn jour, un enfantDe TroubadourAll Kinds of EverythingUn banc, un arbre, une rueAprès ToiTu Te ReconnaîtrasWaterlooDing-a-DongSave Your Kisses For MeL'Oiseau et l'enfantA-Ba-Ni-BiHallelujahWhat's Another YearMaking Your Mind UpEin bißchen FriedenSi la vie est cadeauDiggiloo DiggileyLa Det SwingeJ'aime La VieHold Me NowNe Partez Pas Sans MoiRock MeInsieme: 1992Fångad av en stormvindWhy Me?In Your EyesRock 'n' Roll KidsNocturneThe VoiceLove Shine a LightDivaTake Me To Your HeavenFly on the Wings of LoveEverybodyI WannaEveryway That I CanWild DancesMy Number OneHard Rock HallelujahMolitvaBelieveFairytaleSatelliteRunning ScaredEuphoriaOnly TeardropsRise Like a PhoenixHeroes1944Amar pelos doisToyArcadeZitti e buoniStefaniaTattoo
Specials
Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song ContestEurovision's Greatest HitsEurope Shine a Light
Aspects of Eurovision
CommentatorEuroClubEurovision VillageExecutive SupervisorFlag ParadeGrand PrixGreen RoomHead of DelegationInterval ActNational FinalNational JuryOfficial RulesOpening CeremonyPre-PartiesPre-Song PostcardsReference GroupRest of the World VoteRunning Order DrawSemi-FinalsScoreboardSpokespersonTelevotingVoting Systems
Miscellaneous
Big FiveCurse of 43Curse of Number TwoCurse of GreenDouze Points!ESCRadio AwardsESC Top 250Eurovision AgainEurovision National BroadcastersEurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire SagaFounding SevenLGBT visibilityLynda WoodruffMarcel Bezençon AwardsNul PointsOGAERecordsStand-insThe Reorder BoardTie SituationTop Scoring SongsVoting DiasporaWinner's CurseWithdrawn SongsYou're a Vision Award

Videos[]

Israel_-_A_Ba_Ni_Bi_(ESC_1978)

Israel - A Ba Ni Bi (ESC 1978)

Abanibi_-_א-ב-ני-בי_-_Israel_1978_-_Eurovision_songs_with_live_orchestra

Abanibi - א-ב-ני-בי - Israel 1978 - Eurovision songs with live orchestra

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