Hallelujah was the Israeli entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1979 in Jerusalem performed by Gali Atari & Milk and Honey. The song itself contains three key changes after the first section and grows in intensity as it goes on with Gali singing the first verse solo and the remaining members of the group coming in one by one.
It was performed 10th on the night following Germany and preceding France, and got one of the loudest ovations of the night at the end of the performance.
Going into the final jury verdict, the song was trailing by one point to Spain's Betty Missiego 116-115. Interestingly enough, it was the Spanish jury left to decide the outcome. They gave 10 points and the victory to Israel, causing their own defeat and giving Israel not only its second win with 125 points, but also a successful title defense on home ground - the third winning song to do so behind Vivo Cantando and Tu Te Reconnaîtras.
The group recorded English, French and German versions along with the original Hebrew and was a success in many European countries. It remains a Eurovision classic and has become a modern Jewish standard, the song was also performed by the artists participating in the 1999 contest as a tribute to the victims of the Balkan War.
The song was later covered by Gali along with Måns Zelmerlöw, Eleni Foureira, Verka Serduchka and Conchita Wurst during the "Switch Song" interval act in the grand final of the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv. A year later, she performed it with a group of participants from the 2018 and 2019 Dutch Junior Eurovision selections as part of the Europe Shine a Light special, performing the song in Hebrew, English and Dutch.
Lyrics[]
Hallelujah la'olam
Hallelujah, yashiru kulam
Bemila achat bodeda
Halev male bahamon toda
Veholem gam hu: eize olam nifla
Hallelujah im hashir
Hallelujah al yom sheme'ir
Hallelujah al ma shehaya
Uma she'od lo haya
Hallelujah
Hallelujah la'olam
Hallelujah, yashiru kulam
Veha'inbalim hagdolim
Yehadhedu bahamon tslilim
Ve'itanu hem yomru Hallelujah
Hallelujah im hashir
Hallelujah al yom sheme'ir
Hallelujah al ma shehaya
Uma she'od lo haya
Hallelujah
Hallelujah al hakol
Halelu al machar ve'etmol
Hallelujah utnu yad beyad
Veshiru milev echad
Hallelujah
Hallelujah im hashir
Hallelujah al yom sheme'ir
Hallelujah al ma shehaya
Uma she'od lo haya
Hallelujah
Hallelujah al ma shehaya
Uma she'od lo haya
Hallelujah
Hallelujah to the world
Hallelujah, everyone will sing
With one single word
The heart is filled with much gratitude
And it also pounds: what a wonderful world
Hallelujah with the song
Hallelujah for a day that shines
Hallelujah for all that has been
And all that is yet to come
Hallelujah
Hallelujah to the world
Hallelujah, everyone will sing
And the great bells
Will echo with many sounds
And with us they will say Hallelujah
Hallelujah with the song
Hallelujah for a day that shines
Hallelujah for all that has been
And all that is yet to come
Hallelujah
Hallelujah for everything
Praise tomorrow and yesterday
Hallelujah and hold each other's hands
And sing from one heart
Hallelujah
Hallelujah with the song
Hallelujah for a day that shines
Hallelujah for all that has been
And all that is yet to come
Hallelujah
Hallelujah for all that has been
And all that is yet to come
Hallelujah
| Eurovision Song Contest 1979 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Participants | |||
 Manuela Bravo •  Matia Bazar •  Tommy Seebach •  Cathal Dunne •  Katri Helena •  Laurent Vaguener •  Elpida •  Peter, Sue & Marc ft. Pfuri, Gnorps & Kniri •  Dschinghis Khan •  Gali Atari & Milk and Honey •  Anne Marie David •  Micah Marah •  Jeane Manson •  Xandra •  Ted Gärdestad •  Anita Skorgan •  Black Lace •  Christina Simon •  Betty Missiego
| |||
| Songs | |||
| Sobe, sobe, balão sobe • Raggio di luna • Disco Tango • Happy Man • Katson sineen taivaan • Notre vie c'est la musique • Sokrati • Trödler und Co • Dschinghis Khan • Hallelujah • Je Suis L'Enfant Soleil • Hey Nana • J'ai déjà vu ça dans tes yeux • Colorado • Satellit • Oliver • Mary Ann • Heute in Jerusalem • Su canción
| |||
Videos[]
Gali Atari & Junior Eurovision kids - Hallelujah - Eurovision- Europe Shine A Light
1979 Eurovision Israel - Gali Atari & Milk & Honey - Hallelujah HQ