Atur Mitzchech

Atur Mitzchech (also known as ''Atur Mitzchech Zahav Shachor'' after its opening line) is an Israeli song considered a classic in Israeli music. The lyrics, written about unrequited love, were written by poet and actor Avraham Halfi, and the music was composed by musician Yoni Rechter. The original and most well-known performance of the song is by singer Arik Einstein.

Words

The song was written by poet Avraham Halfi in the late 1950s. It portrays romantic love between a man and a woman in various ways, sometimes depicting a relationship between partners who live together and may be married (e.g., “Put on your pink robe for the night, I will soon come to you”), and at other times presenting unattainable love (e.g., “But for whom you will be, life will be filled with song”).

In his words to his beloved, the author uses two figurative devices:

1. Metaphor: Describing the woman's black and delicate hair as "black gold" adorning her forehead, as a representation of her overall beauty ("Your forehead is adorned with black gold").
2. Metonymy: Referring to the woman through her clothing, rather than directly describing her body ("Your pink robe is soft and fluffy").

Some interpret parts of the song ("My soul dwells within the walls of your home, and is captive between your walls, separated from me while I am physically apart from you") as a monologue of a devoted lover expressing his loneliness. In this view, he is a "third wheel" in a love triangle, condemned to observe his beloved from a distance.

Inspiration

In 2011, it was reported that the inspiration for the song was Zohara Berlinski, a Tel Aviv socialite and wife of actor Ze'ev Berlinski, with whom the poet Abraham Halfi was acquainted. According to the report, Halfi fell in love with Berlinski and wrote the song for her, although he never acted on his feelings. In a News 10 interview, family members presented photographs of Berlinski and her gravestone at the Menucha Nechona cemetery in Kfar Saba, where, at her request, the song's lyrics were inscribed. Halfi kept the woman's identity secret but admitted to being in love with another and even wrote about his feelings for his friend's wife in the song "Asher Tayal Imach" ("Women who saw me pointed out: Here is one in love with his friend's wife"). This song, also composed by Yoni Rechter and performed by Arik Einstein on the album "Songs of Abraham Halfi," contains several references to Berlinski, including mentions of her black hair and name. However, there are also claims that the beloved was Sarah Foxman, later known as S.T.

Composition

In the 1970s, the song was composed by Yoni Rechter and first released in 1977 on Arik Einstein's album Eretz Yisrael HaYeshanah VeHaTovah, Part 3. The album featured refreshed versions of well-known Hebrew songs, with "Atur Mitzchech" (titled "Atur Mitzchech Zahav Shachor" on the album) being one of only two new tracks included. The backing vocals were performed by singers Korin Allal (high vocals) and Yehudit Ravitz (low vocals), while Avner Kanner conducted the orchestra, with Rechter playing the piano.

Arik Einstein shared that the work on the song took several months, involving close collaboration between him and Yoni Rechter. Rechter, who was solely responsible for the song's composition, recounted in an interview that while he did compose the piece himself, he struggled with setting the line "את אוהבת להיות עצובה ושותקת" ("You love to be sad and silent") to music. Einstein suggested breaking down each word individually, with brief pauses between them, which helped resolve the issue.

Other performances

Yoni Rechter performed the song with Yehudit Ravitz as part of the 1979 concert and album "באופן קבוע וחד פעמי" ("Permanently and Uniquely").

Israeli rock band Kaveret performed an upbeat version of the first verse of "עטור מצחך" as part of a medley titled "כוורת און 45" ("Kaveret On 45"), which features six songs representing each member of the band. This version was included in the live albums "כוורת - הופעה חיה, קיץ 1984" ("Kaveret - Live Performance, Summer 1984") and "כוורת בפארק" ("Kaveret in the Park") from their 1998 reunion show. During the 1990 reunion concerts, Kaveret performed the full song with members sharing vocal duties, and the performance was documented in the film "כוורת - תמונות מחיי להקה" ("Kaveret - Band Life in Pictures").

In 1988, the song was included in the album "משירי אברהם חלפי" ("From the Songs of Abraham Halfi") by Einstein and Rachter, with some minor arrangement changes. One significant change occurred in the line "לא נזיר מתפלל לדמותו של מלאך" ("No monk prays to the image of an angel"), which in the original recording was sung by Einstein, Alal, and Ravitz. In the second recording, however, it was performed only by Alal and Ravitz. According to Einstein, this arrangement choice gives this part of the song the effect of a dialogue between him and the backing vocalists.

Ravitz performed the song solo in the 1991 show "העיקר זה הרומנטיקה" ("The Main Thing is Romance"), an evening dedicated to the songs of Yoni Rechter. She also performed it in two similar events at the Beit Lessin Theater about twenty years later, including the first during the Piano Festival 2010. Additionally, Rachter and Rivits reunited to perform the song during Ravitz' "באה מאהבה 2008" ("Came from Love 2008") concerts in Caesarea in the summer of 2008.

Aviv Geffen performed the song in a television special featuring the songs of Yoni Rechter, the Gevatron, and Ishay Levi.

In 2021, the song was performed by Israeli rapper Dudu Faruk as part of the Galei Tzahal web series "What Would Have Happened If". This rendition, styled in the rapper's musical approach, reflects the background of the song's creation, with the rapper portrayed in the video as a man opposing his beloved's marriage.

New arrangements

Yonatan Razel arranged the song for a tribute concert by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra to the works of Yoni Rechter. The arrangement was performed by Eviatar Banai and Razel himself.

Influenced by

Singer Aya Korem included a song titled "Gold Black" in her album "Foreign Language," which she wrote as a female response to the song "Atur Mitzchech." Yoni Rechter composed the music for it at her request. That same year, Korem also performed the song during the special broadcast for the "Song of the Sixty" selection, celebrating the 60th Independence Day of Israel. Her performance of the song was featured in the compilation album "The Soundtrack of the State."

Chart success

The song "Atur Mitzchech" achieved significant recognition over the years:

• It reached third place in the Hebrew song charts on Radio G and Army Radio in 1978.
• In 2004, it was voted the most beloved Israeli love song in a readers' poll on the Ynet website.
• It placed 24th in the "Song of the 60" chart on Army Radio in 2008, celebrating Israel's 60th Independence Day.
• The song topped the list in a survey of the most beloved songs of Arik Einstein for his 70th birthday in 2009.
• It also reached first place in the "Israeli Song" chart on Radio Tel Aviv for Israel's 63rd Independence Day in 2011.
• In 2014, it was voted first in the Arik Einstein song chart by ynet and local radio networks, a few months after Einstein's passing.

The song was also selected one of the best Israeli songs of all time by multiple Israeli musicians including Daniel Salomon, Bet HaBubot, Guy Mazig, Hatikva 6, Nitzan Horesh, Keren Peles, Shlomit Aharon and Shmulik Noyfeld.