Tfila (Ofra Haza song)

Tfila (Hebrew: תפילה, lit. 'prayer') is a song by Israeli singer-songwriter Ofra Haza. It was released in July 1981 as a single from her second album, Bo Nedaber (Let's Talk).^[1][2] The lyrics were written by Bezalel Aloni, and the music was composed and produced by Henry Barter.^[2]

With time, the song became a valuable cultural asset in Israel. The song has dozens of cover versions and remixes.^[3]

The song reached number one on the Reshet Gimel chart,^[4] and number seven on the Reshet Gimel yearly chart.^[5]

Aloni, who wrote the lyrics, recalls that one day Barter, then a new immigrant from France who barely spoke Hebrew, came to his home at Yad Eliyahu with a guitar. They sat on the porch, Barter played a melody he had created on the bus ride from Netanya. After he left, Aloni hummed the melody to himself and wrote the lyrics. They went to the studio and recorded the song.^[2]

Barter remembers he had only been in Israel for a month and didn't know Hebrew. He sent sketches to the record company Phonokol, which liked them and suggested he write a song for Haza. Later, a government representative invited Haza and Aloni to perform at the Mediterranean Festival in Portugal. Upon returning, Aloni decided to rename the song to "Tfila."^[2]

The solo was played by Borochov.^[6]

In 1984, a Hungarian version of the song became a hit in Hungary, leading to a legal battle over plagiarism.^[2]

The song reached #1 on the Reshet Gimel chart,^[7] and #7 on the Reshet Gimel yearly chart.^[5]