Yehuda Poliker's 9th solo album is probably my favorite. It was released in 2001 and contains 10 songs, lasting 45:43.
They are all pop-rock songs, and in Hebrew.
Poliker mixes personal experience-based lyrics, as well as sociopolitical commentary, and uses many allegories and poetic wordings.
The title of the album :
In Hebrew, Eich Korim Le'Ahava Sheli ? literally meaning "how do they call my love?", doesn't ask how the person he'd love is called, but rather how do people define his love - with the sociopolitical subtexts of societal views on his homosexuality.
The album can be found on international websites such as amazon under various titles, such as
what my love is called
Ahava sheli
Eich Korim Le'Ahava Sheli or Eich Korim La'Ahava Sheli (mostly to download the title-track, though!)
The tracks : English transliteration and (translation)
- Eich Korim La'Ahava Sheli (What is my love called ?)
- Jinji (Redhead)
- Betoch Hapkak Haeinsofi (In the Endless Traffic-Jam)
- Million Pchadim ( A million fears)
- Lo Matok Shel Af Echad (Not anyone's sweetheart)
- Kol Paam Sh'omrim (Every time they say)
- Po Vesham Be'erets Ben Gurion (Here and there in Ben Gurion's country)
- Ze Lo HaSof (It's not the End)
- Im Yesh Od Chalom (If there another dream)
- Haemet Sheshachachnu (The truth we forgot)
Before I explain about these songs, if you want to listen, the playlist I made contains the only 7 songs that I could find from the album. I couldn't get track 3, and the closest sound of that song was a live version (there was a remix of it too but it doesn't respect the original sounds, and am not sure if it's an official authorises one or not).
My playlist doesn't have tracks 4, 6 & 10.
This website allows you to listen to 30 second excepts. Of all 10 tracks.
Track 1 addresses an end of relationship situation, describing how life has been lately and musing on despair and hope. It uses allegories such as the ending part "If a storm is a song of the wind, what melody is there for hope?"
Track 2, Jinji uses freckles and the visibility of bright redhead as metaphors, telling society that this person is gay and has always been and how could you miss all the signs for it, which are as plainly visible as freckles and redhead? It discusses also all those anxious moments of a person who is different, tossing and turning in bed, with butterflies in the stomach and other such metaphors. The power of the lyrics are that it could be about any kind of difference, and never clearly states homosexuality, although the subtext is there.
Track 3, He's stuck in an endless traffic jam, is irritable and tired of waiting, whilst listening to the radio, and the repeated news of world events, intermingled with commercial slogans and unpredictability of what's next.
Track 4 in a Million Fears, the narrator (presumed Poliker himself) asks about the nature of his fears, and relationship to his father. The ending is particularly evocative what the hell scares me, and what scares you? Demons in my head, they are memories of you. It's difficult to forget, I resemble you".
Track 5, Not anyone's sweetheart, returns to an end of relationship topic, where he's not anyone's sweetheart anymore, as they packed 6 years of relationship in just 2 hours, and now each goes on their separate ways, whilst wondering if he'll ever forget their "could have been" and if he doesn't dream life as if it were a movie...
Track 6, continues this separation, and raises pessimistic views on how each meeting is a separation by its very nature ; How each victory includes its own defeat ; and other such end of relationship alternation of small and big desperation. It also addresses memories and end of cycle as after the end, they must continue forward.
In Track 7 the narrator (again I assume Poliker himself) recollects how he and his buddy were brats in their school days, and how he continues to grow old, whilst his bestie remains forever young because he died, and everything else, including politics, only worsened since their youth. ( Ben Gurion was Israel's first prime minister, back in 1948).
Track 8 is a bit more ambivalent. Is it about the end of relationship like several previous songs? Or about recollecting a person he loved (lover, best friend or father?). The doubts aren't dispelled in the lyrics which include, among others, "maybe we'll meet in a dream, at the end of the day", but also "I'm sorry If i'm bothering you, it's only because of so much longing" and "if you feel lonely, call me, anytime anywhere", but either case, it"s "not the end, it only finished abruptly".
Track 9's other dream is that of a new relationship, if it starts, may it not end. If there is another dream that we can touch (metaphor for reaching, evidently), then maybe we'll find calmer, relaxing quiet days, a house and cats, and we'll find what we'd lost.
Track 10 Reminds of the truth in them, are the lies about them ; the doubts whether to be together or alone. But, as he urges his lover, "let's not die on this, there is love for everyone in the world", with huge LGBTQ overtones and subtext of there is no need for us to fall dead because of our love.
The album alternates really nicely between quieter and more rhythmic songs, pop/rock sounds of Poliker's guitars and melodies that he wrote fully for the album, and co-wrote all lyrics with Yaakov Gilaad, his musical partner of many years, with exceptions of track 6, whose lyrics were by Yankale Rotblit.
I love the flow from each track to the next, in melodies and topics, and this is definitely one of the best albums I've ever heard in my life. I listen to it very frequently at home, on Hi-Fi or boombox when I wash dishes, and on headphones (on PC or when out with my phone).
Instuments:
guitar, bouzouki and keyboard (Poliker).
Other keyboard : Dovi Engler and Gil Feldman,
Bass : Avi Yfrach,
Drums : Asher Pedi
Tambourine, Timbales : Oren Balaban
Vocals:
Yehuda Poliker on all songs.
Backing vocals :
Poliker, and Guy Yaffe on track 2
Cover illustration : Dan Tapuach
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