"Ey Sham" was the Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

i entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1973

Eurovision Song Contest 1973

The Eurovision Song Contest 1973 was the eighteenth Eurovision Song Contest and was held in Luxembourg. The language rule forcing countries to enter songs sung in any of their national languages was dropped, so performers from some countries sang in English....

, performed in Hebrew

Hebrew language

Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...

 by Ilanit

Ilanit

Ilanit is a female Israeli singer who represented her country twice in the Eurovision Song Contest. In 1953 the family moved to Brazil and returned to Israel in 1960....

.

Composed and conducted by Nurit Hirsh

Nurit Hirsh

Nurit Hirsh is an Israeli composer, arranger and conductor who has written over a thousand Hebrew songs. -Biography:Nurit Hirsh studied at the Academy of Music in Tel Aviv, majoring in piano. She also studied composition with Mordecai Seter, orchestration with Noam Sheriff and conducting with ...

 and with lyrics by Ehud Manor

Ehud Manor

Ehud Manor was an Israeli songwriter, translator, and radio and TV personality.-Career:Manor began working for Israel radio in the 1960s, as a musical editor...

 (who would go on to write six more Israeli entries), the song is a dramatic ballad, with Ilanit singing about coming to the sudden realisation of what she must do with her lover. She suggests that they "go now", in the hope that "Somewhere – there together we'll find the garden/The garden of love". From the tone of the performance, it appears that this is a hope that the pair can be themselves without pressure from others.

This was Israel's debut Contest entry, and thus the first occasion on which a country from outside geographical Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 had competed in the Eurovision Song Contest

Eurovision Song Contest

The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...

. This apparent anomaly is explained by the fact the contest is open to all members of the European Broadcasting Union

European Broadcasting Union

The European Broadcasting Union is a confederation of 74 broadcasting organisations from 56 countries, and 49 associate broadcasters from a further 25...

, an organisation which extends beyond Europe.

The song was performed seventeenth on the night (following France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

's Martine Clémenceau

Martine Clémenceau

Martine Clémenceau is a French singer.She won the Yamaha Music Festival in 1971 with the song A jour l’amour. Then, she represented France in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1973 with Sans toi, taking the 15th place....

 with "Sans toi

Sans Toi

"Sans toi" was the French entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1973, performed in French by Martine Clémenceau....

"). At the close of voting, it had received 97 points, placing 4th in a field of 17, one of the stronger debuts in Contest history.

It was succeeded as Israeli representative

Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest

Although geographically not in Europe, Israel is within the European Broadcasting Area and can thus participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. Israel is a member of the European Broadcasting Union, and made its first appearance in 1973. Israel has participated in the contest 34 times, and has won...

 at the 1974 Contest

Eurovision Song Contest 1974

The Eurovision Song Contest 1974 was the 19th Eurovision Song Contest. It was held in the seaside resort of Brighton on the south coast of the United Kingdom...

 by Poogy

Kaveret

Kaveret , also known as Poogy , was an Israeli rock band in the mid-1970s that won much fame around the world for their often humorous songs and unique style of music. Their shows included many skits, among which are the Sipurey Poogy...

 with "Natati La Khayay

Natati La Khayay

"Natati La Khayay" was the Israeli entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1974, performed in Hebrew by Kaveret ....

".