Yelala Shel Chatul| יללה של חתול

Cat's Howl / Yelala Shel Chatul

Liner Notes, and how Adele is related?

This song started with the music long before any lyrics were set. It was built around a D Major chord with an alternating bassline - D, B, F#, G, F#, G, A - throughout the verses and the chorus. At the end of that sequence, I sustain a long E on the bass. It's a winding sentence, clearly brings to mind one of my absolute favorite albums of all time: Mingus by Joni Mitchell.

(author's note: on the album we transposed it up by one tone to E).

To break the pattern, there is an interlude in C Major after the first chorus. I always knew I wanted this part to be sung, not played by an instrument. The uncommon syllable "Ru" felt appropriate for the melody there - I felt it carried the right mix of warm masculinity and vulnerability that I wished to bring.

I didn't know what the lyrics would be yet, but I knew it was a heart-opener, big and wide.

Later, when I brought it to the studio, we nicknamed it the "Adele song" because I felt it had the potential for that big yet simple Adele vibe. Belting is not really my style, but I could easily imagine it sung larger than life. (So, Adele, if you're reading this by any chance, you are welcome to consider making a cover version).

The Lyrics

Cat's Howl (Yelala Shel Chatul) Lyrics & Music: Gidi Farhi

A cat’s howl. Voices of children

Sounds of a guitar from the seventies

What shall I cook tonight?

That is how it was before I knew you.

And with you, it is poetry and deep shades of red.

And gentle conversations about sensations, Dreams, and what is now

And a palette of intense emotions that come easily, without effort.

I always thought that to be moved I needed to sit on a rollercoaster, and scream with all my might, full throat.

You showed me how, with a glance, one carves a tunnel through a mountain, and how a soft whisper and a tear - And I am among the clouds.

Wandering words, trying to paint pieces of life. Seeking to relive The space between things.

Secretly, I study your movements, you might already noticed - And got used to my loving gaze.

Love Blooms again in its full might. Revealing layers that you buried, that you forgot. Take it. A hand reaching out to you, Inviting, delicate. Come to me, Come home.

They say there is love, And it will find you. I don't know how to say how or what... I have been graced... What the sunset brings with it...

Love Blooms again in its full might. Revealing layers that you buried, that you forgot. Take it. A hand reaching out to you, Inviting, delicate. Come to me, Come home

יללה של חתול

מילים ולחן: גידי פרחי

יללה של חתול, קולות ילדים

צלילים של גיטרה משנות השבעים

מה אבשל הערב?

כך זה היה לפני שהכרתי אותך.

ואיתך זה שירה וגוונים עמוקים של אדום

ושיחות עדינות על תחושות חלומות

ומה שעכשיו

ופאלט רגשות עזים שבאים בקלות

ללא מאמץ

תמיד חשבתי שכדי להתרגש אני צריך לשבת ברכבת הרים

ולצעוק בכל הכח מלוא גרון

את הראית לי איך במבט

חוצבים מנהרה דרך הר

ואיך לחישה רכה ודמעה

ואני בין עננים

מילים נודדות מנסות לצייר פיסות של חיים

מבקשות לחיות מחדש את הרווח שבין הדברים.

בסתר אני לומד את תנועותיך אולי כבר שמת לב

והתרגלת למבטי האוהב

אהבה שוב פורחת במלוא אונה

מגלה נדבכים שקברת, ששכחת

קח אותה, יד מושטת לעברך

מזמינה ענוגה, בוא אליי, בוא הביתה

אומרים יש אהבה והיא תמצא אותך

לא יודע לומר איך ומה... זכיתי...

מה השקיעה מביאה איתה...

אהבה שוב פורחת במלוא אונה

מגלה נדבכים שקברת, ששכחת

קח אותה, יד מושטת לעברך

מזמינה ענוגה, בוא אליי, בוא הביתה

In my journal entry for the first single, "Erev Sof Horef," I described a relationship I was in shortly after my divorce - one that comforted me but wasn't emotionally fulfilling. In the years that followed, I was chasing connection, chasing love, as if my identity and well-being depended on it. It brought me to places that were not nourishing.

It took me several years to wake up and internalize that my happiness is not dependent on being with someone. Looking back, it sounds obvious, but I couldn't see it while I was trapped in the deeply rooted disbelief of ever finding peace. I remember the very specific day when the realization came and I told myself to stop doing that. Be grounded, find my alignment, focus on myself and my daughters. And so I did.

It took exactly nine months for the right love, the one I had actually been imagining, to arrive. And when it did, it was simple, natural, and without drama. It felt as if it had always been there.

Back to the song:

Initially, I had planned for this song to remain instrumental. But then, in a moment of inspiration, I wrote a poem. Not a song, not lyrics to a melody, just a few words about the simple course of things as they happen when you are aligned and grounded. It was about good love manifesting itself in mundane, everyday actions and gestures. It was about showing gratitude. I then tried to sing that poem on the composition I had - and it fitted perfectly.

You showed me how, with a glance, one carves a tunnel through a mountain, and how a soft whisper and a tear - And I am among the clouds.

I was deeply moved by the simplicity, the non-assuming nature, and the place of radical honesty where the song emerged without forcing any poetic drama. It’s a quality within myself that I don't often encounter, and honestly, it excited me.

The C-part - "Don't know how and what... I won..." - came to me out of that unexpected excitement. I wrote the lyrics down like a stuttering sentence, planning to polish them later. But the more I sang it, the more I knew it had to stay exactly as it was.

And why "sunset" (as in "What the sunset brings with it...")? one might ask. Usually, it is the sunrise that brings novelty. Not in this case. It was only when I allowed myself to sit in my feelings, drop the chase, and literally allow myself to sink into the sunset - trusting it - that I was able to undergo the transformation that made me ready to be reborn.

The Studio

As I wrote in my previous entry, we didn't rehearse for this album. I booked five consecutive days in the studio with the band so we could completely immerse ourselves in the creative process. It felt natural to start this track with the piano, and Danielle - as always - intuitively captured the raw sense and feel of it. Besides the immense talent she possesses, I always felt great special support as the only band member who actually understands the language and comes from the same cultural background as myself.

On this song, more than any other, I had the privilege of recording the vocals without playing an instrument, singing live in the room while the band played. Even though I was only singing a guide track (we had planned to overdub my voice later), we eventually used mostly that raw, live vocal performance. Yeah!

The Vinyl is Here

 I am incredibly proud to finally show you the face of my debut solo album, Shirei Sade.

I am so happy to bring this digital story into the physical world. The process of making this music has been long, and I know that this album deserves to exist as a physical object.

I’ve pressed 200 vinyl records of the full album, and they are sitting right here in my home in Berlin. The pre-sale is officially open. You can secure your copy through Bandcamp, or contact me directly.

Thank you once more for the shares, the responses, and the streams.

xx Gidi

°°° ° °°°

Credits

Danielle Friedman (Piano),

Nishad Pandey (Guitar),

Jooel Jons (Drums),

Gidi Farhi (Vocals & Bass).

Recording and Mixing: Alexander Folonari

Recording Assistant: Balazs Eberlein

Production: Alexander Folonari and Nishad Pandey @ Hochapannung Produktion

Master: Bernhard Range at Schaltgeraete Studios

Cover Design: Nadav Berkovits at nun.bet studio

Recorded in The Famous Gold Watch Studios, Berlin