This song was voted the most popular children’s song of all time in Israel. Legendary singer and songwriter Uzi Hitman wrote it in 1977.

The son of a Holocaust survivor, Hitman was born in Israel in 1958 and died in 2004. His father was cantor in a local synagogue, but Uzi chose a secular life. Even so, his lyrics were heavily influenced by the melodies and prayers he heard at home, as well as by pop and rock music.

“I Wanted You to Know” tells the tale of a child turning to God. In fact, the song is widely known in Israel simply as Elohim Sheli, or “My God.” It represents the dream of all children to live in peace. The child in the song is dreaming two dreams, one about an angel and the other about a sailor. It is a play on words, because angel is mal’ach in Hebrew, while the word for sailor is malach. Both tell the child that there will be peace on earth. The angel comes from the sky, and the sailor from the sea, demonstrating...

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