Seven New Hanukkah Songs for Eight Nights of Hanukkah

We are almost half-way through Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights. Since Christmas Eve, families have been gathering around the menorah, adding a new candle every night to remind us of the miracle of the oil and to remember the miraculous ways in which we have been able to keep Jewish tradition alive for thousands of years.

Many compare the festival of Hanukkah to that of Christmas. After all, it comes around the same time and has become a gift-giving holiday over the years. But unlike Christmas, you don’t hear many songs about the holiday on the radio. Sure, you have Adam Sandler’s “Chanukkah Song” and the couple of songs the Barenaked Ladies recorded for their holiday album years ago, but it’s just not as popular.

However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t songs being made about Hanukkah. Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island's music outlet, has rounded up seven new Hanukkah songs that were released this year. From the a cappella parodies people have come to expect to completely original melodies, these songs are sure to make the holiday special for the rest of those eight nights.

1.       The Maccabeats, “Hasmonean”: A Hamilton Hanukkah”: The Maccabeats aren’t the only a cappella group to do a Hamilton parody this year; Six13 did one as well, and performed it for the President no less. Both tell the story of Hanukkah and the Maccabees, but The Maccabeats did it better. It has more melody and more flow, and just makes more sense in general. (video)

2.       Shir Soul, “Hanukkah Oh Hanukkah”: For this year’s holiday, Shir Soul decided to imitate Pentatonix in their video for Hanukkah mash-up “Hanukkah Oh Hanukkah.” They bookend the track with the classic title song, giving it a pretty well-rounded feel. The group also tosses in other holiday classics “S’vivon” (Dreydel) and “Al Hanisim,” sung very traditionally, as well as Pink’s “Just Like Fire,” which is not a holiday song, but goes really well with the theme. (video)

3.       Nefesh Mountain, “The Hanukkah Dance”: Believe it or not, this is a cover of a Woodie Guthrie song. Guthrie related to Jewish culture and spent a lot of time collaborating with his Jewish mother-in-law. On the whole, the cover stays true to the folk-y original, albeit with more instrumentation. The band also released a cover of Guthrie’s “Hanukkah Flame,” which is a more subdued song. (video)

4.       Y-Studs, “Don’t Let Me Down”: Y-Studs chose to parody arguably the most talked about group of the year, The Chainsmokers, for their Hanukkah inspiration. The a cappella group chose to make it a partial plea to G-d as much as a song about the holiday. It ends up being less in-your-face than most of the parodies you find, which is a good thing. (video)

5.       Kyra Goldman, “Nes Gadol Haya Sham”: Now we get into original songs with Kyra Goldman, whose “Nes Gadol Haya Sham” (A Miracle Happened There) uses light as a reflection of self and as a people. She asks people not to lose the light in them this holiday so that others can see the light in all of us. It’s very catchy and very well done. (video)

6.       Strange Eventful History, “One Night of Hanukkah”: This piano-driven, show tune-inspired song takes a stab at the once-in-30-year coincidence of the first night of Hanukkah falling on Christmas. In a way, it feels like only one night of Hanukkah matters this year because Christmas is a more popular holiday in this country. It is a great concept for a song. (video)

7.       Julie Geller, “Rekindle the Light”: This song uses the Hanukkah lights as a metaphor for “rekindling the light from within.” She sings about not letting the outside world stop you from being you. Geller has this soothing voice that makes it easy to listen to her and the message of hope her music talks about.  (video)

While Hanukkah may fall in Christmas’ shadow in terms of public celebrations, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t music being produced for the holiday. Hopefully these seven songs have helped get you into the Hanukkah spirit.

Still looking for Hanukkah presents for the music lover in your life? Records make great gifts! Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s top new independent record shop has thousands of new and used titles to choose from on vinyl, CD, cassette, DVD and more, as well as memorabilia of all kinds. Shop in-store or online at vinylbay777.com!