Hanukkah 2017: Eight New Songs for Eight Nights of Hanukkah

Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, starts at sundown tonight. A holiday filled with food, family and warmth, it is also a time for songs celebrating the time of year.

A lot of Jewish artists write songs specifically for the Hanukkah holiday. A cappella groups like Six13 and The Maccabeats release a new parody themed around it every year. Children’s music is also big for the holiday, as many of the traditions are geared towards including the young ones. Sometimes, artists even put out originals that bring holiday music to a new level.

In honor of the first night of Hanukkah, Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, is taking a look at some of the new holiday songs released for 2017. Here are eight new Hanukkah parodies, originals and kids songs, one for each holiday night.

1.       Six13, “A Nice Jewish Boy Band Chanukah”: Six13 take things back to the late 1990s boy band / girl group craze with their latest parody mash-up. The song starts out with the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way,” talking about the origin story of the holiday and the lights lasting eight nights. It then turns into *NSYNC’s “It’s Gonna Be Me” and the eights nights of gift giving. The last and most over-the-top, part (possibly of their entire career) is their parody of The Spice Girls’ “Wannabe” where they talk about frying latkes. (video)

2.       Y-Studs, “Rise Up”: Y-Studs took a different approach to Hanukkah this year, covering Andra Day’s “Rise Up.” The song and video take on all the anti-Semitism that has been plaguing our society over the decades, but especially in the last year or so.  Y-Studs mash it up with “Rock of Ages,” a traditional song sung during Hanukkah (though not exclusively Jewish) that talks about taking on our enemies and coming out on top with G-d’s help. (video)

3.       Ben Schwartz / ‘Dreamworks Home: For The Holidays’ Cast, “Eight Days of Latkes”: Technically, ‘Dreamworks Home: For The Holidays’ is a Christmas special. But one of the songs on its soundtrack is a Hanukkah rap about eating latkes. The lyrics are a little on the dumb side, but its harmless. Plus, it’s packed with enough Hebrew and Yiddish words and sayings that it almost sounds like they know what they’re talking about. (video)

4.       The Laurie Berkner Band, “Candle Chase”: Continuing on with the children’s songs, Laurie Berkner released a video for her cover of “Candle Chase.” Berkner makes the song her own, slowing it down even more and adding in hand claps. Perfect for if you don’t want another rendition of “The Dreidel Song.” (video)

5.       The Maccabeats, “Candles on the Sill”: The Maccabeats went sentimental with their Hanukkah parody this year. “Candles on the Sill” is a parody of Ed Sheeran’s “Castle on the Hill,” itself an emotional look back on the good old days (not to mention one of the most popular songs of the year). The song finds the band looking back at their ten years together and all the memories they have lighting the holiday candles. (video)

6.       8^th Day, “Miracle Of Light”: There are so few truly original Hanukkah songs that aren’t meant for children. But 8^th Day has come up with a catchy mix of rock and soul about being someone’s miracle. Perhaps it’s a bit more love song than candle-lighting song, but hey, Hanukkah can have its love connections too. (video)

7.       Hillel Lugo, “Nes Gadol”: The full song may not be released yet, but this 44-second clip is good enough that I’m putting it on this list. Half in English and half in Hebrew, “Nes Gadol” is a hoedown about the miracle of Hanukkah, complete with violins and a foot-stomping beat. (video)

8.       Reb Jonny, “Light It Up”: Reb Jonny’s “Light It Up” is an upbeat indie-rock jam about the miracle of Hanukkah.  It’s melody comes off as joyous as the holiday itself. (video)

Hanukkah wouldn’t be the same without music and song to make it even brighter. These new songs and parodies capture the history, traditions and warmth of the holiday in both fun and somber ways. Check them out and add them to your Hanukkah get-together playlist.

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