Jewish High Holiday Songs by Popular Artists

The Jewish High Holiday of Rosh Hashanah starts this weekend. A celebration of the Jewish New Year, the holiday begins a period of renewal and reflection leading up to the day of repentance, Yom Kippur.

While not abundant, there have been a few times where High Holiday themes have made their way into our popular culture, including music. There are even some popular artists who have taken the music of the holiday and made it their own.

Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, is taking a look at some of these traditional Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur songs that have made their way into popular music and culture. From early movies to dramatic renditions of classic tunes to popular riffs on traditional words, here are three songs to set the holiday tone.

1.       Leonard Cohen, “Who By Fire”: It’s not hard to find Jewish imagery in Leonard Cohen’s music. For instance, in “You Want It Darker,” he repeats the word “hineni” (“here I am”) over and over as if calling out to G-d about all the bad things that happen in the world. While “hineni” is a popular prayer on the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, it’s not the first time he’s pulled from these holidays’ prayers. In 1974 he released a song called “Who By Fire,” which riffs off the “Unetanneh Tokef,” a confessional prayer said during Yom Kippur. Cohen changes some of the words, making the language a bit more current and ending with the line “who shall I say is calling?” instead of the traditional “On Rosh Hashanah it is written, On Yom Kippur it is sealed.” (video)

2.       Barbra Streisand, “Avenu Malkainu”: Translated as “Our Father Our King,” Streisand released her rendition of traditional High Holiday hymn “Avenu Malkainu” in 1997.  Her version is very dramatic and grandiose, amp-ing up the feeling of begging for forgiveness during the time of renewal and repentance. (video)

3.       Al Jolson, “Kol Nidre”: Performed by Al Jolson in the 1927 version of ‘The Jazz Singer,’ “Kol Nidre” is the initiating prayer of Yom Kippur, performed during a special service the beginning evening of the holiday. The prayer asks G-d to dissolve all of our promises from the previous year to start the New Year with a clean slate. Jolson’s performance comes during a pivotal moment in the film where he takes over for his dying cantor father, leading his congregation during the ritual service. (video)

Though not as prevalent as the music of Christmas or even Hanukkah, there are still songs within popular culture that honor the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Check out the popular renditions of some traditional prayers and psalms above and have a happy and healthy new year.

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Find music from these artists and more at Vinyl Bay 777. As Long Island’s top new independent record shop, we have thousands to titles in a wide variety of genres to choose from. Browse our selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs, memorabilia and more in store at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.

Six Songs about Saying Sorry

The week between the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is a time of self-reflection. That time is usually marked by apologizing and forgiving one’s fellow wo/man for anything they may have done to cause them harm.

Music has often been an outlet with which people could express their feelings, including those of remorse and forgiveness. That is evidenced by the hundreds of songs written about regretting one’s decisions and feeling sorry about how they have affected others. Whether those “others” includes scorned lovers or mistreated friends, there is no doubt that there are many songs that sincerely (and not so sincerely) try to right the wrongs of the past.

Back in 2016, we published an article detailing some of our favorite songs about forgiveness and there are still plenty more that are just as sincere. In honor of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island's music outlet, has come back with another list of apology songs. Here are six more to help you say sorry to those you may have wronged.

1.       Hawthorne Heights, “Saying Sorry”: “Saying Sorry” depicts the song’s narrator and his significant other in the midst of a break-up. As the girl cries, the narrator feels so bad about how things ended and how he made her cry that he feels that he needs to apologize profusely. Hawthorne Heights, like many “screamo” bands from the mid-2000s, have this penchant for overly dramatic, impassioned pleas and this is one of the best.  (video)

2.       Hoobastank, “The Reason”: Bringing Hoobastank out of the realm of just boiling under hardcore, “The Reason” became a huge hit for the band in the early 2000s. Perhaps that’s in part due to the sincerity of the lyrics, which speak from the point of view of a man who knows they’ve messed up and is looking to change his ways, saying that his girl has given him a reason to do so. It could also partially be the song’s passionate melody, which swells with love, passion and the will to change. (video)

3.       Nirvana, “All Apologies”: The lyrics to “All Apologies” can be taken to mean a couple of different things. It can be a sarcastic blow to anyone who doesn’t like what he stands for. It can also be a self-defeating, all-encompassing apology for something he has done. For this one, he piles all the blame for what happened on his own shoulders, dealing with the shame and feeling the regret. (video)

4.       Blink-182, “I Miss You”: “I Miss You” deals with the fallout from a bad breakup, where the narrator is so obsessed with his girl that he misses and longs for her to come back. He begs for her forgiveness as he cannot bear to be away from her any longer. One of Blink-182’s more sincere songs, an early taste of the more mature sound that band would pick up later. (video)

5.       Outkast, “Ms. Jackson”: Some of the best and most sincere songs come from personal experiences. Such is the case with “Ms. Jackson,” Outkast’s break-out single, which was written as an apology to Erykah Badu, who Andre 3000 had a child with out of wedlock, and her mother. The song goes through the narrator confessing his deeds and how he wants to be in his kid’s life with the repetition of the hook reinforcing its sincerity. (video)

6.       Backstreet Boys, “Shape of My Heart”: Among all the swoon-worthy love songs, the Backstreet Boys also had one of the best apology songs of the early 2000s. “Shape of My Heart” finds the song’s narrator looking back on his life and realizing that he wasn’t being the kind of person he wanted to be. Because of this, he’s apologizing by telling her how he really feels in hopes that she will forgive him. The track goes well with the previous track off album ‘Black and Blue,’ “The Call,” which definitely warrants an apology. (video)

Music has often been used as a tool to convey one’s feelings of regret and apology, usually in hopes of forgiveness. The songs above sincerely attempt to right wrongs, in these cases from the perspective of a rueful lover. Check out these songs and let us know what songs you turn towards for saying “sorry” in the comments below.

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Find more music from these rueful artists and more at Vinyl Bay 777. As Long Island’s favorite new independent record shop, we have thousands of titles to choose from in a variety of genres. Browse our wide selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs, memorabilia and more in store at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.