Christmas is over, and even as a Jew, I will miss the music terribly. And yes, it does take over a good deal of my Spotify during the holiday season. Part of this is because Christmas songs are ridiculously catchy and quintessential feel-good music, but also because most Hanukkah music isn’t available on Spotify. However, this is not due to a lack of creative and upbeat Hanukkah music. In recent years, so many incredible Jewish a cappella groups have been making INCREDIBLE Hanukkah parodies to popular songs and it’s time everyone knows about them! So, here are some of my favorite Hanukkah songs/parodies!
1. Candlelight by the Maccabeats
This is definitely the first parody that I listened to on repeat and have sung along to for the longest! It is a parody of Taio Cruz’s “Dynamite,” and is definitely as catchy. In fact, I know every word to this one, and can no longer remember the words to the original.
2. Chanukah (Shake It Off) - Six13
The T-swift classic remade for Chanukah is pretty incredible and includes grown men in tutus! It’s just as catchy as the original, but with a Jewish spin!
3. Watch Me (Spin/Drey-Drey) - Six13
Silento and Drake meet Chanukah celebrations? This perfect mash-up of ‘Watch Me’ and ‘Hotline Bling’ tells the story of Chanukah and also is a much easier dance than the original (in my uncoordinated opinion).
4. All About That Neis - The Maccabeats
Also a super-catchy tune that tells that story of the miracle (news), that is the reason for celebrating Hanukkah!
5. Hamilton Hanukkah Galore!
Both Six13 and The Maccabeats have made fantastic parodies about Hanukkah through the music of Hamilton! Instead of just being addicted to the Hamilton soundtrack (and mixtape), now I can celebrate Hanukkah Hamilton-style!
Bonus: The Chanukah Song Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 - Adam Sandler
It would be impossible to have this list without mentioning Adam Sandler’s genius songs. He has made four over the years, each with a new list of Jews to make us Jewish kids feel like we’re not alone as we are surrounded by all the Christmas songs and cheer. Each one is utterly hilarious, and has informed me of a bunch of Jewish celebrities I didn’t know about! From his first part in 1994 to his most recent in 2015, Adam Sandler has provided all Jewish kids with a much-deserved song!
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