Jewish Stereo Types

Me either. "It's Just Another New Year's Eve" by Barry Manilow and Marty Panzer, sung by Barry Manilow: Video posted by BarryManilowOfficial Okay, okay, Murphy Brown joke, whatever. But did you listen to the song? Because it's really good. Try listening to the same song sung by Lea Salonga: Video posted by LeaSalonga--Topic (Provided to YouTube by Sony Music Entertainment) It's really lovely. I've often heard it said that all Manilow's songs sound the same, but my theory is that he sings in a very stylized way and it's a strong enough style that the songs he sings sound more alike than different. Not that he doesn't have a distinctive music writing style--he does--but the songs on his albums that he didn't write sound as much like Barry Manilow as the ones he did. (This one is based on a Bach melody , even.) That's a neat trick. Besides, right about now, I find it really nice to hear someone sing "We've come throu

Okay, well, me either. (I don't do that, and if I did it would have been done a few month ago.) But apropos of making changes in a new year, here are Ian Axel and Chad King (otherwise known together as A Great Big World) singing their song "This is the New Year" on stage: Video posted by AGreatBigWorldVEVO Or if you prefer, here's the official video, which does not feel very "official" at all: Video posted by AGreatBigWorldVEVO That video is just joyous, isn't it? Apparently that was the point, according to the guys in a Reddit AMA . They were at a friend's holiday party when Lief Parton (another friend) came up with the idea, so they just filmed it there and then, using the partygoers present. In their words, "[W]e just wanted to capture pure, unscripted joy." In a 2014 Huffington Post interview , the two had this to say about the song: In 2008 we went to the most epic New Years party ever in the middle of nowhere, Pennsylvania.

"What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" by Frank Loesser, sung by The Orioles in the original 1949 recording: Video posted by MusicProf78 According to the Songfacts blog , this is the second most popular song for the end of the year, and it is the kind of ballad that is usually sung in a melancholy tone because the singer instinctively knows the answer (you're probably busy). So let's undercut the lyrics with this playful version sung by Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt: Video by HelloGiggles/Zooey Deschanel Maybe it's that they're clearly having so much fun, or maybe it's that it's a duet, but one way or another they clearly expect the answer to be, "Spending it with you, you idiot!" Deschanel's note is wrong about one thing, though--the original isn't by Nancy Wilson, whose recording of the song came out in 1965. "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" was written by Frank Loesser in 1947 as a stand-al

"The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" by Mel Tormé and Bob Wells, sung by Paul McCartney: Video by Paul McCartney And sung by Mel Tormé and Judy Garland, including the rarely-recorded opening verse: Video posted by BestArtsJudy "The Christmas Song," was written by Tormé and Wells when then were 19 and 22 respectively. According to Tormé, it was written in about 45 minutes during a heat wave, sparked by an attempt by Wells to cool off by thinking winter thoughts. (This seems to be a not-uncommon trigger for the writing of Christmas songs.) *** This is probably the best known song by Mel Tormé and Bob Wells , both of whom were Jewish . Although Tormé is best known as a jazz singer (he was dubbed "The Velvet Fog") and for his many appearances on TV shows, he wrote or co-wrote more than 300 songs , about half of which he wrote with Wells. In his clearly abundant spare time he managed to write 5 books and to become a licensed a

I don't think this song needs much of an introduction--here's "White Christmas" by Irving Berlin, sung by Bing Crosby and Martha Mears (who was voice doubling Marjorie Reynolds), in the movie Holiday Inn : Video posted by alpineic1 . (Only the first two and half minutes or so of the video are from the film.) Or, if you prefer, a cover by Bette Midler that includes the rarely-recorded first verse: Video posted by Bette Midler - Topic , provided to YouTube by Sony Music Entertainment The song was written for the aforementioned Bing Crosby/Fred Astaire vehicle Holiday Inn and became an instant classic. Crosby's version of "White Christmas" is the best selling record of all time, * the single selling at least 50 million copies; when all the various covers ( over 500 at current reckoning) are taken into account, the song is estimated to have sold over 150 million copies and there has even been an entire book written about it. All this despite--or pe

"I'll Be Home for Christmas," by Walter Kent, Kim Gannon, and Buck Ram, sung by Kristin Chenoweth: Video posted by KristinChenowethVEVO And an informal acoustic cover of "I'll by Home for Christmas," sung by Jason and Michael Castro: Video by Jason Castro (Yes, the 'stache is unfortunate.) The song, wistful and haunting, was first recorded in 1943, and became an instant hit, resonating strongly with soldiers at the front during WWII as well as with their families. It still speaks to those who can't be with their loved ones during the holidays. *** As for the writers: A few years back, Wikipedia said that lyricist Kim Gannon was Jewish; currently, however, it says Irish-American. I cannot, in fact, find any source that says he was Jewish, so I think it's safe to say he was not. Buck Ram has co-writing credit on the song, but there's considerable controversy over whether or not he should. He certainly copyrighted a song (origina

"You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" by Albert Hague and Theodor Geisel, sung by Thurl Ravenscroft: Video posted by horgemlingurinn And here's a cover by Darius Rucker: Video posted by Darius Rucker To quote from Albert Hague's obituary in the The New York Times : "When he played the song he wrote for the Grinch assignment to Theodore Geisel, Mr. Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss) exclaimed, 'Any man who slides an octave on the word Grinch gets the job.'" *** Whether you call him Dr. Seuss or Mr. Geisel, the children's book writer/lyricist was not Jewish. (Although he was actively anti-Nazi even prior to the US entering WWII, and produced many anti-Nazi political cartoons.) The composer, however-- Albert Hague -- was Jewish. He was raised Lutheran, because his German Jewish parents felt that their Jewish heritage was a liability (and of course in Germany at that time it most certainly was), but as that provided no shield from the Nazis he and

"Silver Bells" , by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, was frequently referred to by Livingston as "our annuity." It is sung here by Colbie Callait: Video posted by Rita Spencer And here is the same song as sung by Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell in the movie for which the song was written, The Lemon Drop Kid : Video posted by TCBNS .* The title, by the way, was originally "Tinkle Bells." [I pause while you take that in.] Then Livingston went home and told his wife about their new song and she said (presumably after she finished laughing), "Are you out of your mind? Do you know what the word 'tinkle' means to most people?" They changed the title (and lyrics) to "Silver Bells" forthwith. *** Jay Livingston (born Jacob Levison) and Ray Evans were both born in 1915 and both were Jewish . They met in the University of Pennsylvania and, in the words of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, "began a lifelong collaboration that

Have another very traditional song: "Al Hanisim"; words from an extra paragraph inserted into the daily prayers on Chanukah (and Purim), melody by Dov Frimer, sung by Shira Kline: Video by ShiraKline Well. The lyrics for "Al Hanisim" are very traditional, anyway--as I said above, the words for this song are those of the introductory phrases of paragraphs inserted into daily prayers on Chanukah and Purim, and it is an expression of thanksgiving for the salvations those two Rabbinic holidays celebrate: And (we thank You) for the miracles, and for the salvation, and for the mighty deeds, and for the victories, and for the battles which You performed for our forefathers in those days, at this time. (Note that miracles and salvation come before victories and battles--in order of importance.) As such, we date it back to the Gaonic period, possibly the 8th or 9th century . The melody, by Dov Frimer, dates back only to 1974 , when it debuted at the Chassidic Son

Songwriter Johnny Marks made something of a speciality of Christmas songs--Wikipedia lists 26 Christmas and Christmas-show songs by Marks, and he named his music publishing company St. Nicholas Music . Here are some particularly well-known examples: "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," by Johnny Marks, based on a poem by Robert L. May, as sung by Destiny's Child (you heard me): Video posted by DestinysChildVEVO "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," by Johnny Marks, sung by Cyndi Lauper: Video posted by Mr Subtitled Videos "A Holly Jolly Christmas," by Johnny Marks, sung by Sufjan Stevens: Sufjan Stevens - Holly Jolly Christmas from Asthmatic Kitty Records on Vimeo . *** His affinity for Christmas songs notwithstanding, Johnny Marks was indeed Jewish . In addition to producing a substantial catalogue of much-loved holiday (and some non-holiday!) songs, Marks had a distinguished military career, earning a Bronze Star and four Battle Sta

In honor of which, I bring you two--yes, two!--Chanukah songs. The first is "Candlelight," sung by the Maccabeats (in their first viral video): Video by Uri Westrich The melody is by Taio Cruz (although he thought it was for a song titled "Dynamite"), and he is not, to the best of my knowledge, Jewish. The parody lyrics, however, are by two members of the Maccabeats (an a cappella group formed of current and past Yeshiva University students), David Block and Immanuel Shalev , and if they (and the singers) are not all Jewish, someone made a serious mistake in their university application. And in case you were wondering about the lines in "Candlelight" that runs: We say "Ma'oz Tzur" Oh, yeah, for all eight nights, that is my second song, a very traditional Chanukah song--"Ma'oz Tzur," sung here by students of Israel's Technion *: Video by Technion This traditional melody for "Ma'oz Tzur" has been

How about an actual Phil Spector song? "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)" by Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry, and Phil Spector, sung by (a quite young) U2: Video posted by Justin Duarte And sung by the original singer, Darlene Love (with Patti LaBelle), just a year ago: Video posted by The View According to Rolling Stone (2010), if you're looking for the best rock 'n' roll Christmas song of all time look no farther because you've just heard it. And if it reminds you of "Be My Baby" or "Da Doo Ron Ron" you have a good ear, because those were written by the same three songwriters. *** Phil Spector (who is Jewish ) was born in the Bronx and grew up in California. He formed a music group, The Teddy Bears, with three high school friends, and one of their songs reached #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. That was pretty much it for them, though, so they disbanded in 1959, at which point Spector started working as an apprentice for Leib

Here's a relatively new one--the Phil Spector-influenced "Underneath the Tree," by Kelly Clarkson and Greg Kurstin, sung by Kelly Clarkson: Video from KellyClarksonVEVO [I]n December, 2013, Clarkson told Jay Leno that she waited to do a Christmas album until [Kurstin] was available. She added, "He's Jewish, so he didn't know any of the songs. We were in the studio and I was like 'Rudolph'? No. 'White Christmas'? No. But he's so talented." "I say: 'Mr. Kurstin, aren't you ashamed to not know the songs of your landsmen?'" ( Source: Nate Bloom, Jewish World Review ) *** Kelly Clarkson is not Jewish, but songwriter/musician/record producer Greg Kurstin is . Kurstin started out as a jazz pianist, is a founding member of both Geggy Tah and The Bird and the Bee, and has worked in various capacities with, among others, Beck, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pink, Kylie Minogue, Lily Allen, Sia, and Adele. The list

Chanukah (or Hanukkah, or however you prefer to spell it) starts almost two weeks before Christmas this year, so here's "Hanukkah in Santa Monica" by Tom Lehrer, sung by Tom Lehrer: Video from Tom Lehrer-Topic , Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group North America Like many of these songs, everybody seems to have covered this song--only the "everybody" in this case are almost all amateurs (This seems to be a major oversight. Seriously, why has no one put this on a holiday album? DO THEY NOT GET THE JOKE?) between which I cannot choose. And then there's this, which I'm not sure how to describe: Video by and of Michael Feinstein *** Tom Lehrer is, of course, Jewish (Upper East Side variety) although he identifies as agnostic. His education is as a mathematician, and he taught mathematics and musical theater (yes, you heard that right) for many years--until 2001, in fact--but he is best known for the satirical/comedic songs he wrote and pe

After all, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year"! Lyrics by Edward Pola, music by George Wyle, sung by The Muppets (with Mindy Kaling, although I have to say you can't hear her): Video from ABC Television Network If that's just too cute for you (it's not for me, but hey, tastes differ), have a version by ...uh. I'm not actually sure. I think they call themselves A Cappella Collab, but that might be a project rather than the group. To be safe, then: the singers are Jean-Baptiste Craipeau, Simon Craipeau, Andrew Kesler, and Evan Sanders. Video by JB Craipeau Although not, perhaps, less cute, I think they did quite a good job of de-treacle-ing the song. But perhaps not quite as good a job as this version: Video thanks to candihanks (Oh, that's the first place your mind went too, don't pretend it wasn't!) *** Both the composer ( George Wyle ) and the lyricist ( Eddie Pola ) of this song-with-the-long-title were Jewish. The two men

"We Need a Little Christmas" by Jerry Herman, sung by LeAnn Rimes Video from leannrimesofficial I have to say that while I never thought of this song as "country"--it is, after all, from the Broadway musical Mame (No, it is not from "Glee." "Glee" did a very partial cover of it, but it was nonetheless written for and performed in Mame ) --it does seem to fit the genre quite well. Still, no one sings it quite like the original Mame! Here's Angela Lansbury, in the original cast album: Video courtesy of CBEntr and Angela a *ahem* few years later: Video courtesy of James Christian Jr. Every note, every pause, is considered and shaded for maximum effect. It's a masterclass in how to put across a song every time, isn't it? No wonder Jerry Herman famously coached her (secretly, of course, since that sort of thing is Not Done) before her audition, and then snuck into the pit during the audition and accompanied her. (And isn

Don't get me wrong--I'm not complaining about that! New York snow is only pretty so long as it's falling. So this is meant neither as an order nor a request, but... "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!", by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne, sung by Gloria Estefan: Video from Gloria Estefan - Topic , "Provided to YouTube by Sony Music Entertainment". Do you know who else has covered this song? ... I'll tell you then: everybody, that's who. Just search for "Let it Snow" on YouTube, you'll see. I mean, really EVERYBODY, including the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation. ...Well, in a manner of speaking: Video by jamescovenant . (FYI: The song runs from the beginning until about 1:11; following is an ad for a game by the clever person who put together the video.) And as long as we're looking at a well-covered holiday song by Cahn and Styne, here's another--"The Christmas Waltz," by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne,

Welp, I just flipped my wall calendar (I'm old-fashioned that way) over to December, which means it must be time for my parade of Jewish winter-holiday-season music. Chanukah songs, yes, and an even larger number of Christmas/generalized-winter-holiday-season songs written by Jews. (And should I run across some Kwanza songs written by Jews, I will very definitely include them!) I've started with this song for the past several years because it makes such a nice segue from Black Friday and Cyber Monday, especially since based on my email inbox, both Black Friday and Cyber Monday have continued just-all-week-long. The song? "The Christmas Can-Can," music by Jacques Offenbach (with a judicious amount of mash-up), lyrics and arrangement by Walter Chase, sung by Straight No Chaser : Video by Straight No Chaser As noted above, Walter Chase ( originally Walter Shilanskas ) wrote the lyrics and arranged the piece. Is he Jewish? Well, in his band member bio , Chase list