LIKE A LEMON TO A LIME, A LIME TO A LEMON: Tablet Magazine ranks the top 100 greatest Jewish songs ever, and by "ever" they mean "ever" as in "Dayenu" and "Adon Olam" qualify, and by "Jewish" they mean, well, it's a bit expansive.
Now that's a nice find, Adams. Aside from a couple of minor quibbles (Somewhere isn't even in my top 100 of Sondheim songs and a much better song on those themes is Someone Is Waiting, and I think they're really stretching on Moving Out) it's a damn good read for this goy. And now I need to listen to Mandy Patinkin singing White Christmas and Take Me Out To The Ballgame in the original Yiddish.
Adam Sandler's "The Chanukah Song" validates the list, as far as I'm concerned. Happy to see the Beastie Boys and Barbra as well (my taste is as eclectic as this list!). And the Shema, of course. Oy.
I can't find it now, but we did have a rousing debate some years ago in these parts as to where "Ain't No Other Man" ranked on the all-time-list of songs written about Jews.
<span>SERIOUSLY, THE ONLY OTHER EXAMPLE I COULD COME UP WITH WAS 'DAVID MELECH YISRAEL': Is Christina Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man" -- the subject being her husband, Jordan Bratman -- the best song ever written about a Jewish man?</span>
I guess it goes without saying, but this isn't the top 100 Jewish songs, but the top 100 American Jewish songs - not that they're all American, but a list produced by an Israeli or European Jew would look a hell of a lot different.
Also low on current folky Jews, I'd vote for quirky Sean Altman's "They Tried to Kill Us" or Dan Bern who has both quirky and serious (e.g. "Lightning Jazz" or "Jew from Kentucky" for the former, "Lithuania" for the latter.)
Plus what up with no Neil Diamond? I nominate "America" which, as we all know, was fueled by his massive hatred for immigrants.
They Tried to Kill Us: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34atu3WGUgc Lightning Jazz:http://ia700208.us.archive.org/12/items/dbern2003-01-23.mix.flac16/dbern2003-01-23d2t16_vbr.mp3 Lithuania: http://ia700208.us.archive.org/0/items/dbern2001-12-28/db2001-12-28ld1t21_vbr.mp3
No Mark Knopfler? I would have picked "Ride 'Em Jewboy" for Kinky Friedman, which sounds like a joke but is really a haunting allusion to the Holocaust. And I wonder whether you can choose a Dylan song for this list only if he was still Jewish when he wrote it.
An entertaining list. Before looking at the list I tried to imagine what would be high up, and I thought of two songs -- Bashana Haba'ah and Yerushalayim Shel Zahav. Both are on the list but lower than I would have thought -- I think sconstant is on the mark as to why. And as for the American-Jewish-ness, couldn't you put up a bazillion more Broadway and Tin Pan Alley songs on the list? Probably a wise move to exercise some restraint in that regard and leave room for others.
And I will make an obligatory Geddy Lee/Rush reference for the record, realizing that it would be a bit of a stretch to include any of their songs on the list. But that Kiss entry opened the door.
Now that's a nice find, Adams. Aside from a couple of minor quibbles (Somewhere isn't even in my top 100 of Sondheim songs and a much better song on those themes is Someone Is Waiting, and I think they're really stretching on Moving Out) it's a damn good read for this goy. And now I need to listen to Mandy Patinkin singing White Christmas and Take Me Out To The Ballgame in the original Yiddish.
ReplyDeleteVerdi, "Va Pensiero," or "The Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves," from Nabucco.
ReplyDeleteOffenbach, "CanCan," from "Opheus in the Underworld"
Mendelssohn, Songs without Words (collected)
No Matisyahu??????
ReplyDeleteAdam Sandler's "The Chanukah Song" validates the list, as far as I'm concerned. Happy to see the Beastie Boys and Barbra as well (my taste is as eclectic as this list!). And the Shema, of course. Oy.
ReplyDelete#79, King Without A Crown<span> </span>
ReplyDeleteI can't find it now, but we did have a rousing debate some years ago in these parts as to where "Ain't No Other Man" ranked on the all-time-list of songs written about Jews.
ReplyDeleteFound it.
ReplyDelete<span>SERIOUSLY, THE ONLY OTHER EXAMPLE I COULD COME UP WITH WAS 'DAVID MELECH YISRAEL': Is Christina Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man" -- the subject being her husband, Jordan Bratman -- the best song ever written about a Jewish man?</span>
When I was in my college Glee Club we did a version of Kiddush by Kurt Weill that I've always thought was absolutely gorgeous.
ReplyDeletePretty low-fi version here, that really doesn't do it justice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuORVnbcHcg&feature=related
I guess it goes without saying, but this isn't the top 100 Jewish songs, but the top 100 American Jewish songs - not that they're all American, but a list produced by an Israeli or European Jew would look a hell of a lot different.
ReplyDeleteAlso low on current folky Jews, I'd vote for quirky Sean Altman's "They Tried to Kill Us" or Dan Bern who has both quirky and serious (e.g. "Lightning Jazz" or "Jew from Kentucky" for the former, "Lithuania" for the latter.)
Plus what up with no Neil Diamond? I nominate "America" which, as we all know, was fueled by his massive hatred for immigrants.
They Tried to Kill Us: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34atu3WGUgc
Lightning Jazz:http://ia700208.us.archive.org/12/items/dbern2003-01-23.mix.flac16/dbern2003-01-23d2t16_vbr.mp3
Lithuania: http://ia700208.us.archive.org/0/items/dbern2001-12-28/db2001-12-28ld1t21_vbr.mp3
America is #60. He also covered Kol Nidre for the Jazz Singer soundtrack.
ReplyDeleteAnd, yes, Dan Bern belongs on the list.<span> </span>
Oh, look at that. I even did a search for Diamond and his name didn't pop up. Well, at least it's on there, albeit for the wrong reasons.
ReplyDeleteCalling the Kol Nidre "the “Stairway to Heaven” of Jewish liturgical music" is fantastic.
ReplyDeleteUnder the criteria used to define "Jewish music" on this list, the Rolling Stones count as Christian rock.
ReplyDeleteNo Mark Knopfler? I would have picked "Ride 'Em Jewboy" for Kinky Friedman, which sounds like a joke but is really a haunting allusion to the Holocaust. And I wonder whether you can choose a Dylan song for this list only if he was still Jewish when he wrote it.
ReplyDeleteAn entertaining list. Before looking at the list I tried to imagine what would be high up, and I thought of two songs -- Bashana Haba'ah and Yerushalayim Shel Zahav. Both are on the list but lower than I would have thought -- I think sconstant is on the mark as to why. And as for the American-Jewish-ness, couldn't you put up a bazillion more Broadway and Tin Pan Alley songs on the list? Probably a wise move to exercise some restraint in that regard and leave room for others.
ReplyDeleteAnd I will make an obligatory Geddy Lee/Rush reference for the record, realizing that it would be a bit of a stretch to include any of their songs on the list. But that Kiss entry opened the door.
I had a similar thought on seeing "White Christmas" on the list.
ReplyDelete