Candlelight Coda: Some Songs We Missed In Our Hanukkah Music Chat
Last week week I spoke with Josh Kun, co-founder of the Idelsohn Society for Musical Preservation, about the songs of Hanukkah. And in response, many listeners wrote in.
Shoshana Hoose of Portland, Maine, for instance, took issue with what she found to be "a lack of understanding of the holiday's serious meaning — and a lack of knowledge about music that reflects that meaning. Hanukkah is a holiday that honors religious freedom."
"I find the guest's comment that his favorite Hanukkah music is actually Christmas music sad," writes Andrea Kuperman of Kettering, Ohio. She says the conversation spent too much time discussing Christmas music, writing, "If you dig a little, you can find some fun and non-Christmas-like music for Hanukkah."
And there were plenty of requests. The song mentioned most frequently was "Light One Candle," by Peter, Paul and Mary.
There was the more traditional "Ocho Kandelikas" — performed below by the band Pink Martini (featuring NPR's own Ari Shapiro).
Also popular was "Candlelight" by the Maccabeats, an a cappella group based out of Yeshiva University. The song, set to the tune of Taio Cruz's "Dynamite," is part parody and part history lesson.
And, if we might add one more of our own, here's Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings playing a brand-new song at NPR headquarters, during a holiday-themed Tiny Desk Concert. It's called "8 Days ("Of Hanukkah)."
Find the original interview below.
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Transcript
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Last week, we spoke with Josh Kun, co-founder of the Idelsohn Society for Musical Preservation about Hanukkah songs. And all week we've heard from listeners who say we missed some of their favorites. Hanukkah is eight nights long, so we have a chance to return with a few more songs.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HANUKKAH, O HANUKKAH")
UNIDENTIFIED SINGER: (Singing) O, Hanukkah, O, Hanukkah, come light the menorah. Let's have a party. We'll all dance the hora. Gather 'round the table, we'll give you a treat, some (unintelligible) to play with and latkes to eat.
SIMON: The song most people wrote in about was "Light One Candle" by Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LIGHT ONE CANDLE")
PETER PAUL AND MARY: (Singing) Light one candle for the terrible sacrifice justice and freedom demand. And light one candle for the wisdom to know when the peacemaker's time is at hand.
SIMON: A few people mentioned the Sephardic song "Ocho Kandelikas," or "Eight Candles," performed here by Pink Martini.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "OCHO KANDELIKAS")
PINK MARTINI: (Singing in foreign language).
SIMON: Is that Ari Shapiro or Audie Cornish singing?
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "OCHO KANDELIKAS")
PINK MARTINI: (Singing in foreign language).
SIMON: And Andrea Kuperman of Kettering, Ohio, wrote (reading) I find the guest's comment that his favorite Hanukkah music is actually Christmas music sad. If you dig a little you can find some fun and non-Christmas-like music for Hanukkah.
She recommends "Candlelight" by The Maccabeats, an a cappella group based out of Yeshiva University.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CANDLELIGHT")
THE MACCABEATS: (Singing) Yeah, I flip my latkes in the air sometimes, saying hey-o, spin the dreidel, just want to celebrate for all eight nights, singing hey-o, light the candle. We say...
SIMON: And by the flicker of the lights from the Hanukkah candles, BJ Leiderman wrote our the music.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CANDLELIGHT")
THE MACCABEATS: (Singing) By the candlelight, and I told you once, now I told you twice... Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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