Comments on: Song of Songs

Song of Songs

beisny — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:29:08 -0800

Tablet Magazine has published a list of The 100 Greatest Jewish Songs

Tablet's response to the inevitably strong reactions. Other related articles Previously on metafilter

By: klangklangston

klangklangston — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:33:53 -0800

Heh. "Lemme guess — Hava Nagila, Highway 61, Adam Sandler..."

By: Lovecraft In Brooklyn

Lovecraft In Brooklyn — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:41:07 -0800

There's a book somewhere by a Rabbinical scholar (or someone claiming to be) that Dylan is literally the Messiah. I see no reason to doubt that.

By: Sys Rq

Sys Rq — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:41:36 -0800

Abel Meeropol—who would later adopt Ethel and Julius Rosenberg's two sons Whoa. I never realized he was that close to the subject matter of "Strange Fruit." Damn.

By: PinkMoose

PinkMoose — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:46:19 -0800

Jody Rosen is a great rock critic, and this is a solid list. His comment on Somewhere over a Rainbow dovetails really nicely into Rushdie's essay about it .

By: beisny

beisny — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:54:22 -0800

His comment on Somewhere over a Rainbow dovetails really nicely into Rushdie's essay about it . I've never read this essay and can't seem to find it online. If someone finds a link, please post it.

By: PinkMoose

PinkMoose — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 01:05:45 -0800

Two essays on the Wizard of Oz, and a short story, are collected in his small BFI book about the movie.

By: Yakuman

Yakuman — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 01:27:57 -0800

Three songs, off the top of my head, obviously missing: 1.) Where is everyone's favorite, that masterpiece "Lick It Up," co-written by Paul Stanley and recorded by KISS? If that doesn't make you think of tikkun olan, what else would? 2.) Oh wait, there another overlooked 1970's kosher classic: Ben, Michael Jackson's love song to a rat, which was co-written by Walter Scharf. If you compare the amazing imagery with that of other works, like Art Spiegelman's Maus, the effect is unforgettable and overpowering. 3.) And where's Jerry Lewis' annual TV rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone? These performances of that Rogers and Hammerstein classic are an example what makes that big lug so beloved by every nation.

By: Mooseli

Mooseli — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 01:42:19 -0800

More generally, as a non-Zionist Jew, I have to appreciate the even-handed approach this magazine seems to take to the issue. Why didn't I know about Tablet before? Maybe because I've been hiding scared under the covers ever since I found out what my "brethren" are doing to other people over there? Anyway, underneath all the lovely musical commentary, what a wonderfully dishy who's-who of Jews in the music biz!

By: No-sword

No-sword — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 02:27:44 -0800

And what's John Zorn, chopped liver?

By: KingEdRa

KingEdRa — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 03:17:48 -0800

I am disappointed by the lack of any songs by 3rd Bass. Though the entry on "Funkytown" (#90) has irrevocably changed how I will think of Jerusalem. "Across the world this weekend, Christians prepare for Palm Sunday, commerating Jesus' entry into Funkytown."

By: zaelic

zaelic — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 03:18:28 -0800

Yes. John Zorn is chopped liver.

By: acb

acb — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 03:46:02 -0800

Apparently the entire jazz genre is strongly influenced by Yiddish folk melodies, which African-American jazz musicians would have overheard Jewish migrants singing in the Northern cities they had both moved to around the turn of last century. There's a video floating around somewhere of a music professor demonstrating the similarity.

By: therubettes

therubettes — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 03:49:19 -0800

100. "Loser" (1993) Technically speaking, Beck Hansen is barely Jewish. (His maternal grandmother was a tribe-member.) His 1993 debut single, though—now that's Jewish. Often described as a song of Gen X malaise, "Loser" is actually a headier concoction: some folk, some hip-hop, and some Dylanesque doggerel, all mashed-up with the nebbishy neurosis of Alexander Portnoy and Alvy Singer. It's not a "slacker anthem"; it's a schlemiel's lament. (JR) I started and stopped reading at 100.

By: Betty_effn_White

Betty_effn_White — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 04:09:13 -0800

Maybe people wouldn't accuse jews of having their hands in so many pots if they didn't try to claim credit for so many things only tangentially related to them. Disclaimer: I'm jewish.

By: delfin

delfin — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 04:21:58 -0800

I am shocked that this list does not come equipped with Big Jim Slade.

By: Nanukthedog

Nanukthedog — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 04:28:21 -0800

Bah! No NOFX The Brews? I could swear they were the boys sportin' anti swastika tattoos.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 04:57:58 -0800

And what's John Zorn, chopped liver? I'm kinda with you on that, except that Zorn hasn't written any songs, that I'm aware of. And this is a list of songs. Otherwise... what? No zaelic?

By: wittgenstein

wittgenstein — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 05:08:01 -0800

Yo Ya is only number 66? KAVERETH GOT ROBBED!

By: Bromius

Bromius — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 05:11:22 -0800

No Allan Sherman? Feh.

By: Infinite Jest

Infinite Jest — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 05:13:10 -0800

There's a book somewhere by a Rabbinical scholar (or someone claiming to be) that Dylan is literally the Messiah. I see no reason to doubt that. I saw him live a few years ago, a gig that could be charitably described as 'pissing on your fans'. Maybe it's a test for the faithful or something, but that's my reason why he isn't the messiah.

By: John Cohen

John Cohen — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 05:15:29 -0800

They forgot Regina Spektor!

By: Infinite Jest

Infinite Jest — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 05:19:54 -0800

No Allan Sherman? Feh. Number 74. Interesting list, though seems to be stretching at times - it's a Jewish song if either (one of) the writer(s), (one of) the performer(s), or the producer is Jewish?

By: nebulawindphone

nebulawindphone — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 05:23:05 -0800

Right — so it's like Canadian content only different.

By: zarq

zarq — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 05:26:07 -0800

Infinite Jest: " Interesting list, though seems to be stretching at times - it's a Jewish song if either (one of) the writer(s), (one of) the performer(s), or the producer is Jewish?" We're apparently everywhere. Half the list seems like a huge stretch to me. After reading the list I looked for a decent version of Avinu Malkeinu this morning on Youtube. Couldn't find anything that did it justice.

By: uncleozzy

uncleozzy — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 05:33:23 -0800

Oh man, I had forgotten how utterly perfect Hot Butter's version of Popcorn was. Bars in my area may want to disconnect their jukeboxes from the internet this weekend.

By: unixrat

unixrat — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 05:34:58 -0800

I've got the fever, the Channukah fever...

By: tommasz

tommasz — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 05:58:39 -0800

They had the Beastie Boys, but not for Fight For Your Right (To Party!). Okay, technically it was mentioned in the header but still. A shandeh un a charpeh, Tablet, a shame and a disgrace.

By: No-sword

No-sword — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 06:14:02 -0800

I'm kinda with you on that, except that Zorn hasn't written any songs, that I'm aware of. And this is a list of songs. Aren't you forgetting the unforgettable poetry of his collaborations with Yamataka Eye?

WAAARGHLBARLGHBLARGHLB BLBLLBAAAAARUUUUUUGH WARGHLBERGGGHGHERGGG

By: palabradot

palabradot — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 06:41:52 -0800

Avinu Malkeinu (sung by the right cantor) sends chills up my spine right along with Kol Nidre. The first time I heard both of them, I was *stunned* in my chair for a good twenty minutes afterwards. They moved this little convert-to-be in ways I've never been moved by liturgical music before.

By: exogenous

exogenous — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 07:11:50 -0800

What, nothing by Schmekel?

By: papayaninja

papayaninja — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 07:14:47 -0800

It bothers me that Paul Simon only shows up at 76, and Garfunkel not at all. Realistically, they should come out ahead of the Beastie Boys, right?

By: PenDevil

PenDevil — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 07:25:22 -0800

I might have missed it but I didn't see The Brews by NOFX. I also didn't see Unetana Tokef which is the absolute heart of the Yom Kippur service.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 07:29:20 -0800

...and Garfunkel not at all. My little Art Garfunkel story.

By: benito.strauss

benito.strauss — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 07:34:24 -0800

Some of these seem to be reaching pretty hard. As nebulawindphone points out, it's kind of like people looking for the Canadian everywhere. I'm pretty sure David Rakoff's story in this This American Life show refers to finding a Jewish Canadian in popular culture as "the jackpot". But I always liked the case of Andrea Martin, from SCTV. Canadian Jew, right? Nope, Armenian from Maine. So close.

By: acb

acb — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 07:38:40 -0800

But I always liked the case of Andrea Martin, from SCTV. Canadian Jew, right? Nope, Armenian from Maine. So close. If Canada is funny because it's like-America-only-not-quite, and Maine falls short of Canada, is Maine like-like-America-only-not-quite-only-not-quite? Do the two cancel each other out, or make it into some kind of über-Canada?

By: Postroad

Postroad — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 07:51:49 -0800

Fails to distinguish between songs that are inherently Jewish (about Jewish subjects) and songs written or performed by people who are or have been Jewish. Bagels are "Jewish" and yet H and H bagel company ( NY) is one of the biggest retailers of bagels in the metropolitan region, and it owned by a non-Jewish family. A Japanese restaurant in my area serves Japanese food but is owned by a family from Taiwan. Philip Roth is a Jewish writer by birth but also writes about Jewishness. Norman Mailer was Jewish by birth and did not. Cantors all sing Jewish music. Eddie Cantor did not but was Jewish. You can lead a rabbi to water but you can not make him cantor.

By: Threeway Handshake

Threeway Handshake — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 07:58:50 -0800

Should California Love be on the list?

By: Decani

Decani — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 08:11:04 -0800

Hava Naglila is my third most detested song of all time, after "Girl From Ipanema" and "Killing Me Softly". Apropos of nothing much.

By: Decani

Decani — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 08:11:22 -0800

Naglila? Whut?

By: electroboy

electroboy — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 08:18:11 -0800

No KISS?

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 08:19:40 -0800

Apropos of nothing much. Truer words were never spoken.

By: acb

acb — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 08:27:19 -0800

Cantors all sing Jewish music. Eddie Cantor did not but was Jewish. You can lead a rabbi to water but you can not make him cantor. Though the speculation on how the authors' Jewish heritage/culture influenced the songs is the interesting part, IMHO. Over The Rainbow and Funkytown being about (the idea of) Israel? Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer about the Jewish outsider experience? I find that sort of thing fascinating, alongside, for example, whether Alan Turing's homosexuality shaped the idea of the Turing Test, or whether Asperger's Syndrome or living in London was a greater influence on Gary Numan's Are Friends Electric?

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 08:28:59 -0800

...Funkytown being about (the idea of) Israel? Well, the Arabs there had some funky music going on, no question...

By: Astro Zombie

Astro Zombie — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 08:40:44 -0800

Funkytown was about Minneapolis. I asked Steven Grenberg and he told me.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 08:43:49 -0800

Funkytown was about Minneapolis. That's true. They got plants and lights and shit. Just ask Morris Day.

By: acb

acb — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 08:45:34 -0800

Funkytown was about Minneapolis. I asked Steven Grenberg and he told me. Death of the Author.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 08:53:22 -0800

No Mickey Katz? Buncha putzes.

By: Hoopo

Hoopo — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 09:08:47 -0800

No Diamond Dave?

By: Hoopo

Hoopo — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 09:30:07 -0800

And that "Walk This Way" inclusion? That's a stretch. If we're going to use producers as the criteria for making a song "Jewish", there should be much more of Rick Rubin and Phil Spector on this list.

By: Sys Rq

Sys Rq — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 11:27:47 -0800

Am I the only person in the world who thinks Hallelujah is Leonard Cohen's least interesting song? (Not to mention, the most misunderstood.)

By: nebulawindphone

nebulawindphone — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 13:26:16 -0800

Hava Naglila is my third most detested song of all time, after "Girl From Ipanema" and "Killing Me Softly". Apropos of nothing much. I had to stop after reading this and check whether you could get all three to harmonize. Does that make me a bad person? (Sadly: no. You're safe, for now.) Am I the only person in the world who thinks Hallelujah is Leonard Cohen's least interesting song? A half-assed cover of Hallelujah is still pleasant in a schmaltzy middle-school-dance Righteous-Brothers sort of way. The really dangerous ones for amateurs to attempt are Suzanne and Bird on a Wire, which have astonishingly tedious melodies. Give 'em to someone with no stage presence, and it's like listening to a drugged-out dirge-tempo version of 99 Bottles of Beer On The Wall, only you can't laugh because it's poetry goddammit.

By: ego

ego — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 14:24:12 -0800

Well, the Arabs there had some funky music going on, no question... Well, once the sharif was out of their hair, anyway.

By: jake

jake — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 14:30:08 -0800

Hava Naglila is my third most detested song of all time, after "Girl From Ipanema" and "Killing Me Softly". Apropos of nothing much. I had to stop after reading this and check whether you could get all three to harmonize. Does that make me a bad person? (Sadly: no. You're safe, for now.) What the hell are you talking about? Of course you can! Here, listen. From left to right in the stereo field, in your given order. If I'd continued into the choruses, it would have fallen apart, but mashups usually just cherry-pick the similar bits anyway.

By: mrgrimm

mrgrimm — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:16:57 -0800

They could have picked a million better songs than America for Neil Diamond ... The really dangerous ones for amateurs to attempt are Suzanne and Bird on a Wire, which have astonishingly tedious melodies. Give 'em to someone with no stage presence, and it's like listening to a drugged-out dirge-tempo version of 99 Bottles of Beer On The Wall, only you can't laugh because it's poetry goddammit. Interesting. Bird on the Wire and Sisters of Mercy are two of my go-to lullabies. I wonder what my daughter thinks ... They had the Beastie Boys, but not for Fight For Your Right (To Party!). Okay, technically it was mentioned in the header but still. A shandeh un a charpeh, Tablet, a shame and a disgrace. The most obvious choice would be Shadrach (Meshach, and Abednago). One of the best songs from their best album, and it's based on the Hebrew bible. Riddle me this, my brother, can you handle it?

By: mrgrimm

mrgrimm — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:17:07 -0800

In other words, mediocre list. C-.

By: mrgrimm

mrgrimm — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:19:26 -0800

I am disappointed by the lack of any songs by 3rd Bass. Damn straight. Where's Gas Face?! Kick 'em in the grill, Pete!

By: nebulawindphone

nebulawindphone — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:31:37 -0800

Oh man, actually, I bet Bird on a Wire makes a great lullaby.

By: mrgrimm

mrgrimm — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:02:48 -0800

Like a baby, stillborn, like a beast with his horn I have torn everyone who reached out for me But I swear by this song and by all that I have done wrong I will make it all up to thee wonderfully sublime.

By: lathrop

lathrop — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 17:44:30 -0800

I've long thought "Strange Fruit" was the most important American song of the century. This Nina Simone http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktsU01lfzLU performance on piano and voice seems more powerful to me than Billie Holiday's, great as that is. It's impossible to hear without weeping.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 09:30:24 -0800

I will make it all up to thee wonderfully sublime. Yeah, I hear you, but sometimes, I gotta say, ol' Leonard can get just a wee bit too sublime. Heh. Well, I guess he's the only singer/songwriter who can get away with using the word "thee". But there you go: he overplays that biblical hand a little. Still, I'm a fan, for sure. He's a monumental songwriter. A towering figure in the Tower of Song. He can get a little tiresome with his poetry with a capital P, though, right? Just a little. After a few songs, you wanna go hear some Muddy Waters. Well, I'm glad there's Leonard and Muddy. Love 'em both, really.

By: Hoopo

Hoopo — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 10:47:58 -0800

He can get a little tiresome with his poetry with a capital P, though, right? I liked Leonard Cohen a lot more before I saw this documentary on TV.

By: mrgrimm

mrgrimm — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 11:35:56 -0800

I liked Leonard Cohen a lot more before I saw this documentary on TV. 'Tis on the YouTube. Fire up Isle of Wight and you'll like him a lot more all over again! "Oh, it's good to be here alone in front of six hundred thousand people ..."

By: Sys Rq

Sys Rq — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 11:38:14 -0800

What? That doc is great--as much as a document of Montreal than of Cohen. Here's the whole thing.

By: Sys Rq

Sys Rq — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 11:52:41 -0800

~~than~~ as it is