There is a specter haunting Hanukkah — the specter of the Jewish song parody video. Every year we’re forced to endure the crushing banality of these videos where the joke never extends beyond “This is a popular song but we made it about Hanukkah.” Also why do 99% of them, regardless of the holiday, involve just listing food items?
But there is a demographic who loves these videos, eats them up with a double helping of applesauce and sour cream: your bubbe. These things are perfect bubbe clickbait. In fact, I bet your bubbe has even sent you at least one of these this year or in years past. So, in honor of them, I’m going to break down five of 2015’s worst Hanukkah videos and try to answer the question:
“How Much Will Your Bubbe Love These 5 Terrible Hanukkah Parody Songs?”
*****
“Work It (Hanukkah Remix Parody)” – G Wolf
Sample Lyrics: Not on the bed, lay me by the menorah / Phone before you come, I might have a bar mitzvah
G Wolf acquits himself admirably on the rapping front and even has some pretty sweet moves but parodying a 13 year old song is a bit questionable, especially when others in the Hanukkah parody game are choosing contemporary hits.
G Wolf name checks the “festival of lights” and the Maccabees, but mostly just lists Ashkenazi foods, religious accoutrement and Hebrew words, while also indulging in a bit of self-deprecating stereotyping and some Lil’ Dicky style sex puns.
How Much Will Your Bubbe Love it?
If she knows the song, she’ll probably be into it. If she’s chill AF she might be into the raunchier bits.
*****
“SHALOM” – Ari Blau
Song Parodied: “Hello” by Adele
Sample Lyrics: Shalom, it’s me / I was wondering for Chanukah, would you like to meet
This six minute epic opens promisingly with a scene with a frum woman tearfully intoning to her ortho ex-BF (Blau) that she’ll be celebrating Hanukkah alone this year. The reason… he beat her at dreidel last year. Hey, that’s a pretty funny joke!
Blau’s been featured on Heeb before for a hilarious video involving pimping for his own bubbe so that’s what makes the lack of exploration of this premise so frustrating. He quickly falls back on the parody genre conventions of listing food, going so far as to basically include a recipe for latkes.
How Much Will Your Bubbe Love It
Bubbe might be turned off by Blau’s singing voice and the six minute length.
*****
“Latke Recipe” – The Maccabeats
Song Parodied: “Shut Up And Dance” by Walk the Moon
Sample Lyrics: Tonight is Hanukkah / Got everything we need / A frying pan, some oil / And a latke recipe
We’ve come to the titans of the Jewish parody genre, those mensches among stunted, peaked in college, still singing acappella mensches: the Maccabeats.
With apologies to Blau for my earlier comment, this is the song that is literally a recipe for latkes. There isn’t much to say about this video. It does feature some highly questionable knife skills that provide an intriguing source of tension: have these dudes ever made latkes before?
How Much Will Your Bubbe Love It
She’ll love this but any self-respecting bubbe might gawk at a latkes recipe that calls for baking soda.
*****
“Watch Me (Spin / Drey-Drey)” – Six13
Song Parodied: “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” by Silentó
Sample Lyrics: Now watch me spin / I spin my drey-drey
“Watch Me” by Silentó is actually a great song so kudos to Six13 for choosing a winner off the bat. There’s a plucky, underdog spirit to this one, but that may just be because it features the coolest dads of the local JCC and its mostly shot in a prep school gym.
The lyrics are… you know… whatever but turning the “drey-drey” into a dance for the kids is an inspired choice
How Much Will Your Bubbe Love It
She’ll lose her shit for all the little ones doing the “drey-drey” and a late game appeal to Jewish nationalism will make any IDF loving bubbe go ga-ga.
*****
“A ONE DIRECTION HANUKKAH” – Erez Cohen + Six13 + A.K.A. Pella + The Y-Studs
Song Parodied: A bunch of fucking One Direction songs
Sample Lyrics: Let’s play dreidel dreidel dreidel till we see the sun / Just land on Hey or Gimmel and we’re having fun
It’s the Traveling Wilburys of Jewish parody groups when Erez Cohen teams up with cool dads Six13, A.K.A Pella and The Y Studs for a One Direction medley featuring Hanukkah outfits so gaudy they’ll make your eyes bleed white and blue.
Despite the headache inducing music and the lyrics bordering on the inane (“If you like just getting presents that could fill up your room”) there is a fun tracking shot featuring party guests so ecstatic you’ll wonder if they’ve been using the candle lights to freebase cocaine.
How Much Will Your Bubbe Love It
This will give your bubbe a seizure. Don’t show it to her.
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