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Christmas music by Jews … you’re welcome
December 22nd, 2009
These Christmas songs were all written by Jewish composers and lyricists:
“The Christmas Song” (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) (1945) by Mel Tormé (1925-1999) and Bob Wells (born 1922)
“White Christmas” by Irving Berlin
“Let It Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!” (1945) by Sammy Cahn (1913-1993) and Jule Styne (1905-1994)
“Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer” by Johnny Marks (1909-1985)
“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Johnny Marks (1909-1985)
“Holly Jolly Christmas” by Johnny Marks (1909-1985)
“It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year” by George Wyle (born Bernard Weissman) (1917-2003)
“Silver Bells” by Jay Livingston (music) and Ray Evans (lyrics)
“We Need a Little Christmas” by Jerry Herman
And then there’s these where one half of the team was Jewish:
“Winter Wonderland” Felix Bernard (1897-1944) (co-composer)
“There’s No Place Like Home For The Holidays” Al Stillman (1906-c.1986) (lyrics)
“Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” J. Fred Coots (1897-1985) (co-composer)
“I’ll Be Home For Christmas” Walter Kent (music) born (Walter Maurice Kaufman)
“Do They Know It’s Christmas” Bob Geldof
And this one where the composer was of Jewish ancestry (but not raised Jewish):
“Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
And some top-selling Christmas albums:
The # 1 best-selling Christmas album from 1991-2008: “Miracles: The Holiday Album” by Kenny G. (7,195,000 copies)
He also comes in at #10 with “Faith: A Holiday Album” Kenny G. (2,735,000 copies)
Kenny Gorelick is Jewish.
Other big sellers have been:
Barbra Streisand’s “A Christmas Album” from 1967 – one of the best-selling Christmas albums of all times (see pic above)
and these:
Two of three Bare Naked Ladies are Jewish and nothing says holiday like a Bare Naked Christmas.
So with all these Jews writing and recording all this Christmas music, why do we still only have ONE Hannukah song? Oh well.
Merry Christmas.
Tags: Bare Naked Ladies, Christmas, Irving Berlin, Mel Torme, Neil Diamond, Streisand, White Christmas
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:13 am
Nice post. Thanks for sharing….
December 22nd, 2009 at 11:42 am
Jesus was a Jew.
December 22nd, 2009 at 1:42 pm
I think there is at least 3 Chanukah songs out there. Of course Adam Sandler’s Hannukah Song. And one can never forget the driedel song. And your buddy ol’ pal Mormon Sen. Orrin Hatch recently wrote one of his own. I like the 1st two. Not so much on the 3rd.
December 22nd, 2009 at 2:45 pm
“Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, I made you out of clay,
Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, and with you I will play.”
I grew up with this lame song for Hanukkah. I actually made a dreidel out of clay and it sucked, never would spin right. Meanwhile the adults were wagering big gelt on the game with a real hardwood dreidel and I was jealous.
Why the heck didn’t Irving Berlin write one? Probably because he knew where the big money was, goyem!
Ah Freilichen Chanukah!
December 28th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
Lest we forget, it was Jews who founded Christianity. We therefore know just a little bit about it.