Fun, light hearted holiday music for all.

December 16, 2012 8:48 AM

I'm putting together a holiday play list for the office pot luck and, trying to make it fun and all inclusive. I've got tunes from Peanuts to Springsteen to the Arrogant Worms. I'm in need of more Hanukkah (got the Adam Sandler one, thx.) and desperately in need of some music for the woman organizing as she's Islamic (and for the record has a wicked sense of humor). Ideas?
posted by rooster416 to Media & Arts (12 answers total)

The Barenaked Ladies' holiday album, "Barenaked for the Holidays," has several good Hanukkah songs on it. The whole album is great -- nice music, but with a lighthearted feel and a touch of humor.
posted by Boogiechild at 9:14 AM on December 16, 2012

The Jewish guys from Guster started a side project called The LeeVees a few years ago, and it's all humor-based Hannukah songs. Some of them are pretty great, some of them are misses, but they're all a little better than what was out there before. Hannukah music is pretty crummy.
posted by honeybee413 at 9:23 AM on December 16, 2012 [1 favorite]

Consider creating a winter playlist rather than a holiday playlist?
posted by livinglearning at 9:41 AM on December 16, 2012

Response by poster: Got Barenaked for the Holidays (love it). And I'll check out the LeeVees (Thanks!).
posted by rooster416 at 9:57 AM on December 16, 2012

Speaking as someone who has tried to collect something from every December holiday in the "bad holiday tunes" realm.... Look for Hanukkah songs on YouTube and you'll find....well, most of my collection.

"Hanukkah Rocks" by Gefilte Joe and the Fish
"Give The Jew Girl Toys" by Sarah Silverman
Look for anything by The Maccabeats
"Get Your Hanukkah On" by the Velveteens
"Hanukkah Chase" and "The Ballad of Hanukkah" by Magpie
"Hanukkah Homeboy." by Doc Mo She
Sharon, Lois and Bram-- "Oy Hanukkah" and "Candles Down Below"
I apparently have an album called "Get Your Hanukkah On" that a lot of this stuff comes from.

Unfortunately, I've never, ever found anything Islamic along the lines you're looking for. Hell, I only found anything Kwanzaa-related last year after years of hunting (again, on YouTube).
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:02 AM on December 16, 2012

A few Hanukkah ones:
Hanukkah Dance - Woody Guthrie
Rock of Ages - Ben Kweller
Christmas with the Jews - Elizabeth & the Catapult

If you type "Hanukkah" into Pandora, you can get a good selection of more classic/traditional Hanukkah songs. Mi Yimalel is one of my favorites.
posted by eponym at 10:08 AM on December 16, 2012

What about Miracle by Matisyahu for the Hanukkah song?
posted by cestmoi15 at 10:22 AM on December 16, 2012

Hanukkah in Santa Monica, Tom Lehrer
posted by Seeba at 11:00 AM on December 16, 2012 [3 favorites]

El Vez - The Dreydel Song
Gods of Fire - Oh Hanukkah
Honky Tonk Confidential – Honky Tonk Hannukah
posted by bluesapphires at 11:45 AM on December 16, 2012

"Goyim Friends" is the best song off the LeeVees's album, but some parts of it might go over the heads of non-Jews listening to it. There aren't a lot of good Chanukah songs because it's not an important holiday for Jewish people.

Eid hasn't been commercialized and blown up out of proportion like Chanukah yet, so you're going to have even more trouble finding Eid music.
posted by topoisomerase at 1:07 PM on December 16, 2012

Dar Williams, "The Christians and the Pagans"
Bjork, "Solstice," not funny but it has an iPhone app!
Imogen Heap, Just For Now, which is mostly non-denominational and funnier than its tune suggests.
posted by nicebookrack at 4:29 PM on December 16, 2012

Pink Martini has Ocho Kandelikas which is awesome. (Lots of non Pink Martini versions on YouTube, but not the Pink Martini one).

I am also very fond of Luscious Jackson's Let It Snow. There's a 30-second Gap ad version and a 1:36 minute version but I don't remember where I picked it up.
posted by crush-onastick at 11:39 AM on December 19, 2012