Category: Music
Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah in Yiddish
Ever wonder what the late Leonard Cohen’s iconic song “Hallelujah” sounds like in Yiddish? Klezmer musician Daniel Kahn performs the moving song, which he translated with a little help from his friends. Check it out! הללויה” פֿון לענאָרד כּהן אויף ייִדיש” The PopJewish blog provides the wisdom that is found at the intersection of pop […]
Music Legend Leonard Cohen Has Died
From the Jewish Daily Forward: Rock-poet Leonard Cohen, the “master of erotic despair” and the writer of dozens of modern classics that have been performed and recorded by everyone from John Cale to Judy Collins, Willie Nelson, U2 and Rufus Wainwright, died on November 10 at age 82. The Montreal-born poet, novelist, and folk-rock singer-songwriter […]
Drake Performs at a Girl’s Bat Mitzvah Party
From JTA.org: Drake made a surprise appearance at a bat mitzvah in New York City. The popular Jewish rapper sang and danced with the unnamed girl on Saturday night at the Rainbow Room in Manhattan, according to Stereogum. Several videos of the performance were posted on social media. Drake performed several songs, including “Back to […]
Stevie Wonder Not Overjoyed About Israel
WE’RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH HEARING Stevie Wonder sing “Isn’t She Lovely,” but it’s become clear that he wasn’t talking about Israel when he sings that song. The Grammy-winning singer and song-writer was all set to perform at a Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) fundraising gala, but he is now refusing to appear. The event […]
Hurricane Sandy: Boss Springsteen to the Rescue
ON FRIDAY NIGHT, WHILE JEWS around the east coast will gather together at Synagogues for their first Shabbat davening since the devastating Hurricane, the pop-culture world will be having their own spiritual experience at the Rockefeller Plaza in NYC. Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, Sting and “the Boss” Bruce Springsteen, among others, are headlining a benefit […]
Gangnam Style is More Than a Horse Dance
‘GANGNAM STYLE’ HAS BEEN all the rage for quite some time now and deservedly so. It’s got a great beat, a Korean singer whose nickname is short for psycho, and a ridiculous dance. It shows you how far our society has evolved since the Macarena that we all clumsily danced to some 17 years ago. […]
Who Will Live On? (What Ben Folds Five Taught Me About Lists)
IN COLLECTING FANS’ FUNDING for their new album The Sound Of the Life of the Mind, Ben Folds Five did something very clever. They promised that everybody who donated would get their name printed for all to see. Everybody gets to be a “Vice President of Promotion” listed in the liner notes. Although I’ve been […]
The Lucrative Lashon Harah of Taylor Swift
TAYLOR SWIFT HAS BECOME famous (or infamous) for airing her grievances against the men in her life that she feels have wronged her in her music. One of her first big hits, “Teardrops on My Guitar”, is about a guy she had a crush on, but who did not return her feelings. After Joe Jonas […]
Taylor Swift’s High Holiday Sermon
EVERY NOW AND THEN, a song is released that resonates and speaks to you. Even if it doesn’t necessarily address your particular feeling or unique predicament, you connect with it emotionally. And if the song’s debut coincides with an important, significant, or auspicious event, that gives it even more meaning since Jews don’t believe in […]