What’s the next hit song for Chanukah?

I recently watched comedian Stephen Colbert’s Christmas special, “A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!” on Comedy Central. He opened with a one-man production number about how all the popular Christmas songs Americans have been singing for years are getting old, so he’s writing a new one that will put Christmas back on the charts and, not so incidentally, make him lots of money.

That got me thinking, isn’t it about time for the next big Chanukah hit?

The next big Chanukah song would not necessarily make the pop charts but it would add some fresh sounds to our holiday soundtrack. North American Jews are still singing the Chanukah songs that their parents and grandparents sang.

There are, however, at least two Chanukah songs that have become new classics. These songs are rooted in the American folk-rock sound, have English lyrics, and are easily led by song-leaders. In 1974, Debbie Friedman wrote, “Not by Might, Not by Power,” which takes its title from the words of the prophet Zechariah (Zech. 4:6) which is read on Shabbat Chanukah. The second, Peter Yarrow’s “Light One Candle,” dates back to 1985, and was written to support the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Both of these songs have their roots in the protest music of the 1960s and 1970s, and they clearly follow the rabbinic tradition of downplaying the violent history of the Maccabees in favor of a more idealized, peaceful holiday.

Many of other Chanukah songs we commonly sing in Reform synagogues today are much older than the three mentioned above. The most enduring of these, the liturgical poem, “Maoz tzur” (Rock of Ages)” was written in the thirteenth century by a poet named Mordechai bar Yitzchak. The melody Ashkenazi Jews know best is derived from a German folk song which also found its way into the Protestant hymnal. Another well-known setting of “Maoz Tzur” is an Italian version which  was sung as a traditional melody in an Ashkenazi synagogue in Venice and transcribed by the non-Jewish musician Benedetto Marcello circa 1724.

Most Jews today are more familiar with the classic children’s songs, “I Have a Little Dreidel” or “Chanukah, O Chanukah” than Renaissance Italian choral arrangements. These songs are wonderful and, for many people, evocative or nostalgic, but they’ve all been around for a long time, and they were written as or have evolved into children’s songs. Perhaps it’s the child-centeredness of Chanukah that has kept the settings of Chanukah liturgy, such as “Al hanisim (For the Miracles)” and “Haneirot halalu (These lights),” from becoming popular sing-alongs in Reform synagogues.

A number of composers, including Kenny Ellis with his big band style, “Hannukah Swings!”, Alan Eder with his “Reggae Chanukah”, and Jewish pop star Craig Taubman with “Hanukkah Lounge,” have done a fabulous job of juicing up the old standards. But those non-traditional arrangements, which are great fun to listen to, are better suited for parties and seasonal listening in the car than they are for temple performance, unless you have a synagogue band and a congregation willing to dance in the aisles on Friday night!

The next really big temple-based Chanukah song needs to be: catchy, simple to accompany, with lyrics that are sophisticated and sung in English. My current favorite for the title remains Debbie Friedman’s “The Light of Hope.” It is the finale of the Chanukah mini-musical on her 1998 album, “Miracles and Wonders.” It’s bouncy and easy to sing, and adults can sing the uplifting lyrics with straight faces. The first time my husband and I heard “The Light of Hope,” we started dancing around the living room, a very rare occurrence at our house.

So what do you think should be the next Chanukah hit? The pop charts may not be waiting, but I’ll bet a lot of cantors, rabbis, song leaders, and Jews of all ages are.

“Light One Candle” by Peter Yarrow from the CD, Shiron L’Noar: Music for Children 10-13, published by Transcontinental Music Press www.etranscon.com
 From Debbie Friedman’s CD, Miracles and Wonders:Musicals for Chanukah and Purim. Sounds Rite Productions, Inc. http://www.debbiefriedman.com/.