pifl

AKA Jew They Know It’s Christmas? or, All I Want For Christmas Is Jews.

From White Christmas to Rudolph The Red -Nosed Reindeer, we explore how Jews wrote the soundtrack to the season.

Sound clips:

• Sarah Silverman on Late Night With Seth Myers (2021)
• Andy Williams – It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, by Edward Pola and George Wyle
• The Vince Guaraldi Trio – The Christmas Song, by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé, from Charlie Brown Christmas,
• Jona Lewie – Stop The Cavalry
• Bing Crosby – White Christmas, by Irving Berlin
• Holiday Inn (1945) trailer
• Kate Smith – God Bless America, by Irving Berlin
• Nat King Cole – The Christmas Song, by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé
• Eartha Kitt – Santa Baby, by Joan Javits, Philip Springer and Tony Springer
• Herbie Hancock – Shema, from Hear, O Israel – A Prayer Ceremony In Jazz
• Gene Autry – Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, by Johnny Marks
• Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (1948)
• Brenda Lee – Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree, by Johnny Marks
• Burl Ives – A Holly Jolly Christmas, by Johnny Marks
• Zoey Deschanel and Will Ferrell – Baby It’s Cold Outside, by Frank Loesser
• Ella Fitzgerald feat Louis Jordan – Baby It’s Cold Outside, Frank Loesser
• Johnny Mathis – Christmas Day, by Burt Bacharach and Hal David
• Lou Reed – Xmas in February
• The Pogues feat Kirsty MacColl – Fairytale of New York, by Shane MacGowan and Jem Finer
• Band Aid – Do They Know It’s Christmas?, by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure
• Lionel Bart – Give Us A Kiss For Christmas
• A Lonely Jew at Christmas from South Park – “Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo (Season 1, Episode 9)
• Tony Bennett – Walkin’ in a Winter Wonderland, by Felix Bernard and Richard Bernhard Smith
• Phil Spector and Artists – Silent Night
• Darlene Love – Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector
• Ramones – Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight)
• Carole King – Sleigh Ride, by Leroy Anderson and Mitchell Parish
• Bob Dylan – Must Be Santa
• Simon & Garfunkel – 7 O’Clock News/ Silent Night
• Dean Martin – Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn
• Black-ish – Just Christmas, Baby (Season 3, Episode 10)
• Daveed Diggs – Puppy For Hanukkah
• Woody Guthrie – Hannukah Dance
• Adam Green – Dreidels of Fire
• Adam Sandler – The Hanukkah Song
• The OC – The Best Chrismukkah Ever (Season 1, Episode 13)
• Seinfeld – The Strike (Season 9, Episode 10)
• Darlene Love – Christmastime for the Jews

Playlist:

Reading list:

• Is “White Christmas” a Piece of Jewish Music – Ellen Koskof
• How Jewish-American immigrant Irving Berlin started a Christmas revolution (Times of Israel)
• Johnny Marks – Songwriters Hall of Fame
• The Surprisingly Sad True Story Behind ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ (Time)