The Best Funny Songs For Hannukah and Christmas
Potentially Inappropriate Music for the Jewish and Christian Holiday
Not everyone enjoys the classic holiday songs. There are those that prefer the offbeat, the humorous, and the borderline offensive. Luckily, there are many songs that fit that description, both for Christmas and Hannukah.
The Dreidel Song, arranged by Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park
“The Dreidel Song” is perhaps the best known of American Hannukah songs, was composed by Samuel Grossman and Mikhi Gelbart according to the University of Pennsylvania‘s Digital Library.
However, “The Dreidel Song” gets dragged into modern times with a classic performance by the South Park characters during South Park’s first Christmas special, Mr. Hankey‘s Christmas Classics . Performed in multi-part harmonies and counter-leads, with each character from the Comedy Central show reciting a different, rewritten line (only Kyle, played by Matt Stone, has a real line from the original), South Park’s version of “The Dreidel Song” manages to be both musically superior and lyrically offensive, combination that has kept South Park around for thirteen seasons.
Give the Jew Girl Toys, by Sarah Silverman
Sarah Silverman has carved a niche in the comedy world with her shtick of being the sexy, foul mouthed Jewish princess. A great example of this is her song “Give the Jew Girl Toys.” In “Give the Jew Girl Toys,” she touches on many different aspects of her comedy, first trying to seduce Santa, then berating him for having nothing to do with Jesus, then saying that is Jesus was here, he would “give the Jew girl toys.” She even manages to accuse Santa of being a Nazi.
The Hannukah Song, by Adam Sandler
“Instead of one day of presents/ we get Eight Craaaazy Nights.”
Adam Sandler’s ode to the Festival of Lights has become a Hannukah classic. Ironically, “The Hannukah Song” has almost nothing to do with Hannukah. Instead, “The Hannukah Song” is a tribute to all of the great Jewish entertainers. Sandler, who is Jewish, pays lip service to everyone from David Lee Roth to Ann Landers to Bowser to Sha Na Na.
In order to keep the song fresh (like the delicious turkey from his “Thanksgiving Song“) Sandler continuously updates the celebrities in “The Hannukah Song.” One celebrity that remains a constant in the song, “O.J. Simpson, not a Jew.”
Merry Christmas From the Family, by Robert Earl Keen
“Merry Christmas From the Family” is not an everyday family Christmas song. It may, however, be about an everyday family Christmas.
In “Merry Christmas From the Family,” Americana artist Robert Earl Keen sings about a family -- one that some people might refer to as “White Trash” -- spending their Christmas together. While the family has definite quirks, most involving alcohol, if one was to look at the quirks outside of the context of the “perfect” Christmas, their quirks are not very different from any other family. The humor comes not from how different the family is, but from how similar they are to the listener’s own family.
To often are the holidays bogged down with “classic” Christmas songs, classic -- in this case -- equating to “boring.” This holiday season, give the gift of laughter, instead of socks and ties.
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