"Candlelight" | |
---|---|
Single by The Maccabeats | |
Released | November 26, 2010 |
Genre | Pop, rhythm and blues |
Length | 3:42 |
Songwriter(s) | Immanuel Shalev and David Block |
"Candlelight" is a song by the band The Maccabeats that was released in November 2010. It achieved viral status. [1] [2] [3] The song is a transformation of Mike Tompkins's a cappella cover of the Taio Cruz song "Dynamite" to lyrics about the holiday of Hanukkah. The Maccabeats are an all-male Jewish a cappella student group that formed at Yeshiva University. [2] [4] [5]
The lyrics were written by Immanuel Shalev and David Block; Uri Westrich, a medical student and alumnus, made the video. [6]
The song reached #1 on Billboard magazine's Comedy Digital Tracks chart in December 2010. [7]
This song led to many more Hanukkah parody and cover music videos being made by Jewish music groups. [8] [9]
"The Chanukah Song" is a novelty song written by comedian Adam Sandler with Saturday Night Live writers Lewis Morton and Ian Maxtone-Graham and originally performed by Sandler on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update on December 3, 1994. Sandler subsequently performed the song as part of his stand-up act, later updating it with new lyrics. All variations center on the theme of Hanukkah and of religious Jewish children feeling alienated during the Christmas season, and Sandler's listing of Jewish celebrities as a way of sympathizing with their situation.
Jacob Taio Cruz is a Brazilian-English singer-songwriter, rapper, and record producer. In 2008, he released his debut album Departure, which he wrote, arranged and produced. The album achieved certified gold status in the United Kingdom and earned him a Music of Black Origin Awards (MOBO) nomination.
Naturally 7 is an American music group with a distinct a cappella style they call "vocal play," which, according to group leader Roger Thomas, is "the art of becoming an instrument using the human voice to create the sound." They simulate the sounds of an instrumental band using only their voices, mouths and distortion effects. The group was formed in 1999 in New York City. It currently consists of the Thomas brothers Roger and Warren, Rod Eldridge, Ricky Cort, Dwight Stewart, Sean Simmonds, and N'Namdi Bryant.
Hanukkah music contains several songs associated with the festival of Hanukkah.
English singer Taio Cruz has released three studio albums, one compilation album, one live album, one extended play, twenty singles and twenty-three music videos. After signing a publishing deal at the age of 19, Cruz released his debut studio album, Departure in 2006; it reached number 17 on the UK Albums Chart and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). The album contained five singles, all of which reached the top 30 of the UK Singles Chart: "Come On Girl", which peaked at number five, was the most successful of these singles.
"Break Your Heart" is a song by British singer and songwriter Taio Cruz. The song serves as the lead single from his second studio album, Rokstarr (2009). It was written by Cruz and Fraser T Smith and produced by Smith. It was first released in the United Kingdom on 20 September 2009, followed by a release in the United States and other markets on 2 February 2010. The single version features US rapper Ludacris; that version was the single released in North American countries. The song, originally penned for Cheryl Cole, is an electropop song with dance-pop elements, accompanied by Cruz's vocals. The song is lyrically a warning to someone about being a heartbreaker.
Rokstarr is the second studio album by English singer and songwriter Taio Cruz. It was released on 12 October 2009 in the United Kingdom. On 11 June 2010, a revised version of the album was released in Europe and the United States, appearing as Cruz's debut album there. On 22 May 2011, a second revised version of the album was released in Brazil, other South American countries and Europe. The album debuted at number 14 on the UK Albums Chart and number eight on the US Billboard 200.
"Dirty Picture" is a song by British R&B singer Taio Cruz, which features vocals from American singer Kesha and was released from his second studio album, Rokstarr (2009). The song was written and produced by Cruz alongside Fraser T Smith, and later released as the album's third single on 5 April 2010. Originally, Cruz wanted the female vocals to be done by Lady Gaga but opted to switch to Kesha due to heavy influence by Dr. Luke and for finding her voice unique. The song was later re-recorded as an album bonus track for Kesha's debut album, Animal (2010), and dubbed the "Kesha edit" or "Dirty Picture Pt. 2". Lyrically, the song is about sending a dirty picture to a significant other whom you miss.
"Dynamite" is a 2009 song by British singer and songwriter Taio Cruz from the revised version of his second studio album, Rokstarr (2010). Cruz co-wrote the song, along with Max Martin, Bonnie McKee, Benny Blanco, and Dr. Luke; the latter two are also the producers. It was released as his first single of the album Rokstarr (2009). The song features additional instrumentation by Cruz himself. It was released internationally as the fourth single from Rokstarr. In the UK, the song was released as the first single from Cruz's compilation album, The Rokstarr Collection (2010). On 30 May 2010, it was released to US and Canadian radio stations as his second single and across Europe as his fourth single. An official remix was released featuring new label mate, Jennifer Lopez.
The Rokstarr Collection is the first compilation album by English R&B recording artist Taio Cruz. It was released on 20 September 2010. According to Cruz's website, the album combines "the biggest hits of Taio’s debut album 'Departure' and recent album 'Rokstarr'". The album includes all of Cruz's singles from his first two studio albums, excluding "No Other One". The album also includes album tracks and the American version of "Break Your Heart", featuring Ludacris. Island Records added the video advertisement for the collection to their YouTube account on 18 August 2010.
"Shine a Light" is the second single from English band McFly's fifth studio album, Above the Noise. The single features vocals from singer Taio Cruz. The single was released on 7 November 2010 via digital download, with a physical release following the next day. A free download was available for members of the band's new website, SuperCity. The song received mostly positive reviews from pop music critics. On 3 November 2010, the song was added to BBC Radio 1's A-List. The song peaked the number 9 in UK Airplay Chart. McFly secured their fifteenth Top 5 hit with "Shine a Light" on the UK Singles Chart.
"Higher" is the fifth single from English singer-songwriter Taio Cruz's second studio album, Rokstarr. It was written and produced by Cruz and Sandy Vee, and was released on 26 November 2010. This song was originally written for Australian singer Kylie Minogue's album Aphrodite, but plans fell through. However, Cruz and Minogue recorded a version of the song for the European release, while American rapper Travie McCoy recorded guest raps for the American release. The Brazilian and United Kingdom versions have parts of McCoy's rap mixed into the Minogue version. The version on Cruz's albums feature a solo vocal by Cruz with no guest vocalist and an edited version of the solo version was added to Radio Disney's playlist.
The Maccabeats are an American Orthodox Jewish all-male a cappella group. Founded in 2007 at Yeshiva University, Manhattan, New York, the 14-member group specializes in covers and parodies of contemporary hits using Jewish-themed lyrics. Their breakout 2010 Hanukkah music video for "Candlelight", a parody of Mike Tompkins' a cappella music video for Taio Cruz's "Dynamite", logged more than two million hits in its first ten days; the video has been viewed more than 16 million times as of 2022. They have recorded three albums and one EP, and frequently release music videos in conjunction with Jewish holidays. They tour worldwide and have performed at the White House and the Knesset.
"Hangover" is a song by English singer Taio Cruz from his third studio album, TY.O. Released on 4 October 2011 in United States, 18 October 2011 in Germany and 4 March 2012 in the United Kingdom, the song serves as the album's international lead single, and follows "Troublemaker" as the album's second British single. American rapper Flo Rida contributes guest vocals. Another alternate version of the song, titled "Takeover", was leaked online via NewJams.net.
"Troublemaker" is an electropop song by British singer-songwriter Taio Cruz, released as the second single from his third studio album, TY.O. It was released in Germany on 9 December 2011 before being released in the United Kingdom as the album's lead single on 1 January 2012. The song was written and produced by Cruz, Steve Angello, Rami Yacoub and Carl Falk. Cruz performed the song on The Voice of Germany on 27 January 2012.
StandFour is an American a cappella group from New York City made up of four former members of Yeshiva University's all-male a cappella group The Maccabeats. Formed in November 2012, the group is composed of four graduates of the university: David Block, Noey Jacobson, Nachum Joel, and Immanuel Shalev. StandFour is largely popular among the American Jewish community and the related blogosphere.
Mike Tompkins is a Canadian musician from Ilderton, Ontario. He primarily records acapella covers and original songs, using only his mouth and voice. He has been partnered with Maker Studios, but is now an independent artist. He has been featured on both the Today Show and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Orthodox pop, sometimes called Hasidic pop, Hasidic rock, K-pop, Haredi pop, and Ortho-pop, is a form of contemporary Jewish religious music popular among Orthodox Jews. It typically draws stylistically from contemporary genres like pop, rock, jazz, and dance music, while incorporating text from Jewish prayer, Torah, and Talmud as well as traditional Jewish songs and occasional original English lyrics with themes of faith and positivity. The genre was pioneered in the 1970s by artists like Mordechai Ben David and the Miami Boys Choir, who incorporated secular pop and dance influences into their music in contrast to the more traditional Jewish music of the time, and has had continued success in the modern era with singers like Yaakov Shwekey, Lipa Schmeltzer, Baruch Levine, and Benny Friedman.
Tim Blais is a Canadian science communicator. He explains scientific topics via writing and performing a capella parodies of popular music which he records and posts on his YouTube channel, A Capella Science.
Six13 is a New York–based Jewish all-male a cappella singing group. Formed in 2003, the six-voice group is known for parodying contemporary pop songs by adding Jewish themes and lyrics. It also sings cover versions of pop hits and Yiddish and Israeli classics, and produces original compositions based on traditional Jewish prayers. Relying solely on vocals, the group achieves the effects of guitar, bass, drums, and electronic music through beatboxing and multiple layering of vocal tracks on its music videos. The group performs regularly for universities, synagogues, public and private groups, and in music festivals. It has released eight albums and won numerous awards.