I Flip My Latkes in the Air Sometimes

This past weekend I was home in my nice New Jersey community. Regardless of who I was with it seemed like everybody was talking about the same thing, The Maccabeats and “Candlelight”(the video from David’s post).I had recently watched the video and thought it was very well done, but had no idea it would have the acclaim(at least locally) that it appeared to have. I soon found out that there YouTube video was nearing 1.5 million views(now near 2 million) and many prominent newspapers had written about them. Yesterday the Jewish acapella crew made an appearance on CBS.Their single has even jumped into the iTunes Top 100. All of this happening after just one week! How has this gone so viral? I think that part of their appeal is that their song is well written with catchy easy to understand lyrics that don’t stray very far from Taio Cruz’s original. However, good lyrics alone would not result in such an explosion of attention. The professional quality of their videography is what makes a person watch, and then insist that others follow suit. The timing is also perfect, as many Jews crave a better Hanukah song than those supplied by Adam Sandler. “Candlelight” is a fun and hip song with cultural relevance that Jews can sing proudly, while surrounded by the multitudes of Christmas songs(many in face written by Jews). I also personally know four members of the group(and one of the Greeks in the video), including the musical directer and videographer. So if you guys haven’t seen the video check it out now, and stay tuned I heard a rumor they might be on Leno soon.

Various Places that have showcased the Maccabeats