The Maccabeats
The Maccabeats are an all-male a cappella group based out of Yeshiva University noted for their 2010 Hanukkah song "Candlelight".
Career
The group released its first album, Voices from the Heights, in March 2010.[1] In November 2010, they released "Candlelight", a Hanukkah-themed single directed by Uri Westrich, also a Yeshiva graduate.[2] The song, a spoof of Mike Tompkin's a cappella version of Taio Cruz's "Dynamite",[3][4] has received over 9 million hits on YouTube[5] and reached #1 on Billboard's Comedy Digital Tracks chart.[6]
The Maccabeats opened for Matisyahu at the Yeshiva University Chanukah Concert in early December 2010.[2]
On March 8, 2011, The Maccabeats released a music video called "Purim Song".[7] "Purim Song" also reached the top 10 of Billboard′s Comedy Digital Tracks chart.[8]
On May 17, 2011, the group performed at the White House at a reception in honor of Jewish American Heritage Month where President Obama thanked them for "their outstanding performance."[9]
On September 22, 2011, The Maccabeats released a music video called "Book of Good Life".[10]
On December 8, 2011, the Maccabeats released a music video called "Miracle".[11]
In March 2012, the Maccabeats released their second album, Out of the Box.[12]
In November, they released their newest hit, entitled "What's next? Sukkos Style?" and featuring a parody of "Gangnam Style" by Psy. Shortly afterward, four group members split off into a new group "Stand Four"
In December 2012, the Maccabeats released their first original song, "Shine".[13]
In March 2013, the Maccabeats released a music video featuring a medley of songs from Les Misérables performed over reenactments of scenes from the Passover story. This video is unique in that rather than parodying the songs, it contains a capella covers of several of the original songs while drawing attention to how each song's context in the musical is paralleled in Exodus. The video features covers of "Work Song" (over a reenactment of the Jews' lives as slaves in Egypt), "At the End of the Day" (Jochebed putting the baby Moses in a basket in the Nile), "I Dreamed a Dream" (no noteworthy scene from Exodus; an unnamed Jew lamenting the quality of life as a slave), "Who Am I?" (Moses questioning if he is worthy to lead the Jews out of Egypt), the Thénardiers' section and the students' section of "One Day More" (the Ten Plagues and Moses speaking to Pharaoh), and the finale of "Do You Hear the People Sing?" (with no parallel in Exodus; it is just used as a finale).[14]
In September 2013, the Maccabeats released a video of the song "D'ror Yikra", a parody of "Cups" by Anna Kendrick.
In November 2013, the group released the song "Burn", based on the Ellie Goulding song of the same name.
References
- ^ Maccabeats: About
- ^ a b The Washington Post Harmony group's Hanukkah anthem lights a fire on Web, December 4, 2010
- ^ The Huffington Post 'Dynamite' Hanukkah Remix: Maccabeats Spoof Taio Cruz, November 30, 2010
- ^ The Wall Street Journal Online Hanukkah, Set to a Catchy Tune, December 4, 2010
- ^ YouTube: Candlelight (The Maccabeats)
- ^ Trust, Gary (2010-12-22). "Chart Beat: Best Of 2010: Part 4". Billboard.com. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ^ YouTube: Purim Song (The Maccabeats)
- ^ Trust, Gary (2011-03-18). "Weekly Chart Notes: Lady Gaga, 'Glee' Cast, Billy Joel". Billboard.com. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ^ "Remarks by the President at Reception in Honor of Jewish American Heritage Month". White House website. May 17, 2011. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
- ^ YouTube: Book of Good Life (The Maccabeats)
- ^ The Maccabeats - Miracle - Matisyahu - Hanukkah
- ^ http://jewishmusicreport.com/2012/03/28/maccabeats-out-of-the-box-now-available/
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfieP6H47lc
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmthKpnTHYQ