Chanukah Hymns

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A depressing holiday CD collection proves that not all Chanukah songs need to be festive.
Chanukah
Hanukkah
Winter
Commercial Parody
Jewish
Deadpan
1990s
Recording Studio
Musical

Happy Happy Hanukkah... (sung in depressing monotone)
Eating latkes, burning candles, spinning dreidels, Chanukah is fun... (delivered with zero enthusiasm)

In this commercial parody, a spokesperson (Alec Baldwin) promotes "Chanukah Hymns," a new holiday CD collection featuring traditional Chanukah songs all performed in the same slow, monotonous, and utterly depressing style. Various cast members appear singing melancholy versions of holiday songs with deadpan expressions, including a terrified-looking young girl in front of a menorah. The sketch parodies both cheesy CD infomercials and the somber nature of some traditional Eastern European Jewish music, with Baldwin's spokesperson enthusiastically promoting songs that all sound identically dreary. The location is given as "Zionsville, Indiana" on "Route 6."

This sketch is often cited as hilariously accurate to the sound of traditional Jewish liturgical music. The commercial format allows for multiple quick cuts between different "songs" that all have the exact same depressing melody. References are made to Antiochus (the Greek king from the Chanukah story). The sketch aired during SNL's Christmas episode and stands as one of the memorable Chanukah-themed sketches from this era of the show.
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