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Chanukah Hymns
SKETCH-O-VISION
A VERY GOOD USE OF YOUR TIME.
The setup
Watch on YouTube
Watch onYouTube
The premise
Here’s the bit.
In this mail-order album commercial, a beaming spokesman (Alec Baldwin) sits beside a lit menorah with his family (Chris Kattan, Cheri Oteri and a young girl) and promises that Chanukah Hymns captures all the joy of the festival of lights. Every sample undercuts him: a bearded singer (Will Ferrell) intones "Happy Happy Chanukah" before a stained-glass window, a soloist (Ana Gasteyer) drones through "The Menorah Lighting," and a trio (Chris Parnell, Molly Shannon and Jimmy Fallon) delivers a solemn charity-single-style anthem, "Do They Know It's Chanukah?", that worries over the holiday's changing date. Scrolling track lists promise more of the same, from "Don't Pronounce the Letter C" to "Evil King Antiochus," and the whole ensemble gathers glumly around the family for the finale before an announcer reads the $19.95 ordering address in Zionsville, Indiana.
The funny people
Meet the cast. 8
Say it with us
Highly quotable.
This is the music that explains once and for all why Jewish people around the world can't wait to celebrate Chanukah.
Do they understand that it's a different time each year?
A little extra
Notes from the archive.
Aired on the December 12, 1998 episode hosted by Alec Baldwin with musical guest Luciano Pavarotti, the same night as NPR's Delicious Dish: Schweddy Balls. SNL Archives credits Darrell Hammond as the off-screen announcer who reads the ordering address.
Script
Automatically generated script; wording may contain errors. Speaker labels are inferred.
- 00:05
Spokesperson
Hanukkah, the festival of lights. And nothing represents this joyful holiday better than all the great Hanukkah music.
- 00:13
Speaker 1
Now you can listen to this great new collection, Hanukkah hymns. Your all-time favorite Hanukkah songs are here. You get Happy Happy Hanukkah.
- 00:26
Singer
Happy, happy Hanukkah. This is such a happy holiday.
- 00:37
Speaker 1
Or how about this classic Hanukkah song, The Menorah Lighting.
- 00:45
Singer
Hanukkah menorah, Hanukkah menorah. Burning, burning, burning, burning. What a cheerful holiday.
- 00:55
Speaker 1
Now the pure fun and joy of spinning the dreidel and eating latkes can be even more joyful when you listen to these cheerful Hanukkah melodies. Songs like Mighty Judas Maccabee, Lakas, Lakas, Lakas, the Shamas song, Clay Spinning Top, Don't Pronounce the Letter C, and of course the international smash hit single Do They Know It's Hanukkah.
- 01:16
Singer
Do they know it's Hanukkah? Do they really know? Do they understand that it's a different time each year?
- 01:25
Spokesperson
This is the music that explains once and for all why Jewish people around the world can't wait to celebrate Hanukkah.
- 01:32
Speaker 1
It's the greatest collection of original Hanukkah songs ever assembled, including Miracle Oil, Evil King Antiochus, My Chocolate Gelt, Who Saved the Temple, and Let's Make Potato Pancakes.
- 01:43
Spokesperson
So order Hanukkah hymns today and make this year's Hanukkah the most fun ever.
- 01:53
Singer
To eating latkes, burning candles, Hanukkah is fun!
- 02:02
Speaker 1
order Hanukkah hymns, send check or money order of $19.95 to Route 6 Zionsville, Indiana.
The rabbit hole continues
One more couldn’t hurt.
More from across the archive.
