Purim is soon, and hopefully everyone already has their costumes and some good alcohol. And obviously, a plan for where to party on Purim.
Whether you’re a DJ or just host a Purim party in your house, I hope you’re going to find this playlist useful and I hope it will enhance your simcha. (Since there are so many songs that I wanted to write about for Purim, I decided to give it two columns, and next week will be Part II of the playlist.)
Quick tip: If you’re going to play the songs from YouTube, make sure to find them in advance and load them before you play because recently YouTube has many ads before every song. Or you can purchase the albums – they’re always fun to listen to even after the party is over.
When I was younger, I used to (sometimes) dance at a few parties on Purim night. Whether in Tel Aviv or on the Upper West Side, many Purim parties used to boast several decades of music within one party – the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, etc. So, in our column we’re going to have some oldies together with some contemporary music. I’m not only going to suggest Purim songs, but also other upbeat songs that will cause you to hold hamantaschen in one hand, a good bottle of wine (or whiskey) in the other hand, and start dancing! Hora!
To begin and get into the Purim mood, we start with “Mishenichnas Adar” by Benny Friedman. This is the good old kids’ song “Mishenichnas Adar” that I think most of us grew up on. We’ll continue with “Layehudim” (MBD), also sung by Benny Friedman. These songs are from his album It Sounds Like Purim! which has many more Purim songs.
The “Thank You Hashem” project just released a new single special for Purim, featuring Avraham Fried singing “Layehudim.” The new song comes with a cool and funny video clip. When was the last time you saw Avraham Fried dancing in silly pajamas?
“Purim is a time of light, happiness, and celebration, and ‘Layehudim’ captures that energy in an upbeat, electrifying song that brings the message of the holiday to life,” says the description of the song on YouTube. It continues: “This track reminds us that the miracles of Purim weren’t just in the past. Hashem’s light, simcha, and bracha are still with us, and we can live in that happiness every day! Whether you’re dancing at a Purim seudah, spinning groggers with the kids, or just blasting music in the car, this is the perfect soundtrack for a Purim and a life filled with unbridled happiness and gratitude.”
It’s not Simchat Torah, but it doesn’t mean we can’t have the upbeat song of Matt Dubb x Mordechai Shapiro x Benny Friedman; “L’chai Olamim.” Good chance the rhythm of this song will cause you to start dancing.
Another upbeat song by Matt Dubb x Beri Weber x Shmueli Ungar is “Vaani Evtach Bach” (I Will Trust You). Since it was released in 2023, the song has become a big hit. The song is partly in Hebrew and partly in Yiddish. The easy part in Yiddish is when they count from one to four. For the other words I had to reach out to my friend who speaks fluent Yiddish, and he told me the part in Yiddish says, “You’re our father and that’s all.”
Another cool Purim song I recommend is “The Maccabeats’ Purim Song.”
The next song on the playlist is “Timche” by Mordechai Ben David from the album Tomid B’simcha. “Zachor et asher asa lecha Amalek,” remember what Amalek did to you. “Timche et zecher Amalek,” delete Amalek!
Another two songs that make their way to our Purim Party playlist are “V’nizkeh” and “Samcheynu” from the album Moshiach. Why? Because they have a good rhythm. I really liked these songs when I was younger, and used to play “Samcheynu” on my keyboard. “V’nizkeh” – We pray to be zocheh, to have the merit to be in Yemot HaMoshiach and to experience “Chayey Ha’Olam Haba.” “Samcheynu” – we pray to Hashem that Moshiach will come soon, so we can be happy with “Ben David,” the son of David. Which hopefully will happen very soon, and we will be so happy.
Oif Simchas was perhaps the first chasidic band to offer dance music. The band started in 1996 and the lead singer was Ishay Lapidot. It was the first time a chasidic band combined chasidic music with dance, house, and rap beats. Among their popular songs are “Ten Li Ko’ach” (Give Me Power), “Oy Oy Oy,” “Dance of Simchas,” and “Dor Metzuyan” (Excellent Generation).
In the song “Ten Li Koach,” the narrator asks for power and also for the ability to forget. The song was written by Ehud Manor and originally performed by Ariel Zilber. Taking a popular Israeli song and performing it with a chasidic band was not common back then. Later Avraham Fried would perform “Rak Tefillah Esa,” a very popular Israeli song which was performed by Yardena Arazi. In Arazi’s version the song is called “SheHashemesh Taavor Alai,” but it’s the same song. By the way, I’d also recommend adding “Rak Tefillah Esa” by Avraham Fried to the playlist.
The song “Oy Oy Oy” by Oif Simchas even made it to the “Kdam Eurovision” in 1996. The Kdam Eurovision is the local Israeli song contest before the Eurovision which decides which song will represent Israel in the Eurovision. “Oy Oy Oy” by Oif Simchas” didn’t win that year. But I think it was the first (or even only time) that a hasidic band made it to the Kdam Eurovision. By the way, in 1996 Israel didn’t take part in the Eurovision because the Israeli song didn’t make it to the final. But after the Kdam Eurovision of 1996, Oif Simchas got more popular, including among secular Israelis.
“Dance of Simchas” is another upbeat song by Oif Simchas. There aren’t really words. Just a good dance rhythm. Oif Simchas has some more good pieces that you can find on YouTube and add to your party playlist.
Adi Ran is a singer who became a baal teshuva and was influenced by Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. After becoming frum, his songs became more chasidic, yet it was more “alternative hasidic.” One of his funny and cool songs is “Abba Niheyeti Dos” (Dad, I Became Dati – religious) from his album HaAharon SheBaAm, which was released in 1998.
“Abba, I became a dos” (Dati in an Ashkenazic accent) – Ze lo omer she’ata tzarich lich’os, it doesn’t mean you need to be angry at me. Mommy, I became a dos – it doesn’t mean you need to be angry at me. I discovered the truth, and everything else is not important now. Tomorrow tell everybody that there’s Hashem in the world. And those who don’t want to be updated, Rachmana litzlan, are unfortunately miserable. Savta, I became a dos – take out your teeth from the glass. Saba, I became a dos, and soon you’re going to break a glass. Na na na na na na na na…”
“Eize Tov Hashem” (How Great Is Hashem) by Udi Davidi is another upbeat and beautiful song with a great rhythm. “How great is Hashem. I’m so excited. I feel like I was reborn. There are those who say when you’re looking for a good thing, you find it. So I found the light of life. Today I am full of happiness and smiles. A dear and beautiful couple is building the world now. Opens the door to a perfect future. May Hashem be with you, and all your wishes will come true.” What beautiful words to a beautiful song.
We said we would have some 70s in our party, so get on Tzemed Re’im (the Reim Duo). Honestly, I’m not even sure how many Israelis today are going to know who Tzemed Re’im are, but they were perhaps among the first singers to perform chasidic and Jewish music in Israel. After they finished their army service in Makhelat Harabanut Hatzva’it (the IDF Rabbinical Choir), they started to perform together as a duo. They did so for many years.
Among their popular songs which make it to our Purim Party playlist are “Od Avinu Chai,” “Yevarechecha,” and “Od Yishama.” If you like good old Jewish music, you can look for more of their songs on YouTube.
Other songs that make their way to our playlist (which I mentioned in previous columns) are “Shena’im Sukar Echad Cafe” (Two Sugars, One Coffee) by Aharon Razel and “Mincha” by Mendel Roh.
A Gitten Purim!
