It all started at the NFC Championship weekend last Sunday. As on almost every typical Sunday, we went grocery shopping in the afternoon. The store was almost empty (usually on Sundays the store is crowded). When we got to the cashier, my wife mentioned that maybe there was no line because of the game. What game, I asked? The football game, she said. I didn’t really know what she was talking about, so I asked Google (and also the local WhatsApp group). Apparently, it was the NFC Championship weekend. Then my wife told me that in two weeks it is the Super Bowl. Hmm….
I don’t know much about American football, but I do know that it is a big party. And a party needs good music. And a good vibe. And also, that there is a big concert during the break. Now, I know something about music. So I thought to myself, let’s get you the best playlist for the Super Bowl.
So this Sunday is the big game, and whether you’re hosting a Super Bowl party in your house and looking for the best playlist to dance with your guests during the break, or just watching with friends and family, I’ll have you covered. Of course, in the Super Bowl there is the winning team and the losing team. Don’t worry – I’ll have some quiet and comfort songs for those who lose. And obviously a special playlist for the winners’ after-party!
Before we get to the music – how many of you knew that there’s actually a football league in Israel? A professional football league! No, I didn’t drink whiskey while writing the column and I’m not confusing football with Israeli soccer. The professional football league in Israel is called the IFL – Israel Football League. It was founded in the summer of 2005 by a group of Israelis who wanted to play tackle American football, according to the website https://iflfriends.com (you can also check out https://afi.co.il). One of the best-known past players is Avi Ganz (who also writes for The Jewish Press) and was also featured in the Israeli version of the TV show The Voice, season 4.
Now to the music.
We’re going to have a mix of chassidic, Israeli, Mizrahi, oldies, and some new music. You want to have fun – right?
We’ll warm up with “Uf Gozal” by Arik Einstein and Miki Gavrielov. One of the most known and beautiful songs in Israeli music, “Uf Gozal” might not be the ideal song for a party as it is kind of a quiet and touching song. But hey, gozal in English is chick. Uf is fly. “Ufu nesharim, ufu,” Fly chick, fly! Fly Eagles, fly! Can I not feature this song when the Eagles play? The song depicts chicks (fledglings) who leave the nest, while the old bird stays in the nest hoping that everything will be ok. It’s an analogy to when kids get older and leave the house, starting their own new, independent path in life.
The next song, starting a little quiet but getting upbeat, is also one of my favorite songs, “V’kovey Hashem” from the album V’Ohavto, performed by Dedi Graucher, z”l. “Vekovey Hashem yachalifu ko’ach, yaalu ever ka’nesharim.” “Nesharim” – Eagles! Yay, let’s party! I love this song. It starts with a nice electric guitar solo and keyboard effects in the background, then transitions to an upbeat rock style. Grab your beer and start dancing. You still hope your team is going to win tonight.
Mashina was one of my most favorites bands as a teenager. It was an Israeli rock band that was active from 1983 to 1995, and is considered one of the most popular and influential bands in the Israeli pop rock genre. They had many albums and popular songs. For the Super Bowl party, I selected two songs. One is “Rikud Hamechona” – the machine song – which is actually only music without lyrics. But it’s good background music to warm up. The next song is “Rakevet Laila LeKhair” (The Night Train to Cairo), one of the most popular songs of the band. What’s the connection to football, you ask? No connection. It’s just a cool upbeat song that will make you dance.
Eifo HaYeled was another Israeli rock band that I used to listen to when I was teenager. The band was formed in 1986 by two kibbutznikim from Kibbutz Givat Brener and Kibbutz Beit Hahita. Their album Shedim (Ghosts, or Demons), which was released back in 1994, was one of the first CDs I purchased when I got my first Discman (see last week’s column if you want to learn more about my first Discman). The album was very popular in the 90s, and among the popular songs it includes are “Lavan B’Chalom Shachor,” “Mishe’hu Shomeya Oti,” and of course, the next song in our playlist, “HaShedim HaYerukim” – the green ghosts! A cool, silly, and upbeat song that also comes with a funny clip. The song starts with a bass guitar, then a distortion guitar solo, and then it becomes more upbeat with heavy guitars and drums. Here, here, they are coming, says the chorus, the green “shedim.” I’m not going to translate the verse as it’s too silly. Yet, a fun song, and because of the “green” it gets its place on our Super Bowl playlist.
The next song will be “Melech Hamigrash” (The King of the Field) by Eyal Golan from his album Histakli Elay. The song speaks about a boy in a nice neighborhood who loves soccer, and how during his happy childhood days he used to play soccer. The second verse depicts how while he was growing up, he was taught to only win and not lose. “I wanted to be the champion,” says the narrator, and they used to sing for me: “Ho ho ho ho, I love soccer so much. Ho ho ho ho, raise the flag, the trophy is ready. I’m going to celebrate until the morning. Give respect to the king of the soccer field.” The song is more Mizrahi-style and very upbeat.
The Super Bowl halftime break is about to end, and we didn’t have yet a song for the Chiefs. Oy vey! To be honest, it was a little challenging to find songs about Native Americans. But here’s a song where the word which repeats itself in the chorus sounds like, well, “chief.” (It’s not “chief,” more like “tzif.” But it’s a Super Bowl and we want to have fun, and it’s also a beautiful song.
Written by Yaron London and performed by Danny Littany, “Tzif Tzif Me’al Haratzif” speaks about a train station in the heart of the orchards and next to it, the railroad tracks. And an old platform (“ratzif”) standing there, a platform which for many years didn’t know smoke, engines, and trains. Only one white bird above the platform, says the chorus. “Tzif tzif me’al haratzif.” In the middle of the Sharon (the Sharon plain is the central section of the Israeli coastal plain), there are benches to sit on and an old train car, but not a train. And one young man sleeps, and dreams about a steamy train engine entering the platform. Only one white bird above the platform… The song sounds like an American country song, and has a rich harmony with instruments that sound like violins, mandolin, etc.
We don’t know yet who’s going to lose and who’s going to win, so before we get to the winners’ party playlist, here are some songs that might bring some comfort to the fans of the team which loses:
“Ha’Chagiga Nigmeret” (The Party’s Over) by Neomi Shemer is a beautiful, quiet song which is performed by the Hakol Over Habibi band. And sometimes the party is over, the lights turn off, the trumpet says goodbye to the violins. Wake up tomorrow morning with a new song in your heart and start from Bereishit.
“Chofim” (Shores) by Natan Yonatan is another melancholy, yet nice song, performed by Arik Einstein (from “Uf Gozal”). It’s a very popular song in Israeli music.
“Ein ye’ush ba’olam,” there is no despondency in the world, said Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. So, hey – your team might have lost, but “ein ye’ush,” there’s no despondency. I like the arrangement of Sinay Aviel and C&M Productions which also is one of the first results on YouTube if you search for this song. The song is called Rabbenu Tzaak.
Now for the Super Bowl Party playlist for the winning team. Whoever is the winner, let’s just have fun with some upbeat songs. A mix of Israeli, chassidic, and Mizrahi.
First, “Mahapecha Shel Simcha” by Omer Adam and Lior Narkis. “Let’s put the troubles behind, I’m not leaving until everyone is having fun. No one makes it better than me. My head is spinning and everyone is high. We are not going to stop. We are all family, we’re gonna dance like crazy because it’s time to fly. From now on, only simcha! If you drink, you dance. The nation demands Mizrahi beat.” Etc., etc. Cool song.
“BeemVe Sh’chora” (Black B.M.W.) by Ethnix, is a silly but very fun and upbeat Israeli song. “Raise your hands in the air, beat in your legs, a big party tonight. I’m free and happy! Yalla, raise your hands! A big love tonight, I’m singing tonight.”
“A Ba Ni Bi,” performed by Izhar Cohen & The Alpha Beta, was Israel’s song to the 1978 Eurovision and was the winning song. It’s very upbeat and fun, and I personally really like this song.
“Simcha Gedola Haleila” (Big Happy Tonight), performed by Daklon. He’s one of the greatest Mizrahi music singers in Israel.
“Moshiach” by Mordechai Ben David became a big hit song in Israel when the fans of Hapoel Galil Elyon in basketball adopted this song as their anthem in the season that they took the championship from Maccabi Tel Aviv after a sequence of 23 championships by Maccabi Tel Aviv. In almost every game during that season, they sang “Moshiach Moshiach Moshiach.” In a week, most Israelis were familiar with the song.
“Ze Ma Shenish’ar” by Shlomo Artzi – just because I love this song.
“Mizrach” by Lipa Schmeltzer – because it’s a great song to party with.
I’d like to take the opportunity to thank the Cherry Hill community for helping me with this column by educating me about football. I have almost zero knowledge about American football (I even thought it was called “Super Ball” – until they explained to me it’s actually Super Bowl) but they explained everything to me.
Have fun!
