The $30 Hit

Jewish maternal disappointment may never have been quite so dramatic – nor quite so public – as that of Anna Secunda, mother of composer Shalom Secunda, circa 1937. According to one article, she fasted and prayed for her son who had sold the rights to his song, "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen," for a mere $30.

And honestly, we might fast, too, were we in Mrs. Secunda’s shoes. The tune quickly became the world’s best-known Yiddish theater song. Performed and recorded by The Andrews Sisters, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman and his Orchestra, Judy Garland and Bette Midler, it was the only Yiddish song that was ever quite such a crossover hit.

A 1938 article in the Camden Courier-Post recounts a conversation between Secunda and his bootblack, who was whistling the wildly popular song as he shone. "I guess the guy who wrote that must be making plenty of dough," Secunda reportedly commented. "Not him," said the bootblack. "That dope sold his song for 30 bucks."

Despite the insults and the parental distress, Secunda himself didn't harp on the lost royalties. As he told the New York Times, "It bothered everyone else more than it bothered me. I've been more interested in my symphonic music."

Ringo the Jew?

Most every Jewish kid who grew up in 1960s America looked up to Ringo Starr. He was one of us, the Jewish Beatle, the one who had been bar mitzvahed.

There was just one glitch: Ringo hadn’t been bar mitzvahed. Because Ringo isn’t Jewish.

But the myth of Ringo-as-Jew was so pervasive that in 1964, in the early days of Beatlemania, Ringo received death threats from anti-Semites before playing a concert in Montreal. He played with a bodyguard sitting beside him and genuinely feared he might be shot. Both he and George Harrison talked about the incident in the Beatles Anthology, the authorized biography published by the surviving Beatles in 2000. "Some people decided to make an example of me, as an English Jew," Ringo said. "The one major fault is I'm not Jewish."

The anthology should have put the Ringo rumors to sleep, but a quick jaunt around the web shows just how persistent the myth remains. A prominent White Power site has also clarified the question for its Jew-hating constituents—but we’re going to refrain from linking to that one.

Still, Ringo does have one indisputable Jewish connection – his wife, actress Barbara Bach, nee Goldbach.

Holiday Blues? Teammate Can Help!

Are you kicking off December with fists clenched in balls of impotent Christmas rage, exasperated by the emptiness of vulgar consumerism, feeling trapped by encroaching tinsel ghettos of forced holiday cheerfulness? Or perhaps you are just experiencing a baseline malaise or anxiety that happens to many of us who are otherwise functional outside of this time-crunched, emotionally draining, financially worrisome time of year.

The holidays can be really rough. Sometimes you just need someone to write an awesome song that perfectly describes a melancholy holiday sentiment and then make a hilarious yet heart-shredding video for that song starring their pets (Maya the Dog and Cheddar the Cat), which shows us all how simple and profound our shared humanity is while simultaneously demonstrating that cat paws can't answer calls on an iPhone for shit.

Teammate, the bi-coastal musical lovechild of Scott Simons (Los Angeles) and Dani Buncher (Pittsburgh) is an excellent band year round, but this video for the song, "I Won't Be Home For Chanukah" places them them solidly in my pantheon of "Holiday Music That Almost Makes Me Look Forward to the Holidays.

You know. Like, Wham's "Last Christmas," Mariah's "All I Want For Christmas," RUN DMC's "Christmas In Hollis, Queens," The Waitresses' "Christmas Wrapping," or "O, Holy Night" by any number of older dudes.

I implore you to watch "I Won't Be Home For Chanukah" at least once a day for the rest of the year. If you're already happy, it will expand your sense that all is well in the world. And if your heart feels two sizes too small, Teammate provides some warm cider for your winter-weary soul.

Hanukkah Lovin'

Still can't get enough of Chanukah music? Hanukkah Lovin' from Michelle Citrine is one of the most original Hanukkah songs ever to come out. If Norah Jones and Bing Crosby hung out at Stan Getz' house for Chanukah...this is kinda what it would sound like.

Matisyahu Hanukkah Song and Music Video

An uplifting pop gem arriving just in time for the holiday, "Miracle," produced by Dr. Luke protégé Kool Kojak (Flo Rida, Katy Perry, Ke$ha), is drenched in a joyful spirit and features chiming synths, bouncing beats and an irresistible chorus. Matisyahu says, "There are so many Christmas songs out there. I wanted to give the Jewish kids something to be proud of. We've got Adam Sandler's song, which is hilarious, but I wanted to try to get across some of the depth and spirituality inherent in the holiday in a fun, celebratory song. My boy Kojak was in town so at the last minute we went into the studio in the spirit of miracles and underdogs and this is what we came up with. Happy Hannukah!"