Which Jewish songs come from non-jewish songs?

Ema of 5

Mon, Jan 17 2022, 1:52 pm

Country Yossi also has many many songs to the tune of secular songs. I believe shmuel kinda had a few as well, but not as many as the others.
Adama v’shamayim is also a non Jewish song.

chanchy123

Mon, Jan 17 2022, 2:22 pm

Ihatepotatoes wrote:

There are so many....

The famous Ki Eshmera Shabat for example is one that isn't so very well known. It's a Ottoman Navy anthem
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ABiJ-0JRs8

Also:
https://forums.dansdeals.com/I.....2.360

Oh my gosh - I did not know that. I did recently learn that a very popular tune to hotzaat sefer Torah in Sephardi communities is set to the tune of a very short lived Egyptian national anthem from the early 20th century and of course everyone knows that Chabbad use La Marseillaise as the tune for Haderet VeHaemuna.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?.....D7%94

https://www.youtube.com/watch?.....sty13

chanchy123

Mon, Jan 17 2022, 2:26 pm

Choirmistress wrote:

Which "famous" Ki Eshmera Shabbos? The one based on, and indeed a speeded-up version of, Ahavat Hadassah composed in Yemen in the 17th century?
Sorry, I've just listened to the video linked here and it sounds nothing like it. Maybe you had another tune in mind.

I can't think of any tune to ki ashmera that sounds like Havat Hadassah - at least not the tune I know to Ahavat Hadassa -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?.....icial

amother

Olive

Tue, Jan 18 2022, 6:19 pm

For me I don’t have an issue with Jewish artists that openly parody nonJewish songs . It’s not my thing but whatever. I do take issue with Jewish artists copying an entire pop song and not mentioning it. Every time I find out a popular frum song sounds just like a nonJewish song it puts such a bad taste in my mouth.
I worked in Williamsburg and had a nonJeiwsh manager. One day we went into a local pizza place and we’re sitting down to eat when she said “is that Beyoncé playing over the radio?” In fact she was right, the song was an exact copy of Beyoncé’s “crazy in love”. This was over 10 years ago, I no longer listen to nonJewish music so I don’t realize for a while til someone points it out

amother

Magenta

Tue, Jan 18 2022, 7:31 pm

on the flip side, there are songs taken from Jewish to non-Jewish...
Hava nageela hava used to be a song Belz Chassidim sang Simchas Torah.
A couple of years ago, the Belze Rebbe sang it Simchas Torah and since then its sung all around the world in belz shules on Simchas Torah. it's a beautiful song actually.

amother

Olive

Tue, Jan 18 2022, 8:21 pm

amother [ Magenta ] wrote:

Huh? What do you mean? That Hava Nagela is a not jewish song or that nonJews made another version to that tune?

amother

Tanzanite

Tue, Jan 18 2022, 10:28 pm

I feel like I’ve heard a kids song to this tune? Maybe uncle Moishy? I can’t seem to place it.

naturalmom5

Wed, Jan 19 2022, 12:34 am

chanchy123 wrote:

There is a Morroccan Yigdal when yom tov goes into Shabbas that uses tge same tune as Aud Lang Zyne

Ihatepotatoes

Thu, Jan 20 2022, 11:20 pm

amother [ Thistle ] wrote:

I thought the Drunken Sailor song was done in an Abie Rottenberg song but can't seem to think of it right now...

Yes. It was a tune from the Irish Rovers. Abie credits "The Dubliner Rebbi" LOL

amother

Clematis

Thu, Jan 20 2022, 11:58 pm

Odelyah wrote:

"Asher Bara" to the tune of "A Land Down Under" by Men at Work, a hit song from the mid 80's. Can't remember who did it but it was a chasuna staple for years.

I think it was Piamenta

Choirmistress

Fri, Jan 21 2022, 1:41 pm

Follow-up to Thistle:
Found it! (It took a couple of minutes of rummaging, but I knew I had it on CD.)
Od Yishoma IS by Abie Rotenberg and is Track 4 on D'veykus Volume II.
There you go.

Last edited by Choirmistress on Fri, Jan 21 2022, 1:46 pm; edited 1 time in total

Choirmistress

Fri, Jan 21 2022, 1:46 pm

There is one tune to "Eitz Chayim hi" (when the Sefer Torah is returned to the Aron) that is a minor-key version of the major-key "Les Bicyclettes de Belsize" as recorded by Engelbert Humperdinck! What eludes me is why they don't start the tune from "Ki lekach tov". The tune would fit.
Also, there is a Camp Massada here in Ontario that took the tune of "The River is Wide" (Irish folk), changed a few notes/chords in a couple of places, and put Hebrew words to it:
Massada, yesh lanu tikva,
L'hishamer, ul'hitaher,....
Melodically, I like different elements of both versions.

amother

Magenta

Sat, Jan 22 2022, 3:02 pm

amother [ Olive ] wrote:

Huh? What do you mean? That Hava Nagela is a not jewish song or that nonJews made another version to that tune?

it was composed by reform jews before the war. They used the tune from belz when they sang it simchas torah. Now the belze rv "reclaimed" the tune and is singing it every year on simchas torah

amother

Chestnut

Sat, Jan 22 2022, 4:06 pm

amother [ Magenta ] wrote:

it was composed by reform jews before the war. They used the tune from belz when they sang it simchas torah. Now the belze rv "reclaimed" the tune and is singing it every year on simchas torah

Hava Nagila is based on a Sadigurer niggun, though of course that itself may have been lifted from local folk tunes. (As were many, if not most, niggunim.) Avraham Tzvi Idelson, who transcribed the music and added lyrics about a hundred years ago, was a secular Zionist, not a member of a Reform congregation. He was certainly Jewish. The only non-Jewish element here is possibly the original Ukrainian folk song.

Choirmistress

Fri, Feb 04 2022, 3:07 am

Here's one I had forgotten about until the last day or so:
On O(h)r Chadash III is "My Yaytzer Hora Says", which takes its melody from "Sylvia's Mother".