Maccabeats Having A ‘Dynamite’ Chanukah
Upon the final night of Chanukah, a new song for the holiday that comically reworks Tao Cruz's smash has lit up two of Billboard's charts.
As the eighth and final night of Chanukah arrives at sundown tonight (Dec. 8), a new song for the holiday has lit up two of Billboard’s charts.
Maccabeats‘ “Candlelight” enters the Comedy Digital Tracks (No. 2) and Holiday Digital Songs (No. 19) charts, to be released tomorrow (Dec. 9) on Billboard.com and Billboard.biz. The song sold 10,000 downloads for the week ending Dec. 5, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
“Candlelight” makes for a gelt-y pleasure, parodying Taio Cruz‘s former No. 2 Billboard Hot 100 smash “Dynamite.”
“I flip my latkes in the air sometimes, saying ‘ay-oh,’ spin the dreidel!,” go the playful new lyrics.
“Just want to celebrate for all eight nights, saying ‘ay-oh,’ light the candle!”
Maccabeats consist of 14 current and former students at New York’s Yeshiva University. The ensemble formed in late 2007 and released its debut album, “Voices From the Heights,” earlier this year. The set registered approximately two-thirds of its sales-to-date (1,000) last week, according to SoundScan, although “Candlelight” is not included on it. The collection debuts on Heatseekers Albums at No. 45.
The “Candlelight” video has totaled 2.6 million YouTube views since its posting Nov. 26.
Trending on Billboard
“It’s exceeded our wildest imaginations,” says Maccabeats’ musical director Julian Horowitz. “The numbers are crazy. I’m getting e-mails and phone calls every five minutes.”
With Adam Sandler‘s “The Chanukah Song” and Maccabeats’ “Candlelight” at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, on Comedy Digital Tracks, Chanukah-themed titles monopolize the top two positions on a Billboard songs survey for the first time.
Additional reporting by Gordon Murray.