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Jul 9, 2009

I tripped over some Jewish Music in Hong Kong!

You will never believe this.

I just had to call Hong Kong. The person I was talking to put me on hold. The hold music was extremely familiar, but classier than what i was familiar with. I knew the tune, but could not think of the words.

I called over three different people and had them listen to the hold music, so I have witnesses. I then did some research (i.e. I called my musical wife) and hummed the tune and asked what the song is. Lo and Behold, the song is Abie Rotenberg's Adon Olam.

I quickly found it on the internet and played it for the people I had played the hold music to, and they concurred it was exactly the same tune.

I had not called some Jewish office in Hong Kong where the Jewish owner might have set his hold music to his favorite Jewish soing, I called the largest ISP in Hong Kong, and this was their hold music!

So, did they take Abie Rotenberg's tune and use it (granted, if they did, it was probably somebody else who took it and made it into general music which they then used), or did Abie Rotenberg take someone else's music and put Jewish words to it.... I hope it was the former. It is really a great song, as are almost all of Abie Rotenbergs songs...

13 comments:

  1. great story. that reminds me of this internet story: not exactly the same, but still:

    http://parsha.blogspot.com/2009/04/rabbi-priest-and-quarterback.html

    also, as everyone knows mbd's "yidden" is a uses the music of "Dschinghis Khan" (English: Genghis Khan), from the German band Dschinghis Khan.(source Wikipedia)

    ReplyDelete
  2. There was a YouTube video about 6 months ago, which has since been removed from public viewing.

    It was posted by a Californian dance school for an Asian community there (I think Korean).

    They were taking dance lessons to a Pirchei Maimi song, I don't recall which one. Funny as heck!

    ReplyDelete
  3. What about the famous "Na Nach Nachma" song? You think that was original?

    They plagiarized it from this song from some obscure Romanian group.

    Not a bad song, either, very catchy! If you're going to plagiarize someone else's work, at least make sure the original is worth copying!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Shaul - what is amazing about the Numa Numa song is that the original has 1.5 million hits, but the Numa Numa kid singing it who really made it famous has 30 million hits

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yeah, that is funny. There's lot's about that on Wikipedia here and here.

    ReplyDelete
  6. hey,
    can Mrs G please start a service where we can hum a song down the phone and she tells us what they are - that would be such a relief when you have a song in your head!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think it would only work if they were jewish songs stuck in your head, and nothing too new. Maybe some old 80s non-Jewish songs as well.

    ReplyDelete
  8. and even then - she often has to call solly G. for his help.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sorry about the music link - completely forgot it was 17 Tammuz!

    As penance for my oversight, I found some nice a cappella music from the King's Singers, with a bit of parody bigotry that I can sympathize with... :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. The standard tune for Ain Kelokeinu originated as a German beer drinking song.

    ReplyDelete
  11. That reminds me of D'veykus's "Od Yishama" to the tune of "What shall we do with the drunken sailor?"

    ReplyDelete
  12. "ehwhy said...

    The standard tune for Ain Kelokeinu originated as a German beer drinking song."

    ---------------------------------

    Source?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Mrs. G-

    Happy to help.

    Solly G.

    ReplyDelete

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