In the annals of memorable holiday bops, there’s no denying the fact that one holiday in particular gets the bulk of the attention. But thanks to Saturday Night Live and Adam Sandler, the past three decades or so have been blessed with what may be the greatest yuletide song that isn’t specifically about Christmas, “The Chanukah Song.” But it wasn’t always intended to be the Sandman belting out those lyrics, as the Happy Gilmore star revealed while promoting his new Netflix movie Leo that the show’s producers originally asked sitcom vet Roseanne Barr to perform the song. Which, in hindsight, sounds like it would have been fodder for one of the show’s satire-driven sketches.
Later appearing on Sandler’s hilarious 1996 comedy album What the Hell Happened to Me?, “The Chanukah Song” was initially performed live on the Studio 8H stage back on December 3, 1994, just months before he and Chris Farley were unofficially fired by network execs. (A situation he sang about during his 2019 return as host.) Speaking with Access Hollywood, the actor revealed that the Roseanne star was initially pegged to sing about Jewish celebrities and pop culture figures, but politely declined. In his words:
When I wrote that that week on Saturday Night Live, Roseanne Barr was the host. And they were talking about Roseanne singing it, and she was nice enough to say, ‘No I’ll let Adam do that. He wrote it, that’s his song.’
Power to Roseanne Barr for giving credit where credit was due in that instance, since it’s almost impossible to imagine anyone’s voice but Adam Sandler’s belting out lyrics about the Three Stooges and Bowzer from Sha Na Na. Because for all that the track is indeed a comedy song that inspires laughs, it’s become a legitimate go-to song for fans of all religious backgrounds to rock out to in December. To the point where Sandler wrote and performed three follow-up versions in the interim years, with “The Chanukah SongPart IV” first arriving in 2015.
I can’t imagine the song’s popularity and legacy would have been comparable had Barr been the comedian to introduce it to the world at large. Especially since the Emmy winner’s most memorable musical performance was her heavily lambasted rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which she sang for a San Diego Padres game in 1990. Let’s relive that audio masterpiece below.
Adam Sandler’s no Celine Dion or anything, but we can all be thankful that his version of “The Chanukah Song” isn’t on par with shoving piranhas into one’s ears. Not that Barr isn’t capable of better singing. I’m just not sure that would have been her end-goal during that point in her career.
Speaking of, events from later in her career are also part of why it seems bonkers for her to have been asked to sing the holiday ditty. Back in 2009, Barr garnered much outrage over posing as Adolf HItler for the highly satirical Jewish magazine Heeb, despite the idea that she was meant to be making fun of the former Nazi leader. In later years, the comedian sparked headlines at various points for sharing unfounded conspiracy theories on social media — including one claiming Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg flashed a Nazi salute at the 2018 March for Our Lives rally — and most infamously was fired from ABC’s Roseanne revival over a tweet about President Obama’s then-senior advisor Valerie Jarrett that was viewed as being racist.
While it’s certainly possible that Roseanne Barr’s life would have gone in different directions had she been the one to hit the 30 Rock stage with “The Chanukah Song,” without as many controversies lining those paths, it’s obviously impossible to know. But I think it’s relatively safe to assume that the Hanukkah-celebrating song wouldn’t have reached the levels of fame that it has with Sandler behind it.
When asked if he could have ever predicted just how big and beloved “The Chanukah Song” would become, Sandler said:
Not at all, no. I’m very thankful for that.
There’s no time like the present to relisten to the original, right? Put on those yarmulkes and hit play.
While waiting for Christmas, Hanukkah and other upcoming holiday celebrations, be sure to stream Sandler’s new movie Leo with a Netflix subscription, while nearly 50 years of Saturday Night Live episodes are available to stream with a Peacock subscription.
