I have finally discovered what scarred me for life as a kid back in the 80s. It wasn't catching a late night screening of Nightmare On Elm Street or anything that remotely obvious - it was listening the sweet music of our beloved Country Yossi. Last year, Country Yossi's albums were released on CD, and what with all the bashing of his magazine on various Jewish music blog sites, I decided take a trip down memory lane and purchase these albums that I had so loved as a kid. One song in particular definitely traumatized me to this day: "These I Remember" from the album of the same name "These I Remember". The song goes through, in graphic detail, the horrific slayings of famous rabonim throughout history (Rabon Gamliel, Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Yochanan Ben Taradion). Lyrics such as "Rabbi Shimon - they raked his body with combs of iron" and Rabbi Yochanan Ben Taradyon who - whilst being burned alive - "was wrapped in the torah from which he had been teaching and his chest was drenched in water to prolong the agony". May I remind you that we're talking about Country Yossi here, music aimed at 7 year old kids!E is upset about this composition credit for "The Lion Sleeps Tonight":
On a related note, was this really necessary?: (from the song "Cholent") "...If I had my way I'd ship it all the way, and drop it on the Arabs, they'd be gone in a day".
PS. I am a big fan regardless :-)
CHECK THIS - HASC - A Time For Music 18 (XVIII) - A Chai Celebration - SAMEACH MUSIC ABI MLEIBT - COMPOSED BY LIPA SHMELTZER! (and we all know that composed don't mean the lyrics)Adapted would be a better description, I'd think.
Update:Sruly at Sameach emails
Sorry - it has been revised. Thanks for pointing it out. No harm was meant, I'm the one responsible for that, I thought it would have been understood that Lipa didn't compose “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”, he only composed the changed song lyrics. I should have been more clear, It has been updated appropriately. If you see anything else, or have any other suggestions, feel free to e-mail me.
