After the Seder, sometime around midnightwhen everyone has said the grace after meals, the singing begins. People break out tunes like, 鈥淓chad Mi Yodea (Who Knows One)鈥� and 鈥淟et My People Go.鈥�
For years, comedian Daniel Lobell has sung a bluesy version of the song, 鈥淐had Gadya,鈥� about a kid goat who gets eaten by a cat, thus setting off a chain of events that culminates in Hashem showing us that He runs the world.
鈥淚 always loved 鈥楥had Gadya,鈥欌�� Daniel said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 my favorite one of the Passover songs, and I have fun with it.鈥�
鈥淚 always loved 鈥楥had Gadya.鈥欌��
Every year, the other people at the Seder enjoy Daniel鈥檚 rendition of it; he belts out his own improvised lyrics to the familiar tune in the style of an old blues singer.
鈥淚t鈥檚 my party trick at our Passover seders,鈥� Daniel said.
No two performances are exactly alike鈥攕ome lyrics change from one seder to the next鈥攂ut the rhythm and spirit remain the same.
After every Passover, Daniel鈥檚 wife, Kylie Ora Lobell, would tell him that he needed to record the song.
鈥淎nd then, after the holiday, I鈥檇 forget about it until the following year, but it would be too late,鈥� Daniel said.
This year, however, Kylie didn鈥檛 wait until seder night to urge her husband to record his fun 鈥淐had Gadya.鈥� A few weeks before Passover, she pushed him to take action. Daniel was hesitant鈥攈e had never sung professionally鈥� but Kylie took matters into her own hands. She made a few calls, reached out to musicians and booked a recording session with producer Shmuel Levy LevYatan. There was no backing out now.
鈥淎t that point, I didn鈥檛 even have the song written down,鈥� Daniel said. 鈥淎s the recording session got closer, I knew I had to get moving. I had already paid and didn鈥檛 want to waste money or time, so I locked myself in a room for seven hours and wrote it.鈥�
LevYatan, an accomplished musician, composed the music for the song, which features playful lines like:
“Then came the ox, he was a thirsty old soul.
He drank up the water, yeah, he finished the whole bowl.
He left it all dry and he left it all bare.
You wouldn鈥檛 even know that there was ever water there.”
鈥淚 was a little self-conscious,鈥� Daniel said. 鈥淓veryone always told me I should record and that I have a great voice, but I鈥檇 never recorded anything before. I usually just sing in the shower.鈥�
The recording has culminated in an epic 11-minute music video, created and edited by local musician Levi Paris. Daniel sings on a microphone as LevYatan plays instruments in the background and footage of a goat, cat, dog, stick and all the other imagery from 鈥淐had Gadya鈥� flash on the screen.
鈥淚鈥檓 really proud of it,鈥� Daniel said. 鈥淧assover is a very special holiday for me, since I was born right before it and brought home just in time for the first seder.鈥�
Daniel, who does stand-up comedy all over the world and Passover programs every year, often explores themes of 91传媒 culture and faith in his work. He also co-hosts the podcast 鈥淲e Think It鈥檚 Funny鈥� with comedian Mark Schiff, where they discuss current events and the world at large with today鈥檚 top entertainers including Jay Leno, Caroline Rhea, Jon Lovitz and Brian Regan.
Now that he鈥檚 discovered a new talent, Daniel is open to recording more songs. 鈥淚 wrote a few country songs in my twenties, so I might make them next,鈥� he said.
This 鈥淐had Gadya鈥� rendition could just follow in the footsteps of Adam Sandler’s classic 鈥淭he Chanukah Song鈥濃�攂ecoming a festive favorite that everyone looks forward to every year.
Come Seder night, instead of just keeping sleepy guests awake by singing solo, Daniel might have them singing along to the 鈥淐had Gadya鈥� blues.
Daniel said, 鈥淭o have my fingerprints in any way on people鈥檚 Passover seder would be a huge honor.鈥�
You can watch the 鈥淐had Gadya鈥� video on Daniel鈥檚 YouTube channel: youtube.com/dannylobell
