To close out Hanukkah, Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters producer Greg Kurstin closed out their ongoing Hanukkah Sessions with a cover of Velvet Underground’s “Rock and Roll.” The band’s late singer, Lou Reed, was Jewish.
Grohl issued a lengthy statement on the meaning of the Hanukkah Sessions.
As 2020 comes to a close and another Hanukkah ends (my first!) I am reminded of the two things that have gotten me through this year: music and hope.
This project, which initially began as a silly idea, grew to represent something much more important to me. It showed me that the simple gesture of spreading joy and happiness goes a long way, and as we look forward, we should all make an effort to do so, no matter how many candles are left to light on the menorah.
Toda Raba to Greg for being a musical genius and spending 2 1/2 days barnstorming through these songs together. You never fail to amaze me. Big round of applause for Markus Rutledge, the poor soul that had only 24 hours (8 days in a row) to churn out each of these videos for us! You deserve a medal for sleep deprivation! Huge hearts for the force of nature known as Peaches! You brought the real. And, of course to all of you for joining in on the fun. I hope that you enjoyed watching.
So, sing along one last time to “Rock and Roll” by The Velvet Underground, a song about music and hope, and let’s keep spreading the joy and happiness. It goes a long way…..
Dave
Watch it below.
The Velvet Underground cover follows renditions of The Knacks’ “Frustrated,” Elastica’s “Connection,” Bob Dylan’s “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35,” Peaches’ “Fuck the Pain Away,” Mountain’s “Mississippi Queen,” Drake’s “Hotline Bling,” and the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage.”
Last week, Grohl and Kurstin announced they’d be launching Hanukkah Sessions instead of recording a Christmas song this year and dropped a promo previewing what was to come.
“This year, instead of doing a Christmas song, Greg and I decided to celebrate Hanukkah by recording eight songs by eight famous Jewish artists and releasing one song each night of Hanukkah,” Grohl explained in the video.
