Top 5: Shir Chasidi

I have taken the liberty of ranking the top 5 songs in each category of Zimriyah. This is post is about Shir Chasidi. Shir Israeli and Shir Aydah will come in later posts.

How do you win Shir Chasidi?

The most important aspect of this category is catchiness. When you choose a song, you want to make sure the judges are singing it to themselves the next morning. Other important aspects include multiple parts (like a verse and chorus) a funky bridge, H/S[1], H and S together, and a lot of energy. I would love to see an aydah do a mashup/medley of different shirei chasidi because when I attend colligate Jewish a capella groups either at UMD, Columbia, Penn or here at Northwestern, I love when they combine chasidi-type songs. My favorite was when Rak Shalom of UMD mashed up Yehei (done by Arayot 02) and Lecha.[2]  It was so awesome and I am sure it would win if an aydah copied the arrangement.

What should you not do for Shir Chasidi? In general, I don’t think slow songs for this category are very successful. Simple, old, or boring songs also don’t work for Shir Chasidi. There need to be signs of creativity, or else the  songs won’t be memorable.

Note about my ranking system:

All three songs categories are evaluated based on three criteria:

1. Performance at Zimriyah

2. Impact of that song for the rest of the summer

3. How often it is referred to or talked about in future summers as being the “best one ever”.

In addition, for all three categories I give a best song, a second best song and three songs that are all ‘tied’ for third place. In general I do not like to include Kfirim and Gurim in these rankings[3], but for shir aydah I gave the top 6, and one of them happens to be Kfirim.

The fact that I was not at camp in 2005 inhibits my ability to award a top 5 song to anyone in 2005.  Sorry, but it is hard to know the impact of a song when you are 6000 miles away in Israel.

Finally, I think it’s important to demonstrate that  I don’t give more weight to songs that I was personally a part in choosing my top 15 songs. Overall, I have chosen 4 songs that I have been apart of, which is 26.6% of the songs. Besides all of Gurim and Kfirim songs (which I am not counting here) and the year I missed for Naaleh (which I I’m also not counting here) I have been a part of 27 out of 108 songs in Arayot and older over the past 10 years. This is exactly 25% (and 26.6 is extremely close to 25).

Top Five Shir Chasidi

1. Modeh Ani^{, [4]} Leviim 2008, Place for Song: 1^st, Overall 2^nd:

Before Kerem 2010 were in Kerem, this aydah struck gold with their Shir Chasidi in 2008. Modeh Ani is a three part[5] song by Shasheles Junior, and it was absolutely made for Zimriyah. It had loads of H/S built in and the tempo is just right. When this aydah performed, they rocked it. I am sure they won hands down for that song, because really no one could match their power and execution.  But the reason why this songs wins, by far, for the top Shir Chasidi (as compared with #2) was both the impact it had on the rest of camp, and more importantly, the influence it had on the aydah as a cohesive unit. After Zimriyah that year, this song took over the chadar ochel. You could guarantee that at least once a day Avi Zablocki would play this song during a meal to the delight of everyone. Campers and counselors from Gurim to Kerem would get up on the table with Leviim and sing and do the hand motions with them. The unity of camp around one aydah’s Zimriyah song was totally unheard of in the past and since.  And because of all of this cooperation and general delight for this song, it allowed Leviim to really shine as an aydah that summer. For an aydah to establish themselves it needs an identity: something to rally around, something to showcase, and something to care about. For most adyot it usually happens in Maalot. With the help of Modeh Ani, a hands-off approach of Ruth Dollinger and David Webber and 60 something kids, Leviim 2008 achieved individuality unmatched by every Leviim that I have ever seen.

2. Kol Hamitpalel- Maalot 2006. Place for Song: 1^st, Overall:1^st

Classical battle for the rights to a Shir Chasidi, take one. As a Zimriyah enthusiast, and as a first year counselor in Maalot, I was delighted to present my co-counselorswith a fantastic choice for Shir Chasidi. I knew that my sister Tali, who was in Kerem that year, wanted to choose this song for her aydah’s Shir Chasidi. I spent the first week of camp arguing with my sister that we should have the song, and that she has no claim, but at the same time telling my co-counselors that we should just let Kerem do it. Maalot relented, and Kerem 2006 put it up for a vote. In one of the worst decisions made about a choice of Zimriyah song, they did not chose Kol Hamitpalel but settled for the techno version of Tehilat Hashem. Maalot ‘06 quickly snatched it up and the rest was history. Unlike Modeh Ani, it did not have a full lasting effect, however, execution-wise, it was spot on. That year Maalot ‘06 brought so much energy, if it weren’t for a bad song choice for shir Yisraeli, Maalot definitely could have swept.

3. Yehei, Yehei, Arayot ‘02. Place for Song: 1^st, Overall: 2^nd.

Ani Maamin, Maalot ‘04. Place for Song: 1^st, Overall: Tied for 1st

Samechti- Kerem ‘09. Place for Song: 3^rd, Overall, Tied for 2^nd.

Yehei Yehei- Yehei and Lecha[6] are probably two of the most popular songs by the group the Cheveri in the past decade if not across the entire genre of Orthodox Jewish male singing groups. It is no wonder than the song was so great. Arayot that year had a stellar performance, especially for being in Arayot. One of the main reasons though that it made this list was the lasting impact it had and continues to have on camp. Even though people don’t necessarily know that Arayot ‘02 performed this song for Zimriyah, the song is still, even 9 years later, a big camp hit. This is in large part to Arayot ‘02.

Ani Maamin- Once again, another great Shir Chasidi by Kerem ‘05’s age group.[7] Part of the allure of this song is that for the first minute or two of the song, it is very slow and melodic. This completely breaks my mold for a winning Shir Chasidi. Anyway, at the time, this performance, as well as my aydah’s royal screw up of Rak Chazak, was the reason Kerem ‘04 did not win Zimriyah. Too bad. Maalot deserved it (I can’t say the same thing about Leviim.)

Samechti- Classical battle for the rights to a Shir Chasidi, Take 2. This time it was between Jordana Suldan and Talia Schwartz.  Friends from the same school in Baltimore, each wanted to do the song for their respective aydah. Both of them thought that they had claim to the song and I was stuck in the middle of their heated argument.[8] Talia attested that she found the song and showed Jordana, so therefore the song should be rightfully hers. However, Jordana claimed that she had heard the song independently of Talia. A battle at the beginning of camp ensued, and when Kerem ‘09 chose the song I ended up agreeing with Jordana only because she was in Kerem. I promised Talia that if presented with the same dilemma next year, she would automatically get the song. Even though the song didn’t place highly, I think there was a general consensus afterward that they deserved to win for that song. There were H/S all over, and Gavi Bohan blew us away with an amazing solo in the middle. Too bad Kerem 2009’s Pokemon couldn’t stop Arayot from being the darkhorse that year[9].

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[1] Remember from my first post about Zimriyah that H/S means Harmonies and Solos

[2] It was done by Plugat Maase in 2008. More on this song later.

[3] Mostly because their songs are generally not good enough, and Gurim/Kfirim represent multiple Kerem years so it is impossible to assign credit to a particular Kerem. You will see later why that is important. 

[4] Before I begin explaining about the song, it is hilarious to note that the counselors did not get the words right when teaching their kids the words. They thought it was “Histotev HeHarim “ or “surrounded by mountains,” when in fact the words are EDIT: “Yitkaber Keari,” or “be strong like a lion.”  They even had a hand-motion to accompany this phrase where they would raise their hands and circle around. It was not discovered until much later when Lianna Brenner learned the real words at her Seminary. And to think we are supposed to say these words everyday as we are waking up…

[5] even better than the recommendation of two

[6] A fantastic song performed in  Maccabiah 2008

[7] In fact they choice another very popular chasdic song of Veahaveta by the Miami Boys Choir.

[8] This is because I was Talia’s rosh, so obviously I had to defend her, but in addition, I was friends with Jordana’s sister at that time so she felt I should be on her side. Woah, camp drama. Woah.

[9] What am I saying ‘too bad?’ I would have been very upset if Kerem won. Besides Maalot, Arayot would have definitely been my second choice.