8. Kerem 06-
1st in Leviim (3), 2nd in Kerem (2), Top five Shir Yisraeli (1). Points: 6
Best Zimriyah Song: Car Wash Medley (Maalot, Aydah)
Worst Zimirah Song: Shalom Al Israel (Arayot, Yisraeli)
Never known as a ‘great at Zimirah aydah;, these guys certainly had their moment for both good and bad. They managed to tie for first place in Leviim anchored by “Tnu Le Rock and Roll,” which I will always be bitter about because it beat the song I chose for my aydah’s shir Yisraeli. They were also great in Kerem, but Maalot that year just beat them out for the victory. However, Kerem 06 certainly had their rough patches as well. Their song choice for their shir Yisraeli in arayot is one of the worst ideas I have ever heard. Shalom Al Israel song to the tune of “puff the magic dragon,” also had sections of rap mixed in? Do judges really want to hear a 13-year-olds rap for Zimriyah? Yeah, neither do I. Lastly, Kerem 06’s mistakes were significant in their defeat. They probably got disqualified for shutting off the lights, they passed up on one of the best shir Chasidi’s out there, (See Kerem 2007 and Kol Hamitpalel), and they almost wrecked the audio guy’s equipment.
7. Kerem 04-
1st in Maalot and Swept (3+1.5), 2nd in Kerem (2) Top five Shir Aydah (1). Points: 7.5
Best Zimirah Song: Mr. Blue Sky (Kerem, Aydah)
Worst Zimirah Song: Under the Sea/Minyan Man (Arayot, Aydah)
We were bad. Very bad. Yes, Zimriyah was a horse of another color back then, but under no circumstances should any aydah ever do Minyan Man and a Disney tune for their shir aydah. Not even Gurim. Horrible idea. And like most naïve 13-year-olds with no context of what a good Zimriyah song was, we would sing over Joel Sussman and Saul Strosberg with our lyrics during Relish. The following year, it didn’t get much better. All three songs were awful, and I think the judges felt bad and gave us 3rd place for shir aydah. That year for Shir Yisraeli, things were so bad we didn’t even know the words to our song. But then in Maalot it all changed. From worst to first with a sweep. I have said before, and I will say again, I don’t think we deserved the sweep, but it was certainly a highlight of my Yavneh career. That year we had experienced the loss of a friend and former member of our aydah on the first day of camp, and I think more than anything, we were able to harness our grief and join together for Zimriyah. The following year in Kerem, if we hadn’t messed up in our rockin’ shir Chasidi, we would be talking about my Kerem having at least several more points, which would bump us up to third on this list.
6. Kerem 05-
2nd in Arayot (2), 1st in Maalot (3), 3rd in Kerem (1), Two Top five Shir Chasidi (1+1) Points: 8
Best Zimirah Song: Ani Maamin (Maalot, Chasidi)
Worst Zimirah Song: Buddy Holly (Leviim, Aydah)
Like the two Kerem’s that sandwiched them (Kerem 04 and 06) Kerem 05 had their moments of greatness as well as mediocrity. They certainly fluctuated every year: they almost won in Arayot, screamed every song in Leviim, tied for the win in Maalot, and limped into third place behind Leviim and Gurim when they were in Kerem. I heard[1] that they only had 7 or so Zimriyah practices Kerem summer? Wow, I can’t really imagine, even five years later an aydah only having 7 practices. The week before Zimriyah is really reserved for only one thing. Zimriyah practice.
Very interesting analysis. As a sports buff I really enjoy your assigning point value to Zimriyah rankings. Keep it up.
ReplyDeleteQuick note about K'05 only having 7 practices: the Kerem play was the night before Zimriyah, meaning that any and all spare time that would have been devoted entirely to Zimriyah practice during the week was split between Zimriyah practice and full play rehearsals, There were a couple times when play rehearsal ended and Kerem was immediately called for Zimriyah practice. This resulted in an exhausted Kerem who had to be ready to perform an entire Kerem play and their Zimriyah songs in the space of 24 hours. As a member of that Kerem, the 3rd place finish felt more like a victory the year before because A, we still placed higher than our rivals in Maalot and B, because we had managed to place and sound decent in spite of everything else.
Upper staff even went so far as to hold a special event for us in honor of all the work we had done that week, acknowledging how ridiculous it was that we had done both that week and had virtually no free time in the two weeks prior.
Anyway, not disputing the ranking, just wanting to clarify regarding your last statement.
Keep it up, I'll keep reading.