[HANASHIR:14785] Re: ps...about jewish reggae music

[Carol Boyd Leon <cbleon...>]

>... Doug Cotler discussed how Jews have often adapted the musical 
>sensibility of their
times in the creation of new liturgical melodies.

That's just my point.  Historically, we have been quite comfortable 
borrowing musical styles from popular culture -- reggae or otherwise -- but 
that's not the same as using an extant melody and simply changing the 
lyrics.

I listened to Robin's reggae version of Adon Olam.  My 18-year old was next 
to me at the time.  He stopped me after the first few measures and said, 
"Hey, I know that song," and immediately searched the Internet and came up 
with Sean Paul's "Get Busy."  (I've pasted some of the original lyrics below 
so readers can see the intent of the original song.)  I asked him how he'd 
feel about hearing that Adon Olam in a worship service.  He said, "I think 
it would be pretty funny."

Somehow, that's not the reaction I'd hope someone has upon hearing/singing 
Adon Olam.

I compare it to taking a lovely melody for, say, a popular Christmas carol, 
and applying the words of Adon Olam to it.  It would undoubtedly create a 
very pretty song, but it's worlds apart from what the original songwriter 
intended.  I feel this community is quite capable of writing our own lovely 
melodies and those melodies can take whatever musical form we like -- 
including pop culture influences such as reggae.

As songleaders and cantors, we can introduce our congregations to a 
Christmas carol Adon Olam or we can introduce them to an equally lovely Adon 
Olam melody written specifically for that liturgy.

Ultimately, it is the Jewish people -- not me, not Robin, not any one 
individual -- who decides which Adon Olam will be the next to gain in 
popularity.  Yet as songleaders and cantors, many of us are in the position 
of helping choose which songs to introduce.

No, we can't ultimately make the decision of which tunes will catch on.  But 
yes, we can help shape the choices.

Respectfully submitted,
Carol Boyd Leon, Burke VA

Some of the lyrics form Sean Paul's "Get Busy:"

Woman Get busy,
Just shake that booty non-stop
When the beat drops
Just keep swinging it
Get jiggy
Get crunked up
Percolate anything you want to call it
Oscillate you hip and don?t take pity
Me want fi see you get live ?pon the riddim when me ride
And me lyrics a provide electricity
Gal nobody can tell you nuttin?
Can you done know your destiny

Yo sexy ladies want par with us
In a the car with us
Them nah war with us
In a the club them want flex with us
To get next to us
Them cah vex with us
>From the day me born jah ignite me flame gal a call me name and its me fame
Its all good girl turn me on
?Til a early morn?
Let?s get it on
Let?s get it on ?til a early morning
Girl it?s all good just turn me on... etc.

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