A Break From Tradition
In this week’s Torah portion, Vayetzei, Jacob flees his murderous brother, Esau, and journeys to his mother’s family in Haran. Along the way, he has a famous dream about a ladder (or, in some translations, “ramp” or “stairway”) that reaches to the sky, with angels ascending and descending upon it. Being the person I am, it’s impossible to read the word “stairway” without hearing “Stairway to Heaven” in my head.
To clarify, I am talking about this song:
Not this one:
And that got me to thinking about popular songs that are influenced by the Torah and Bible. The songs are not all particularly religious - some are, but many simply use Biblical ideas/themes/motifs as metaphors.
While there is much to be said about the change in lyrics and music over the past 100 years (and longer), and how and why that change has happened, for today I just want to share some of the songs I can think of that fit this theme. We can delve into the serious stuff when we dissect “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” in a few weeks.
Enjoy & Shabbat Shalom!
“Wonderful Time Up There” by Pat Boone
“Thou Shall Not Steal” by Dick & Dee Dee
“Ten Commandments of Love” by the Moonglows
“Turn! Turn! Turn!” by The Byrds
“Run Samson Run” by Neil Sedaka
Am I missing any you think should be on here? Let me know!