Jewish Music With Non-Jewish Origins Master Thread

[good sam]

This came to me in the middle the night last night.

"Esav was coming" is "By Mir Bistu Sheyn."

Change my mind.

[Baruch]

This came to me in the middle the night last night.

"Esav was coming" is "By Mir Bistu Sheyn."

Change my mind.

100%

[Yard sale]

Matt Dubb  Adama Vishamayim

It seems to be a pagan/ Wicca goddess (witchcraft/ duotheism) chant:

http://www.ourchants.org/sites/default/files/11%20Strong%20Wind%2C%20Deep%20Water%20snippet-_%20via%20Carioca_0.mp3

http://chants173.rssing.com/chan-57428027/all_p1.html

Although this is from 2009:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DPe-ZHD0o8I

Which came first?

[Boruch999]

Matt Dubb  Adama Vishamayim

It seems to be a pagan/ Wicca goddess (witchcraft/ duotheism) chant:

http://www.ourchants.org/sites/default/files/11%20Strong%20Wind%2C%20Deep%20Water%20snippet-_%20via%20Carioca_0.mp3

http://chants173.rssing.com/chan-57428027/all_p1.html

Although this is from 2009:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DPe-ZHD0o8I

Which came first?

Repost

https://youtu.be/UZ3F58ZW1wc

Too funny!

[YitzyS]

https://matzav.com/the-matzav-shmoooze-is-adamah-vshamayim-an-avodah-zarah-song/

[Yard sale]

https://matzav.com/the-matzav-shmoooze-is-adamah-vshamayim-an-avodah-zarah-song/

That is where I originally saw it. Matzav pulled it for some reason shortly after they posted it, so I posted it here to see if anyone had more info. I see that matzav now put it back up.

[ayg516]

harei at from shwekey has lots of notes from a pocahantas song

[YitzyS]

harei at from shwekey has lots of notes from a pocahantas song

It's an Abie Rotenberg composition (IIRC). Don't remember any instances of him stealing goyish music. Perhaps it's incidental, or maybe I'm wrong...

[skyguy918]

harei at from shwekey has lots of notes from a pocahantas song

It's an Abie Rotenberg composition (IIRC). Don't remember any instances of him stealing goyish music. Perhaps it's incidental, or maybe I'm wrong...

Forget incidental, I don't even hear the similarity.

[Essen est zich]

This is a WhatsApp forward.

I do not know who this "Yehuda" is or any other information.


Thoughts?

I'm sure you've heard of the song Adamah V'shamayim, an often-requested song. Some people know and understand the lyrics, most don't. But 99.9% of our community doesn't know the song's origin. So here goes, working backward:

Before Motti Weiss (aka Matt Dubb) recorded the song, it was recorded and popularized by a Buddhist-style Israeli group by the name of Segol (see here). Little detail is given by Segol that the song is originally in English.

The original song is "Strong Wind, Deep Water" (the original lyrics and the source can be found here and below). It's a song by an earth-worshiping pagan cult, translated into Hebrew, almost word for word, for the Segol group. A Google search will show many results confirming that the song is of pagan (i.e. Avodah Zarah) origins.

I appreciate that this is not intuitive information, the lyrics are subtle. But the fact is that a song by earth-worshippers describing earth worship has crept into our community, and we're now dancing at our simchas (!) to an Avodah Zarah song (literally). If rabbonim knew the above about this song, many might say that one is not allowed to say the bracha "Shehasimcha Bim'ono" at a chasunah where the song is played.

Ever since I researched this song, I've been asked by multiple ba'alei simcha to play it. After giving a short and concise background of the song, the response is absolutely unanimous - both from Chossn & Kalah couples and from bar mitzvah parents: "OMG I didn't know, yeah let's not play that song". Since spreading this info on a social media group for Jewish musicians, there have been a few responses: Some respond with unfortunate leitzanus, and others respond with indifference. Yet many musicians have thanked me for the info and said they would not be playing the song. One artist reached out to me privately to let me know that he's not including the song on his upcoming cover album, as he originally intended. Another artist to whom I reached out regarding this song also decided to not include it in his recently-released cover album.

I would strongly urge you to consider whether or not you should play the song in the future. We wouldn't sing about Gilui Arayos of Shfichus Damim at our heiligeh simchas...singing a song of Avodah Zarah should be no exception. B"H we have many great and leibedik songs to choose from without an Avodah Zarah chant.

Yehuda

P.S. The reason I researched the song, to begin with, is two-fold: 1) The tune (with the repetitive A and B section) has the sound and structure of a classic far-eastern or pre-American chant, and 2) the lyrics convey a spiritual feeling of experiencing nature as an end to itself, rather than experiencing G-d through nature. It sounded extremely foreign and strange to me, not something written by a Jew, let alone a frum Jew.

Strong wind, Deep water; Tall trees, Warm fire
I can feel it in my body; I can feel it in my soul
Heya heya heya heya heya heya ho
Heya heya, heya heya, heya heya heya ho

Strong wind, Deep water; Pure Earth, Warm fire
Soft breeze, Vast Ocean; Bright Sun, Grand Mountain
Sweet kiss, Long River; Earth Live forever

[Essen est zich]

This is a WhatsApp forward.

I'm sure you've heard of the song Adamah V'shamayim, an often-requested song. Some people know and understand the lyrics, most don't. But 99.9% of our community doesn't know the song's origin. So here goes, working backward:


The original song is "Strong Wind, Deep Water" (the original lyrics and the source can be found here and below). It's a song by an earth-worshiping pagan cult, translated into Hebrew, almost word for word, for the Segol group. A Google search will show many results confirming that the song is of pagan (i.e. Avodah Zarah) origins.

Original

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ3F58ZW1wc

[Boruch999]

ReRepost

[zh cohen]

This is a WhatsApp forward.

I do not know who this "Yehuda" is or any other information.


Thoughts?

I'm sure you've heard of the song Adamah V'shamayim, an often-requested song. Some people know and understand the lyrics, most don't. But 99.9% of our community doesn't know the song's origin. So here goes, working backward:

Before Motti Weiss (aka Matt Dubb) recorded the song, it was recorded and popularized by a Buddhist-style Israeli group by the name of Segol (see here). Little detail is given by Segol that the song is originally in English.

The original song is "Strong Wind, Deep Water" (the original lyrics and the source can be found here and below). It's a song by an earth-worshiping pagan cult, translated into Hebrew, almost word for word, for the Segol group. A Google search will show many results confirming that the song is of pagan (i.e. Avodah Zarah) origins.

I appreciate that this is not intuitive information, the lyrics are subtle. But the fact is that a song by earth-worshippers describing earth worship has crept into our community, and we're now dancing at our simchas (!) to an Avodah Zarah song (literally). If rabbonim knew the above about this song, many might say that one is not allowed to say the bracha "Shehasimcha Bim'ono" at a chasunah where the song is played.

Ever since I researched this song, I've been asked by multiple ba'alei simcha to play it. After giving a short and concise background of the song, the response is absolutely unanimous - both from Chossn & Kalah couples and from bar mitzvah parents: "OMG I didn't know, yeah let's not play that song". Since spreading this info on a social media group for Jewish musicians, there have been a few responses: Some respond with unfortunate leitzanus, and others respond with indifference. Yet many musicians have thanked me for the info and said they would not be playing the song. One artist reached out to me privately to let me know that he's not including the song on his upcoming cover album, as he originally intended. Another artist to whom I reached out regarding this song also decided to not include it in his recently-released cover album.

I would strongly urge you to consider whether or not you should play the song in the future. We wouldn't sing about Gilui Arayos of Shfichus Damim at our heiligeh simchas...singing a song of Avodah Zarah should be no exception. B"H we have many great and leibedik songs to choose from without an Avodah Zarah chant.

Yehuda

P.S. The reason I researched the song, to begin with, is two-fold: 1) The tune (with the repetitive A and B section) has the sound and structure of a classic far-eastern or pre-American chant, and 2) the lyrics convey a spiritual feeling of experiencing nature as an end to itself, rather than experiencing G-d through nature. It sounded extremely foreign and strange to me, not something written by a Jew, let alone a frum Jew.

Strong wind, Deep water; Tall trees, Warm fire
I can feel it in my body; I can feel it in my soul
Heya heya heya heya heya heya ho
Heya heya, heya heya, heya heya heya ho

Strong wind, Deep water; Pure Earth, Warm fire
Soft breeze, Vast Ocean; Bright Sun, Grand Mountain
Sweet kiss, Long River; Earth Live forever

Printed here (with Matt Dubb in the comments)

https://matzav.com/the-matzav-shmoooze-is-adamah-vshamayim-an-avodah-zarah-song/

[dealfinder11]

Forget incidental, I don't even hear the similarity.

+1

[Definitions]

The beginning of Baruch Levines song "taamu" sounds very familiar to me. I can't remember from where

(Also what's up with these Christian YouTube channels posting Jewish music? Some sort of Messianic group?)

[pointer]

Bond, James Bond

P.S. Now this is what I call a "yeled Hapeleh" not some kid with cute peyos who's mother lets him stay up past his bed time,
This kid is clearly a pro

[mmgfarb]

Bond, James Bond

P.S. Now this is what I call a "yeled Hapeleh" not some kid with cute peyos who's mother lets him stay up past his bed time,
This kid is clearly a pro

Not sure why they decided to rip off the song like that but that kid has an incredible voice.

[TheAsh]

Seems like the Hebrew version is from 2005. Not an Avoda Zara group - other songs are definitely serving Hashem.
https://sagol-music.bandcamp.com/

The first english Winccan version is from a Jew named Gila Antara - Tall Trees. Seems she understood Hebrew and translated it. Don't see anything from before that.

[YitzyS]

Seems like the Hebrew version is from 2005. Not an Avoda Zara group - other songs are definitely serving Hashem.
https://sagol-music.bandcamp.com/

The first english Winccan version is from a Jew named Gila Antara - Tall Trees. Seems she understood Hebrew and translated it. Don't see anything from before that.

Repost. Please also repost the subsequent findings...

[TheAsh]

I was wrong. This is the original
http://thatroundhouse.info/music.htm

Wow. It took some time finding.
The group is Prana. the song is "Tall Trees". The original words: "I feel it in my body, and I feed it to my source." Definitely avoda Zara.

Then Sagol took it and cleaned up the words. The following versions seem to be taken from their version.

My full findings are here:
https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/coffeeroom/topic/adama-veshamayim-avoda-zara/#post-1711251