Hanukkah has a lot going for it — donuts, fire, Rugrats — but some might say it’s lacking in the contemporary-music department. Sure, there’s that one Sharon Jones song and the annual Yo La Tengo shows, but Hanukkah music tends to get overshadowed by the absolute ark-loads of new Christmas music released every December. Enter modern musical Maccabees Dave Grohl (not Jewish) and his Foo Fighters producer Greg Kurstin (Jewish), who are collaborating this year on eight nights of Hanukkah Sessions, releasing one cover of a Jewish artist for each night of the holiday. For night one, Grohl did a spot-on Beastie Boys homage for “Sabotage.”
And on December 11, Grohl elevated Drake’s drum-loop classic “Hotline Bling” with his own percussion and vocals, and Kurstin on the keys. The DIY music video is iMovie 2010 chic, but it does feature Grohl copying Drake’s dad-dance moves as he boogies with a menorah. It’s the cover you didn’t know you wanted but which already feels definitive. What will Grohl and Kurstin cover next? Here’s a suggestion: With its themes of righteous revolt, its release date, and its Haims, “no body, no crime” is kind of a Hanukkah song, just sayin’.