Listen to Every Song From Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin’s 2021 ‘Hanukkah Sessions’

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Editor’s note: Check back all week for new additions to this year’s “Hanukkah Sessions” covers.

Foo Fighters leader Dave Grohl and producer Greg Kurstin rebooted their “Hanukkah Sessions” project on Sunday night (Nov. 28) — the first night of the Festival of Lights — with a bone-crunching, black metal take on Lisa Loeb‘s gentle 1994 ballad “Stay (I Missed You).” After running through eight covers of songs by Jewish artists last year, including tracks by the Beastie Boys, Drake, Mountain, Peaches, Bob Dylan, Elastica, The Knack and the Velvet Underground, the demonic duo roared back with a fresh take on Loeb’s signature song for the first entry in this year’s edition.

“Welcome back to the menorah, y’all. Let’s kick it this year’s Hanukkah sessions with one of Dallas, Texas’s favorite Jewish daughters,” Grohl wrote alongside the pair’s low budget video for the song. “So put on your coffee shop spectacles and your Betsey Johnson dress and HAVA listen to this…”

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The clip opens with Grohl rocking a vintage mid-1990s flowered dress and chunky glasses as he croons the song’s gentle opening riffs. It’s just a Rickroll-style head fake, though, as the camera zooms in Dave’s agitated, shaking face bellowing the chorus in his best black metal scream for a completely unexpected, delightful tonal shift. Your Hanukkah never rocked so hard.

Loeb appreciated the effort, tweeting out that Grohl and Kurstin did a “great job,” and also shouting out the singer’s smart sartorial choice of a vintage Betsey Johnson dress.

On the second night of Hanukkah the duo posted a rollicking run through The Ramones’ buzzsaw 1976 punk classic debut single, “Blitzkrieg Bop.” And because Grohl also doubles as the most irreverent rock star of record, they, of course, changed the song’s iconic chant of “Hey Ho! Let’s Go!” to “Hey oy! Let’s Goy!”

In a note accompanying the video, the pair wrote, “Once upon a time, two nice Jewish boys from Queens named Jeffery Hyman and Thomas Erdelyi changed the world forever with their music….. as Joey and Tommy Ramone!”

Their third selection was a hard pivot into the disco daze with a hip-swiveling take on Barry Manilow’s 1978 ruffled shirt classic “Copacabana.” With Grohl in a glittery tuxedo jacket, they cha-cha’d through the twisted tale of showgirl Lola and the tragic battle for her affection between gangster Rico and boyfriend Tony.

“Barry Pincus – not only one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th (or any) century, but a mega-mensch to boot!” they wrote. “So, like a good neighbor, you deserve a break today. So grab a bucket of chicken and let’s get stuck on….. BARRY MANILOW’S ‘Copacabana!'”

The boys got back to rockin’ on Wednesday (Dec. 1) with a keytar-tastic ramble through Van Halen’s first No. 1 U.S. hit, 1984’s legendary “Jump,” complete with slo-mo footage of Grohl, yes, jumping. “Quite possibly the loudest and proudest of hard rocking Jews, David Lee Roth has gone on record crediting his Bar Mitzvah preparation as his earliest vocal training. He became a rockstar the day he became a man: Diamond Dreidel DLR and Van Halen…with ‘Jump,'” they wrote in the caption to their loyal cover.

On the fifth night of Hanukkah (Dec. 2), Grohl invited his 15-year-0ld back-up singing daughter Violet to step to the front and take on Amy Winehouse’s “Take the Box,” from the late British singer’s 2003 debut album, Frank. Violet nailed the song’s smoky jazz vibe, with the pair writing, “Despite this song’s mention of a ‘Moschino bra you bought me last Christmas,’ it’s common knowledge that the amazing woman behind the song was actually Jewish. Gone far too soon…Ms. Amy Winehouse.”

For the sixth night of Hanukkah on Friday (Dec. 3), the boys returned for a unique rendition of Billy Joel’s “Big Shot,” which landed at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979. “While he claims a secular Long Island upbringing (and has songs full of Catholic and Italian imagery), @billyjoel remains one of the great Jews of musical scripture — here’s his ultimate ode to a true Macher: “Big Shot!” Foo Fighters tweeted.

Check out this year’s “Sessions” videos below.