“Eight Crazy Nights,” a celebration of Hanukkah-themed episodes, continues.
Night No. 2: December 3, 1994, when Adam Sandler introduced “The Chanukah Song” on “Saturday Night Live.”
The song exploded in popularity in December 1995, after Warner Bros. sent it to radio stations as a novelty single and it became an unlikely hit, the Sun-Sentinel in Florida reported at the time.
That Warner Bros. (Sandler’s label) won’t have the record in stores in time for the holidays would seem to indicate that the success of the song caught the label by surprise. …
“Everybody wants to hear this song; everybody is asking about it,” said Susan Sternkopf, a marketing and promotion staffer at Warner’s Burbank headquarters. …
“(Lack of a large Jewish population in some areas of the country) doesn’t seem to have any affect on its success,” she said.
Today, “The Chanukah Song” is a holiday staple; Neil Diamond covered it last year, and in 2002, it inspired Sandler’s movie “Eight Crazy Nights.”
See Listen for yourself: Several versions of “The Chanukah Song” can be purchased at iTunes and Amazon.com. “Eight Crazy Nights” will continue tomorrow.
On TV
Here’s the prime-time lineup for Saturday, December 3, 1994:
8: “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”* (ABC), “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” (CBS), “Cops” (Fox), “Empty Nest” (NBC)
8:30: “Cops”* (Fox), “Empty Nest” (NBC)
9: “The Five Mrs. Buchanans” (CBS), “America’s Most Wanted” (Fox), “Sweet Justice” (NBC)
9:30: “Hearts Afire” (CBS)
10: “The Commish” (ABC), “Walker, Texas Ranger” (CBS), “Sisters” (NBC)
The Record
For the week of November 27, 1994:
Top novel: “The Celestine Prophecy” by James Redfield
Top song: “I’ll Make Love to You” by Boyz II Men
Top movie: “The Santa Clause”
Top TV show: “Grace Under Fire” (ABC)
In the news: President Clinton limited federal funding for embryonic research


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