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What to sing

Hanukkah (Chanukah) karaoke songs

Hanukkah karaoke songs for the party: start with the dreidel song, then let Fiddler, Neil Diamond and Barry Manilow carry the rest of the night.

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Before you sing it

Where it sits

How hard

Easy goingSome effortA big sing

Most songs below show where they sit and how hard they are. Open one for what to sing next and a little trivia.

Hanukkah, or Chanukah if that's how your family spells it, is the Festival of Lights: eight nights, a menorah in the window, and a few songs that everybody knows.

So start with those while the menorah is still lit. Then fill the rest of the night with songs plenty of families reach for: a Fiddler on the Roof number, a hora, and crowd-pleasers from Jewish songwriters and singers like Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow, Carole King and Simon & Garfunkel.

Celebrating more than one holiday this month? The Christmas karaoke songs page has the carols and the pop, and holiday party songs work for a mixed office crowd.

Hanukkah songs

The Hanukkah songs to start with

Everyone has these down. Put the words on screen and the room does the rest.

  • I Have a Little Dreidel (The Dreidel Song)

    Traditional

    The first Hanukkah song most kids learn, short and simple enough that the youngest guest can lead it.

    the whole family: one person starts, everyone joins by the second time through

    ListenLyrics

  • Oh Chanukah (Oh Hanukkah)

    Traditional

    The English version of the Yiddish Oy Chanukah: quick and cheerful, and the whole table knows the tune even when the words wobble.

    ListenLyrics

  • Light One Candle

    Peter, Paul and Mary

    Peter, Paul and Mary's Hanukkah song: gentle folk that sounds best with three or four of you singing together.

    a small group: sing it together, and anyone who can harmonize, go for it

    ListenLyrics

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort
    Before you sing itMiddle · Some effort

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1The Chanukah SongAdam Sandler
    2. Song 2Miracle of MiraclesFiddler on the Roof
    3. Song 3Cracklin' RosieNeil Diamond

    Did you know

    1. Peter Yarrow wrote it in the early '80s as a plea for peace that retells the Maccabees' story; the trio first sang it at a Hanukkah-season concert at Carnegie Hall.

  • The Chanukah Song

    Adam Sandler

    Adam Sandler first sang it on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update, and the original, Part I, is the one everyone knows. It's a comedy song first, so timing and a straight face count for more than your voice, and a couple of lines are PG-13.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits in the middle

    Easy going
    Before you sing itMiddle · Easy going

    Sits in the middle

    Easy going

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Miracle of MiraclesFiddler on the Roof
    2. Song 2Cracklin' RosieNeil Diamond
    3. Song 3CopacabanaBarry Manilow

    Did you know

    1. Adam Sandler debuted this comedic staple during the Weekend Update segment on Saturday Night Live.

Family party

For the family party: Fiddler and the hora

Songs the older relatives know by heart and the kids pick up fast.

  • Hava Nagila

    Traditional

    Not a Hanukkah song, but the celebration song from weddings and bar and bat mitzvahs; it speeds up as it goes, so expect a circle to form.

    the whole room: one voice leads, everyone else sings and dances

    ListenLyrics

  • If I Were a Rich Man

    Fiddler on the Roof

    Tevye's big daydream of a number, full of playful sounds and big gestures, so personality beats polish every time.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the low side

    Some effort
    Before you sing itLow side · Some effort

    Sits on the low side

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Sunrise, SunsetFiddler on the Roof
    2. Song 2Song Sung BlueNeil Diamond
    3. Song 3Forever in Blue JeansNeil Diamond

    Did you know

    1. The song is inspired by a monologue from Sholem Aleichem's classic Yiddish stories.

  • Matchmaker, Matchmaker

    Fiddler on the Roof

    Light and lilting, with three parts to trade, and it suits voices that sit on the higher side.

    three voices: trade the lines, everyone together on the chorus

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the high side

    Some effort
    Before you sing itHigh side · Some effort

    Sits on the high side

    Some effort

    Did you know

    1. Sung by Tevye's three eldest daughters as they dream about romance versus tradition.
    2. It is one of the most famous ensemble numbers in American musical theater history.

  • Sunrise, Sunset

    Fiddler on the Roof

    Slow and tender, the one that gets the grandparents misty; it works beautifully as a duet across two generations.

    two voices: an older one and a younger one, trading verses

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the low side

    Some effort
    Before you sing itLow side · Some effort

    Sits on the low side

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Song Sung BlueNeil Diamond
    2. Song 2Forever in Blue JeansNeil Diamond
    3. Song 3HallelujahLeonard Cohen

    Did you know

    1. Tevye and Golde sing this tender ballad as they watch their eldest daughter get married.
    2. The song has become an enduring staple at real-life weddings around the world.

  • Miracle of Miracles

    Fiddler on the Roof

    A burst of joy from the show: quick and wordy, so have a look at the words before you go up.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort
    Before you sing itMiddle · Some effort

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Cracklin' RosieNeil Diamond
    2. Song 2CopacabanaBarry Manilow
    3. Song 3CeciliaSimon & Garfunkel

    Did you know

    1. The joyous song is performed by the timid tailor Motel after winning Tevye's permission to marry Tzeitel.

Singalongs

Singalongs from Jewish songwriters and singers

Once the holiday songs are done, these carry the rest of the night: crowd-pleasers the whole family already knows.

Late and slow

Slow ones for late in the evening

For when the candles have burned down and the room gets a little quieter.

  • Can't Smile Without You

    Barry Manilow

    Sweet, unhurried and easy to follow, a song to point at someone you love across the room.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits in the middle

    Easy going
    Before you sing itMiddle · Easy going

    Sits in the middle

    Easy going

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1MandyBarry Manilow
    2. Song 2The Sound of SilenceSimon & Garfunkel
    3. Song 3So Far AwayCarole King

    Did you know

    1. The song was featured in the soundtrack to the comic book movie Hellboy II during a memorable scene.

  • Mandy

    Barry Manilow

    Starts soft and builds to a big finish, so keep something in reserve for the end.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort
    Before you sing itMiddle · Some effort

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1The Sound of SilenceSimon & Garfunkel
    2. Song 2So Far AwayCarole King
    3. Song 3The RoseBette Midler

    Did you know

    1. Originally titled Brandy, the name was changed so people would not confuse it with Looking Glass's hit song.
    2. It was Barry Manilow's first number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

  • The Sound of Silence

    Simon & Garfunkel

    Quiet and steady, made for two voices singing side by side.

    two voices: sing it together, the way the record does

    ListenLyrics

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort
    Before you sing itMiddle · Some effort

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1So Far AwayCarole King
    2. Song 2The RoseBette Midler
    3. Song 3The Way We WereBarbra Streisand

    Did you know

    1. The original acoustic folk version flopped until a producer overdubbed electric instruments without the duo's knowledge.
    2. It famously soundtracked key melancholic moments in the classic film The Graduate.

  • So Far Away

    Carole King

    Unhurried and a little wistful: the one to sing for whoever traveled the farthest to be here.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort
    Before you sing itMiddle · Some effort

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1The RoseBette Midler
    2. Song 2The Way We WereBarbra Streisand
    3. Song 3Light One CandlePeter, Paul and Mary

    Did you know

    1. It is the opening track on Carole King's legendary landmark album Tapestry.
    2. James Taylor played acoustic guitar on the original studio recording.

  • The Rose

    Bette Midler

    Short, slow and gentle, a quiet pick to close a long night.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort
    Before you sing itMiddle · Some effort

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1The Way We WereBarbra Streisand
    2. Song 2Light One CandlePeter, Paul and Mary
    3. Song 3The Chanukah SongAdam Sandler

    Did you know

    1. Recorded for the movie of the same name, it earned Bette Midler a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
    2. Amanda McBroom wrote it in about 45 minutes after the idea came to her while driving, listening to the radio.

  • The Way We Were

    Barbra Streisand

    A big, sweeping ballad; the Streisand fans in the room will hold you to a high standard, so commit.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits in the middle

    A big sing
    Before you sing itMiddle · A big sing

    Sits in the middle

    A big sing

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Light One CandlePeter, Paul and Mary
    2. Song 2The Chanukah SongAdam Sandler
    3. Song 3Miracle of MiraclesFiddler on the Roof

    Did you know

    1. It served as the title theme for the romantic drama film starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford.
    2. The song won both an Academy Award and a Grammy Award for Song of the Year.

  • Hallelujah

    Leonard Cohen

    Leonard Cohen's own version stays low and unhurried, far kinder to sing than the famous covers.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the low side

    Some effort
    Before you sing itLow side · Some effort

    Sits on the low side

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1If I Were a Rich ManFiddler on the Roof
    2. Song 2Sunrise, SunsetFiddler on the Roof
    3. Song 3Song Sung BlueNeil Diamond

    Did you know

    1. Leonard Cohen reportedly drafted as many as eighty different verses before finalizing the track.

Remember which ones went well

Eight nights can mean a lot of singing, and next year it's easy to forget what worked. Keep your songs in KaraokeList, tagged Skill if you can really sing it and Fun if the room loves it anyway.

Log each turn: stars, plus Too high, Just right or Too low. No music talk needed.

Want something new? Tap the Magic Mic for songs you don't have yet, each with its reason. It never offers back a song you've stamped Not again.

Questions

What should I sing at a Hanukkah party?

Start with a Hanukkah song the room knows, like I Have a Little Dreidel, Oh Chanukah or Adam Sandler's The Chanukah Song. Then move to family favorites: If I Were a Rich Man, Hava Nagila, or a Neil Diamond singalong like Song Sung Blue.

Are there Hanukkah (Chanukah) karaoke songs?

A few. The Festival of Lights has fewer songs than Christmas does, but you can find karaoke or sing-along versions of most of them, like I Have a Little Dreidel and Oh Chanukah; for Light One Candle and The Chanukah Song, check your venue's book.

What is an easy Hanukkah song for karaoke?

I Have a Little Dreidel: a few short lines everyone has known since kindergarten, so you can hand the mic to a child. If you'd rather talk than sing, The Chanukah Song is a comedy song, so it's more about timing than voice.

When is Hanukkah (Chanukah) 2026?

Hanukkah 2026 starts at sundown on Friday, December 4, when the first candle on the menorah is lit, and ends at nightfall on Saturday, December 12. Eight nights, one more candle each night.

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