Fans of 8th Day have come to expect more than just great sound or the next wedding hit when a new album is released. They’re excited about the combination of depth, insight, and fun which characterize Shmueli and Bentzi Marcus’s creations, and “Samach Tisamach,” on their recently released eighth album Stronger Closer, is no exception.
The Marcus brothers say that they were inspired by the classic song “Ilan, Ilan Bemah Avarechecha,” which is one of their mother’s favorites. The song, from the Gemara in Maseches Taanis 5a, is the famous parable about a thirsty traveler who enjoys the shade and sweet fruit of a tree which is watered by a fresh stream. The traveler’s dilemma is “With what can you bless a tree that already has everything?” The Gemara’s reply is “May your seeds grow to be trees just like you,” and this phrase has traditionally been adopted to bless parents with nachas from their children.
According to Shmueli, “One of the greatest things 8th Day gets to do is to bring joy to a chassan and kallah at their wedding. At a certain point I said to Bentzi that we needed a song that features the chassan and kallah but also pays tribute to their roots, the parents and grandparents. So I started with the concept of “Adam eitz hasadeh — man is like a tree”, and added the Yiddish “zohl der kinder vi der tatte/ mamme zein” plus the fitting wedding brachah of “Samach [or sameach — ed.] Tisamach.” And, he explains, the words “Look around, it’s Gan Eden” is meant as a tribute to parents and grandparents.
Later, as the brothers were getting ready to record “Samach” on the new album, Shmueli felt compelled to add a counterpoint, a line in Yiddish reminding us that having parents is only the first step — we still need to do whatever we can to move forward. And so, “Tantz mit de fiss, patch mit de hendt, tut tut alst vos ir kent” became the catchphrase for making your own effort.
“Many times we tend to pat ourselves on the back for our successes, like if our music video gets a million views or something like that, but we tend to forget that we are where we are because of others, like our parents and grandparents. In our case, this might include a famous uncle by the name of Avraham Fried.”
So when you’re up and dancing to this new niggun, remember to build on the great past in order to create a great future — and that’s definitely a cause for celebration.
(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 737)
