Cynically, I wondered, was will.i.am making fun of us? This was the lamest thing I could possibly imagine, yet this once cool hip-hop group was referencing our rites of passage? I didn’t get it. Yet at bar mitzvahs from Tenafly to Tel Aviv, “I Gotta Feeling” is the cheeseball hit that continues to bring the house down.įor starters, “I Gotta Feeling” references the language of our people in the most celebratory Jewish lyric of all time: “Fill up my cup (drink)! Mazel tov (l’chaim)!” When I first heard these words I was confused - my upper-middle class suburban upbringing, Hebrew school education, and deep love for Seinfeld all felt conflicted. It’s been 13 years since newer artists have brought newer hits.
The Grammy Award-winner for Pop Performance of the Year and the longest running single of 2009 has been featured in countless commercials, and, as of 2019, holds the record for the most downloaded song in iTunes history at 9 million. An uptempo dance song produced by David Guetta, the anthem was revered almost from the moment it was released. In 2009, at the height of Black Eyed Peas’ Fergie era, “I Gotta Feeling” was the song of the new century. How did a song written by a West Coast hip-hop group, a Catholic pop star and a French DJ become a Jewish anthem second only to the hora? You can find the whole list and accompanying essays here. Inspired in part by all the Jewish artists on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs, the Forward decided it was time to rank the best Jewish pop songs of all time.