“The Chanukah Song” becomes, in Neil Diamond’s voice, a warm (and sly) holiday wink—less a comedy sketch now than a sing-along reminder that identity can be celebrated with joy, not defensiveness.
When people hear Neil Diamond and “The Chanukah Song” in the same sentence, there’s often a double-take—because the song’s DNA is pure Adam Sandler: a comedic roll call of famous Jews, originally performed on Saturday Night Live in 1994, then later cemented through multiple updated versions over the years. Yet that’s exactly why Diamond’s cover matters. It isn’t just a “celebrity cover.” It’s a veteran pop icon stepping into a modern, tongue-in-cheek tradition—and choosing to treat it like a real holiday record, not merely a novelty.
The up-to-date, verifiable anchor is this: Neil Diamond released his cover of “The Chanukah Song” on his holiday album A Cherry Cherry Christmas, released October 13, 2009. Contemporary write-ups at the time noted the same premise with equal parts amusement and disbelief: yes, the man behind “Sweet Caroline” was now singing Sandler’s Hanukkah anthem, complete with an animated video.
Chart-wise, it’s important to be precise rather than flashy. Diamond’s recording wasn’t a Hot 100 “hit single” in the way his classic radio-era singles were; its cultural footprint has been seasonal and share-driven—played, forwarded, and rediscovered each December rather than climbing charts in a conventional campaign. What did chart, historically, was Adam Sandler’s version: it was later included on Sandler’s 1996 comedy album and, per documented retrospective coverage, reached No. 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 in that era.
So why does Neil Diamond’s version linger?
Partly because of what it represents: a mainstream holiday landscape that’s long been crowded with Christmas standards, while Hanukkah—despite its deep cultural resonance—has comparatively fewer widely-known pop songs. Diamond himself pointed to that imbalance when discussing the cover, noting there are many beautiful Christmas songs but “so few Hanukkah songs.” In that single thought is the emotional logic of the recording. He isn’t trying to “improve” Sandler’s humor; he’s giving Hanukkah another big, shiny ornament for the public tree.
Musically, Diamond approaches the song like Diamond: with conviction, big phrasing, and that unmistakable forward-lean of his melodies—making the joke feel strangely heartfelt. The genius of Sandler’s original is that it frames pride as laughter: instead of explaining identity, it celebrates it, name by name, grin by grin. Diamond keeps that spirit, but his delivery adds a different shade—less stand-up routine, more holiday croon—like an uncle at the end of the table who’s decided the best way to keep tradition alive is to sing it louder.
There’s also a tiny lyrical twist in Diamond’s cover that reveals his instinct for showman timing. Reference sources note that in his version, a line about Tom Cruise is altered—switching the punchline to a religiously playful variation (“Tom Cruise isn’t, but Jesus Christ is”). It’s an odd little edit—part joke, part eyebrow-raise—and it reminds you that this song has always lived in the realm of the update, the remix, the re-listing of names and symbols as culture changes around it.
The meaning, then, isn’t just “here’s a funny Hanukkah song.” “The Chanukah Song” (especially through Neil Diamond) becomes a miniature ritual of visibility. It says: we’re here; we belong; we can laugh about it; we can sing about it. In a season that can sometimes make anyone outside the dominant holiday soundtrack feel slightly off to the side, the chorus feels like a friendly hand pulling you back into the center of the room.
And maybe that’s the sweetest irony of all: Neil Diamond, a singer often associated with arena-sized universality, lends his voice to a song that is proudly specific. He makes specificity feel communal. He turns a comedic list into a holiday embrace—proof that sometimes the most lasting seasonal music isn’t the most “perfect,” but the one that lets people feel seen… and lets them smile while they’re being seen.