In honor of the first night of Chanukah last night.
Smokey Robinson has a lot of accolades to his name. Famed singer-songwriter, founder and frontman of the Motown group The Miracles, legendary producer and performer, Songwriter’s Hall of Fame inductee, universally regarded as one of top 250 singers of all time, and the list continues.
One of those things not on that list is a top-earning stop on Cameo, although he should be for this video.
For those unfamiliar, Cameo is an app where you can pay for your favorite celebrity to make you a custom video. While most people see it as a gift that keeps on giving, many get it as a gift for friends and family members. But, as these celebrities don’t know who they are making the videos for and are only going off the short descriptions shared by the purchasers, it leads to some hilarious videos.
One of the best of all time… Smokey Robinson absolutely butchering the pronunciation of Chanukah.
While Chanukah can also be spelled as Hanukkah, Chanukah is the more traditional way of spelling the Jewish holiday. Someone requested Smokey to wish their loved ones a Happy Chanukah, and the result is roll on the floor funny.
Think about a kiddo sounding out how to say a word…got it? Okay, good, that’s precisely how Smokey pronounced Chanukah.
“And they wanted me to wish you Happy Chanukah. I have no idea what Chanukah is. But Happy Chanukah because they said so.
Anyway, God bless you, babe, and enjoy Chanukah. Have a wonderful time.”
I was laughing so hard just from the pronunciation, but then he also threw in the “God Bless,” and I was done for trying to contain my giggles. You would think he’d throw this in the old Google Translate to make sure he was pronouncing it right before full sending it in the Cameo, but I honestly respect the hell out of his confidence.
Smokey Robinson is a national treasure, and if this isn’t a holiday classic, I don’t know what is.
After watching this, it’s only appropriate to fire up Adam Sandler’s “The Chanukah Song.”
Happy Chanukah to those who celebrate.
