"Werewolf Bar Mitzvah" Belongs on Your Halloween Playlist
I know that I said that I was going to do my NFL midseason redo today, but when I woke up I realized that today is October 31st, AKA Halloween. Every year for Halloween, since the inception of this website, I have tried to write something about Halloween. Sometimes it is positive, like writing about the great, great song, "The Monster Mash" last year. Sometimes it is what I dislike about the holiday, like costumes, clowns and puns. So, to keep up with my tradition, I am going to do something Halloween specific today.
About a month ago my wife and I finally decided that we should get Hulu. A bunch of the shows we watched on Netflix, more on those buttheads later this week, were gone. We didn't want to watch them on You Tube either because the quality was always suspect. So, we had heard all the good things about Hulu. We found the shows that Netflix got rid of on Hulu. We heard the quality was top notch. We have heard all the great things about their original programming. And, for a few extra bucks, we don't have to watch commercials or ads. Hulu is great.
One of the best things about Hulu, they have all of "30 Rock". "30 Rock" is one of the greatest TV shows that has ever existed. I have a bunch of stuff I will be writing about the many, many things I adore about that show. One of the things I was going to save fits in almost too perfectly for Halloween.
In the first season there is a cut away scene involving Tracy Jordan(the exquisite Tracy Morgan), and you can hear someone saying that he wanted to record a holiday song that would combine 2 holidays, and keep him paid for years to come. The song is called, "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah".
“Werewolf Bar Mitzvah” is one of the funniest 8 seconds of TV that I have watched in my lifetime. I have been walking around since seeing the scene, about a month ago, singing the chorus. I have gone to Spotify and listened to the entirety of the "30 Rock" soundtrack they have, and I love it. What I love most about it though, they have the full version of "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah". It is kind of wild recently as well because, after rediscovering this 8 second bit, and singing it, and my wife and I doing tons of call backs, there have been multiple articles written about the history of the song and the clip.
It is wild. It seems like my wife and I are not the only ones that have fallen back in love with this clip. It is awesome. What I adore and appreciate most about "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah" is how ridiculous and absurd all of it is. As I have said, it is only 8 seconds long, but they pack so much into it. I mean, Morgan dresses up like a werewolf from the "Thriller" video, and he sings the chorus, "werewolf Bar Mitzvah/spooky, scary/boys becoming men/men becoming wolves". It is some of the funniest shit I have ever heard. To see Morgan perform it as a werewolf just adds to the hilarity. The show also makes several callbacks to the clip, which makes it that much better. It is an earworm in the best possible way.
The song reminds me so much of "The Monster Mash" because both are bizarre. What separates "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah" from "the Monster Mash" is the fact that it can be used year round. Yes, it is a Halloween song, and the video has Halloween themes, but there is also the Bar Mitzvah element. I hope when my son or daughter go to a friend's bar or bat mitzvah, this song is playing, no matter the time of year. If that happens, the parents will immediately become friends of mine. That is why this song rules so much.
Also, like I stated earlier, there is a full version out there, and guess who wrote it?! Donald freaking Glover! I mean, that dude has, and always will be, a super duper talent. Reading the oral history's of the song, I have found out that he pretty much does the verses in Tracy Morgan's voice. He has always been able to do a spot on impression of Morgan, and while Morgan had no problem doing the chorus, he didn't want to do a full song. So, the writers of the show asked Glover to do it, doing his impression of Morgan while performing, and he didn't hesitate. It is truly remarkable how much it sounds like Morgan.
I love "30 Rock". I adore Tina Fey and Robert Carlock. They are top of the line comedy writers. Tracy Morgan is, most likely, my favorite actor of all time. And you all know how I feel about Glover. So, the fact that they all came together to make a perfect Halloween and bar mitzvah song is glorious. Do yourself a favor and go watch the 8 second clip, and then listen to the full song. The chorus will be stuck in you head for days, in a good way, and I guarantee you will love the song, especially if you love, or just like, "30 Rock". "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah" is a real gem.
Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Happy Halloween people, and we hope you are not trick or treating up in Minnesota. Charlie Brown taught us that the real monsters are the parents in a small Minnesota neighborhood who like to bully the awkward kid.
Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.
SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.