James Corden and Celeb Guests Performed a Boyz II Men Inspired Hanukkah Song
Updated April 27 2020, 3:57 p.m. ET
The Late Late Show's James Corden is no stranger to elaborate musical bits. His popular Carpool Karaoke videos almost always go viral. And his Crosswalk Musicals (which are exactly what they sound like... musicals performed in crosswalks during stoplights) never fail to make us laugh. But it's Corden's latest music video that has audiences screaming.
James Corden and celebrity friends recently performed a Hanukkah song inspired by '90s boy bands.
There are a whole lot of Christmas songs out there but very few Hanukkah songs. James Corden and a bunch of famous friends recently decided to try to change that with a '90s boy band-inspired music video.
The song is called, "A Week and a Day," since, of course, Hanukkah is eight nights long. The guys dressed in all white and called themselves Boyz II Menorah, which is too funny. Corden was joined by a very committed Zach Braff, Josh Peck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Charlie Puth.
Josh Peck started it off with silly lines like, "Got a week and a day of love this Hanukkah, girl." Superbad"s Mintz-Plasse chimed in with, "Got a week and a day to show you how much I care."
They then launch into a list of what each candle on the menorah represents while standing in front of rotating gift boxes full of traditional Hanukkah gifts like pairs of socks (and then one plate of a bagel and lox). "Candle one," they sing, 'You strike the match and say the blessing. Candle two: Your sparkling eyes reflect the flame. Candle three: Your perfect lips sing out the prayer we're both expressing. Candle four: you make a latke and you call it my name." Yeah. Very silly.
Everything gets ramped up to another level when they start dancing around a giant, spinning dreidel and in front of a giant menorah. It's really ridiculous. And Zach Braff is very, very shirtless. I know that "shirtless" isn't a trait that can be qualified. You're either shirtless or you're not. But somehow, Zach Braff manages to be very shirtless.
Don't worry, though. There is a costume change that puts the guys in super '90s bling-y getups. Josh Peck wears a classic backward newsboy cap and Christopher Mintz-Plasse sports a truly horrifying bucket hat. The thing that's simultaneously the most hilarious and most disturbing thing about this video is how into it these five grown men are. They are quite committed.
"When the world gets sad, our hearts will free us," they croon. "Just like Judaz Maccabeus. When you light the candles baby, I want to be there." But perhaps my favorite lines come at the end of the song, when they start singing the prayer over the candle.
Zach Braff starts, "Baruch Ata, I don't know how you do it." Christopher Mintz-Plasse continues, "Eloheinu Melech Ha-o-love to be with you." It's way too much for me to handle. If you were afraid that there wouldn't be any new Hanukkah songs this year, there's good news and weird news. The good news is that there's a new Hanukkah song. The weird news is that it's this one by James Corden and his famous friends.