If youвЂ™ve seen this song played in its natural habitat (a Long Island bar mitzvah, immediately following the hora, before being seated for the motzi) then youвЂ™ve experienced the ecstasy of Jews young and old screaming вЂњMAZEL TOV!вЂќ along with the song. ItвЂ™s an example of collective effervescence, a sociological concept that describes the feeling when a group comes together and simultaneously communicates the same thought by participating in the same action. Scientifically, singing as a group is proven to increase вЂњfeel-good chemicalsвЂќ like dopamine and oxytocin. 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 didnвЂ™t get it.

Yet at bar mitzvahs from Tenafly to Tel Aviv, вЂњI Gotta FeelingвЂќ is the cheeseball hit that continues to bring the house down.ДЇor starters, вЂњI Gotta FeelingвЂќ references the language of our people in the most celebratory Jewish lyric of all time: вЂњFill up my cup (drink)! Mazel tov (lвЂ™chaim)!вЂќ 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. ItвЂ™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 PeasвЂ™ Fergie era, вЂњI Gotta FeelingвЂќ 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 StoneвЂ™s list of the 500 Greatest Songs, the Forward decided it was time to rank the best Jewish pop songs of all time.

Black eyed peas i gotta feeling funny