Bassist Steve Priest donned a similar costume when the Sweet performed on TV in 1973, but glam bands like the Sweet had already fetishized gender-bending fashion as a deliberate provocation in the hopes of getting up people’s noses, he might just as easily have donned a nun’s habit. In 1970, Who drummer Keith Moon, already known for outrageous public pranks, found it good sport to dress up as Hitler and “Sieg Heil” his way around Soho to the consternation of Londoners who could vividly recall the Blitz. Still, it was not too long ago that Nazi symbols, uniforms and names were casually invoked by musicians. MAGA politicians and talk show hosts with the gall to compare mask mandates and COVID vaccinations to the Holocaust are one thing, but the recent rise of social media opprobrium has made the overt embrace of antisemitism in popular culture nearly unthinkable. You can find the whole list and accompanying essays here. Inspired in part by all the Jewish artists on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs, the Forward decided it was time to rank the best Jewish pop songs of all time.
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