Posted in: NBC, Netflix, TV | Tagged: adam sandler, Leo, Roseanne Barr, saturday night live, snl

SNL: Adam Sandler On Why Roseanne Barr Didn't Sing "Chanukah Song"

Adam Sandler (Leo) revealed why Roseanne Barr opted not to perform the Sandler-penned "The Chanukah Song," leading to an SNL classic.

The early 1990s Saturday Night Live cast churned out some of the biggest stars, including best friends David Spade, the late Chris Farley, and Adam Sandler. Sandler not only distinguished himself on the NBC variety series with his themed characters like Cajan Man (which would later be refined to Bobby Boucher in The Water Boy), Gil Graham (which would be refined to the title character in Little Nicky, and Opera Man. Many of them he would regularly feature on "Weekend Update," but on rare occasions, he would perform, demonstrating his vocal chops on original songs like the 1994 holiday classic "The Chanukah Song," which became a tour of the most famous Hollywood Jewish celebrities past and present. When the actor and comedian wrote the song, he wasn't the original choice as producers considered host Roseanne Barr long before her fall from grace.

Adam Sandler's Signature SNL Moment Almost Went to Roseanne Barr

"They were talking about Roseanne singing it, and she was nice enough to say 'no, let Adam do that, that's his, he wrote it, that's his song,'" Sandler told Access Hollywood while promoting his film, Leo. "The Chanukah Song" has since become updated several times as a staple of Sandler's performances including his 2002 animated film Eight Crazy Nights. "I'm happy to be a part of Hanukkah," he said. "That was a good time of life to be associated with the song and the holiday. Very proud of that. I sing it alone, I sing it without the kids, I go into our basement, I rip it out, I do the soft-shoe to it [laughs]. No, if it comes on the radio, and I hear it, I get excited; that's still awesome."

It's probably for the best that Barr did not sing it, given her infamous experience singing the National Anthem at a San Diego Padres game that could have ruined Sandler's SNL song before it ever became a classic. Leo, which also stars Bill Burr, Cecily Strong, Jason Alexander, and Rob Schneider, is available on Netflix.

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