“Vi iz dus geseleh?”, Jay and the Americans
“Where is the Village?” sung in Yiddish and English
English title: “Where is the village?”.Year 1966.
Jay Black, lead singer of the pop group “Jay and the Americans”. “Where is the Village?” (Vi iz dus geseleh?) a well known Yiddish song.” In 1966, Jay took a standard yiddish song and adapted it into a version to demonstrate his feelings about the Holocaust.
After a long struggle with the record company, he convinced them to let him record it. While recording it, he worked with Artie Butler to help him with the arrangement since Jay comes from an Orthodox Jewish background. Jay Black who was born David Blatt is the voice, the creator, and everything you hear on that vocal.”. A superb interpretation seldom heard inrecordings of this song. I feel he showed a facet of his personality that’s quite mature for someone in his twenties. A young man singing about the horrors of the Holocaust, recorded in a vinyl LP intended for the teenagers who buy pop/rock. First half of the song is sung in Yiddish and the second half of the song in English. Only one other major jewish vocalist, SteveLawrence, included a Yiddish song in his popular repertory, a song titled “Where Can I Go?”, also about the Holocaust period. Steve Lawrence sang the English lyrics first, followed by the Yiddish lyrics. Jay Black undertook a higher risk, singing the Yiddish lyrics first.
“Where is theVillage?” is a gem of a Yiddish song, and Jay Black’s curriculum should indicate popular vocalist, and Yiddish singer .”Where is the Village?” sung in Yiddish and English.
Paintings by MARC CHAGALL.
Born in Vitebsk,Belarus.
Yiddish lyrics:
Vi iz dus gesele,Vi iz dos shtib,Vi iz dos meydele,Veimen ich kh’hob lieb,Jot iz dos gesele,Jot iz dos shtib,Jot iz dus meydele.Veimen ich kh’hob lieb, Jot iz dos gesele, Jot iz dos shtib, Jot iz dos meydele, Veimen ich kh’hob lieb.la,la,la…
Bilingual version of VI IZ DUS GESELE by Jay and the Americans, the pop group from the 1960’s made up of Jewish boys. The song titled in English WHERE IS THE VILLAGE?
Vocal by Jay Black ( born David Blatt), lead singer of JAY AND THE AMERICANS.( VI IZ DUS GESELE) is included in the CD : JAY AND THE AMERICANS: It begins with a poem like intro in English about the loss of father, mother, sister, brothers and sweetheart ( spoken or better said recited). The great arrangement is by Artie Butler, who has also arranged songs for Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand. It is an excellent presentation of this song. All I can say is “enjoy, enjoy”. The song is also known as “Vu iz dus geselle” “Vu iz dos gesele” , “Vi iz dus gesele” “Vi iz dos geseleh” “Vi iz dus gesele”, “Vi is dus gessele”…
2 thoughts on ““Vi iz dus geseleh?”, Jay and the Americans”
It is my favorite of all songs related to the Holocaust. Jay does it so well. The production could not be better. Thank you precious Jay (David). Lovingly. Joann mcallister
My father was an artist by the name of Seymour Rosenthal. Please visit our website
seymourosenthal.com He created a lithograph entitled “Homage To The Six Million It is under
color lithograph on the website.