Matisyahu’s ‘One Day’ Was A Huge Hit That Surprisingly Wasn’t Bigger

This song is a little bit of a throw-back (to 2009 anyway) and still every time I hear it, I feel happy and find myself singing along.

Matisyahu, which is the origin of the name Matthew, is the stage and Hebrew name of Matthew Paul Miller who has had an interesting life. Born in New York to what sounds like a rather non-religious Jewish family, he rebelled and ended up in Bend, Oregon. There is where he began rediscovering his Jewish heritage since, as he tells it, out there he was the token Jew, unlike in New York.

He religious development was fairly gradual but complete. He moved back to New York and, after getting married and starting a family, developed a liking for a particular Hasidic community. He grew his beard out, wore traditional religious clothing (you can see his yarmulke in this video), and steadfastly observed the Sabbath, Saturday. Like Islam, days on the Jewish calendar begin at sundown the day before, which is why Matisyahu would never play a concert on Friday nights.

As time went on, however, Matisyahu began to lose his strong religious observances, even shaving his beard in 2011. This changed the identity that he had developed, as a Hasidic Jew reggae artist from New York. Nevertheless, his music is still heavily influenced by his religious beliefs, where he regularly uses Hebrew and Yiddish phrases.

Reading about his career, which has seen a few big crossover hits, including this one, one gets the impression that he is perhaps most proud of ‘One Day.’

Speaking to Spinner.com in 2009, he said, “‘One Day’ is the song I’ve been wanting to make since I started my career. It is an anthem of hope with a big beat, the kind of song that makes you bob your head and open your heart at the same time.”

I hope you enjoy this anthem of life and hope as much as I.