This week, Sesame Street celebrates its 40th anniversary—forty years of counting, spelling, and singing. The excitement surrounding this event reminded me of an argument I had over the summer. My friend’s little sister was sitting in front of the tv, engulfed in an episode of Dora the Explorer. Watching Dora try to protect a baby jaguar from tumbling boulders, I fell into a similar trance. But while the story was exciting enough, something seemed wrong. Everything felt too sterile and one-dimensional for children’s television. The biggest issue was the music. Condescendingly simple, the synthesized harmonies sounded as if they had been written by robots. The lyrics were patronizing not in their repetitiveness, but in their lack of substance; the songs only served to reiterate obvious developments in the plot. I tried to convey these problems to my friend, but he seemed unshaken and said that it had been the same when we were kids. I’ve since decided that his assertion was utterly incorrect.
Its true that our generation can be overly prone to nostalgia. When talking about the 90’s, we tend to romanticize the joys of pokemon and beanie babies and grunge. In writing this article, I became concerned that I would fall prey to this same emotion. But, as it turns out, these songs from my childhood are just as incredible as I remembered. These were written and sung by people who clearly cared about music and understood its power. The show may have been geared towards children, but these songs are for everyone. In the face of wesmaps and gen ed requirements and discussions about social constructs, these classics take me back to a simpler time. Even apart from their nostalgic value, they’re remarkably funny and thoughtful and beautiful.
[youtube src=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TjX5r37V0Q”]
Possibly my all-time favorite.
[youtube src=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQTaFHLEZCs&feature=related”]
This intro to this gets me every time!
[youtube src=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzzIXK6a8Lo&feature=related”]
nom nom nom nom….
[youtube src=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYXJlfcfFKU&feature=SeriesPlayList&p=C26DAFD1CFA8A840″]
Slightly eerie, surprisingly edgy, super 90’s
Hope you all enjoyed!