This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2015) |
This is a list of songs from Sesame Street. It includes the songs are written for used on the TV series. The songs have a variety of styles, including R&B, opera, show tunes, folk, and world music.[1] Especially in the earlier decades, parodies and spoofs of popular songs were common, although that has reduced in more recent years.[1]
Many famous musicians have sung on the show.[2] Musicians were chosen for their skill and popularity, but also for having a public perception that was compatible with the show's values. For example, musicians who were associated with illegal drugs were not invited to perform.[1]
The lyrics of Sesame Street songs had to be wholesome. They could not suggest sexual activity or dangerous actions, such as leaning out of a window.[1]
People contributing significant numbers of songs to the show include Joe Raposo, Christopher Cerf, Jeff Moss, and Al Jarnow.
Song | Sung by | Written by | Episode | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
"1234" | Feist | #4161 | a version of her 2007 song[3] | |
"14 Carrot Love" | Polly Darton and Benny Rabbit | Nancy Sans (lyrics) and Cheryl Hardwick (music) | #2811 | |
"A Baby's Life" | Anything Muppets | #1423 | ||
"'A' You're Adorable" | Jack (Jim Henson) | Buddy Kaye and Fred Wise (lyrics) and Sidney Lippman (music) | #23 | |
"A Little Bit" | Joe Raposo | Joe Raposo (lyrics and music) | #160 | |
"A New Way to Walk" | The Oinker Sisters, later by Destiny's Child | Mark Saltzman (lyrics) and Joe Raposo (music) | #2268 | |
"A Very Simple Dance" | originally sung in audio track by David (Northern Calloway) in Bert & Ernie Sing-Along, later sung by Mike (Ward Saxton) and the kids | Carol Hall (lyrics) and Sam Pottle (music) | #737 | |
"ABC-DEF-GHI" | Big Bird (Caroll Spinney) | Jon Stone (lyrics) and Joe Raposo (music and lyrics) | #96 | |
"Adding" | Lavender Anything Muppet singer (Jerry Nelson) | Emily Kingsley (lyrics) and Jeff Moss (music) | #243 | |
"Adventure" | En Vogue | Christopher Cerf (lyrics) | #2951 | |
"African Alphabet" | Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Paul Simon and Kermit the Frog (Jim Henson) | Joe Raposo (lyrics) | #2360 | |
"African Animal Alphabet" | Sarah Durkee (lyrics) and Paul Jacobs (music) | #3396 | ||
"Ah, For the Joys of the Countryside" | a nature-loving baritone (Jim Henson) | David Axlerod (lyrics) and Sam Pottle (music) | #1008 | |
"The Alligator King" | Bud Luckey | Don Hadley (lyrics), Turk Murphy (music), and Bud Luckey (music) | #411 | Later sung by Jerry Nelson and Richard Hunt |
"Air" | Bip Bippadotta (Jim Henson), (Martin P. Robinson), (David Rudman) and (Richard Hunt) | Luis Santeiro (lyrics) and Joe Raposo (music) | #2568 | |
"Air" | Guy Smiley (Jim Henson) | Emily Kingsley (lyrics) and Christopher Cerf (music) | #2682 | |
"All by Myself" | Prairie Dawn and the Oinker Sisters (Fran Brill) with Soo-ey Oinker of the Oinker Sisters (Ivy Austin), (Angela Cappelli) and (Tawatha Agee) | Jeff Moss (lyrics) | #1824 | |
"Alone Song" | Big Bird | Sam Pottle (lyrics) | #921 | |
"Alphabet Jungle" | Dennis Scott (lyrics) | #2733 | ||
"Alphabet Polka" | John Candy[3] | Christopher Cerf and Norman Stiles (lyrics) | #2284 | removed after a complaint about being insenstive to Polish people[3] |
"Amigo" | Carlos (Jerry Nelson), Betty Lou (Fran Brill) and other muppets about the Spanish word for friend | Carol Hall (lyrics) | #2042 | |
"Antarctica" | two Anything Muppets (voiced by Paul Jacobs and Ivy Austin) and penguins | Emily Kingsley and Christopher Cerf (lyrics) | #2938 | |
"'B' is for Books" | Pharrell Williams | Questlove (lyrics) | #4626 | |
"'B' is for Bubble" | #8 | Sung to the tune of "Three Blind Mice" and features kids blowing bubbles | ||
"Baa Baa Black Sheep" | Telly and Three Sheep | Martin P. Robinson (lyrics) | Kids' Favorite Songs | |
"Baby Say It Loud" | Gladys The Cow | Luis Santeiro (lyrics) and Dave Conner (music) | #2285 | With Gordon, Susan and the kids |
"Baby Say it Loud" | Telly and Elmo | Luis Santeiro (lyrics) and Dave Conner (music) | #3611 | Reworked from version in Ep 2285 |
"Be Doodle Dee Dum" | Elmo | Jeff Moss | #3613 | |
"Baa Baa Bamba" | Luis (Emilio Delgado) and the Muppet sheep and other animals, in the tune of "La Bamba" | Joe Raposo and Luis Santeiro | #2360 | |
"Baking a Cake" | Animated by Paul Fierlinger using the same stop-motion animation used on Teeny Little Super Guy | |||
"Barn in the USA", | Bruce Stringbean (Christopher Cerf) and the S. Street Band, after "Born in the USA" by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band | Christopher Cerf and Emily Kingsley | #2991 | |
"The Batty Bat" | Count von Count (Jerry Nelson) | Joe Raposo | #2096 | |
"Be My D" | Didi O'Dey and the Dew Drops | Emily Kingsley (lyrics), Donald Alan Siegal (music) and Luistle (music) | #1449 | |
"Beginning Middle and End" | Paul Jacobs to the tune of "And She Was" by Talking Heads | Sarah Durkee (lyrics) and Christopher Cerf (music) | #2556 | Animated by Sally Cruikshank |
"Bein' A Pig" | Joe Raposo over footage of pigs | Joe Raposo | #2356 | |
"Bein' Green" | Kermit the Frog (Jim Henson)[3] | Joe Raposo | #87 | Later covered by Frank SinatraVan Morrison and others |
"Believe in Yourself" | Diana Ross, The Neville Brothers, Ray Charles, NSYNC, and other artists during different episodes | Joe Raposo | #401 | |
"Benny Hop" | Benny Rabbit (Kevin Clash) | #3301 | Included in Hot! Hot! Hot! Dance Songs | |
"Bert's Blanket" | The Muppet sheep (Jerry Nelson, Kevin Clash and Ivy Austin) and Bert (Frank Oz) as they learn how the blanket is made from a sheep's wool | Christopher Cerf and Sara Compton | #2391 | |
"Best Friends" | Telly and Baby Bear | #3140 | About a phone caller who criticizes Gina and (Savion Glover)'s friendship | |
"Between" | Jeff Redd | #2738 | Later covered by Wayne Brady | |
"Big, Bigger, Biggest" | Christopher Cerf | #3731 | ||
"Bingo was his name o" | Paul Simon and Harper Simon | #1308 | Accompanied by a short film on how vinyl records are made; later covered by the cast and the Honkers for the 1982 album Sing Along | |
"Black Eye Peas" | Graham Preskett | #917 | Accompanied by a short film on how glass bottles get recycled | |
"Blue Nosed Gopher" | Graham Preskett | #972 | Accompanied by a short film on how newspapers get recycled | |
"The Boogie-Woogie Piggies" | The Oinker Sisters | Tony Geiss | #2922 | |
"Bones (Inside of you)" | Count von Count (Jerry Nelson) | Jeff Moss | #1386 | |
"Born to Add" | Bruce Stringbean (Christopher Cerf) and the S. Street Band, after "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band | Christopher Cerf[1] | #1375 | |
"Bounce Back" | Lillian (Lillias White) | Animated by Paul Fierlinger using the same stop motion animation used on Teeny Little Super Guy | ||
"Brothers Song" | A boy | Philip Namanworth and Benjamin Goldstein | #1476 | Sung in English and Spanish about a young boy bonding with his baby brother; rewritten version was sung by Lexine Bondoc, titled "Family Song" |
"Brushing Down the Doggies" | Cecille | |||
"Budgie #10 Song" | Gene Barretta | Gene Barretta | #3526 | |
"But I Like You" | Bert and Ernie (Frank Oz and Jim Henson) | Jeff Moss | #1952 | |
"*C in Space" | Gene Barretta | Gene Barretta | #3729 | |
"C Is For Cookie" | Cookie Monster (Frank Oz) | Joe Raposo | #372 | Original version directed by Jim Henson |