updated Aug 9, 2003
Sesame Celebrates
The 35th birthday celebration begins!
The new 3-CD box set Songs from the Street is coming out on Sept 2,
featuring 63 Sesame tunes by Muppets and their celebrity guests.
Here's a full track listing, followed by a Billboard article that takes you behind the scenes...
Songs From the Street
Disc 1 :
1. Sesame Street Theme -- The Kids
2. ABC-DEF-GHI -- Big Bird
3. Bein' Green -- Kermit the Frog
4. Sing -- The Kids
5. Five Song -- The Kids
6. Five People in My Family -- The Anything Muppets
7. People in Your Neighborhood -- Bob and the Anything Muppets
8. King of Eight -- Jim Henson
9. Hi De Ho Man -- Cab Calloway / The Two-Headed Monster
10. How Do You Do? -- Lena Horne / Grover
11. Over, Under, Around and Through -- Grover
12. Ladybugs' Picnic
13. Somebody Come and Play -- The Kids
14. Jellyman Kelly -- James Taylor / The Kids
15. Just the Way You Are -- Billy Joel / Oscar the Grouch
16. Everybody Sleeps -- Joe Raposo
17. Rubber Duckie -- Ernie
18. Doin' the Pigeon -- Bert
19. Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard -- Paul Simon
20. Sweet-A Little Baby -- Pete Seeger / The Kids
21. 1-2-3 Sesame Street -- Stevie Wonder
Disc 2 :
1. Pinball Number Count -- The Pointer Sisters
2. I've Got Two -- Big Bird / Oscar / Mr Hooper / Everybody
3. I Love Trash -- Oscar the Grouch
4. Nasty Dan -- Johnny Cash / Oscar the Grouch
5. Sing After Me -- Madeline Kahn / Grover
6. Captain Vegetable -- Captain Vegetable / Eddie & Andy
7. African Alphabet -- Ladysmith Black Mambazo / Kermit the Frog
8. B.B. King -- B.B. King / Bert / Benny Rabbit / Big Bird / Baby Bear
9. C Is For Cookie -- Cookie Monster
10. Elmo and the Lavender Moon -- Los Lobos
11. Tweet In The Mornin' -- Bobby McFerrin / The Birds
12. Small People -- Ziggy Marley / Prairie Dawn / Big Bird
13. Imagination -- Ernie / Big Bird / The Cast
14. From Your Head -- Diane Schuur / Elmo
15. What's The Name Of That Song? -- The Cast
16. The Batty Bat -- The Count / Fatateeta / The Bats
17. Mah Na Mah Na -- Mah Na Mah Na
18. Little Things -- Tony Bennett / Lexine
19. One Small Voice -- The Kids / Hoots the Owl / Prairie Dawn
20. I Don't Want to Live on the Moon -- Aaron Neville / Ernie
21. This Frog -- Kermit the Frog
Disc 3 :
1. I Love Trash -- Steven Tyler
2. Two Princes -- Spin Doctors / Zoe / Elmo / Telly
3. Like the Way U Does -- Melissa Etheridge
4. But I Like You -- Bert / Ernie
5. Tu Me Gustas -- Luis / Elmo
6. Mambo I, I, I -- Gloria Estefan
7. Monster In the Mirror -- Grover
8. Hold My Hand -- Hootie & the Blowfish / Elmo / The Kids
9. I'm Talkin' Love -- Trisha Yearwood / Herry Monster
10. We Are All Earthlings -- A Boy / The Anything Muppets
11. Happy to Meet You -- Celina Dion / Herry Monster / Elmo / Big Bird
12. Furry Happy Monsters -- REM / Muppet Rocker
13. Believe in Yourself -- *Nsync
14. A New Way To Walk -- Destiny's Child / Elmo / Grover / Zoe
15. Elmo's Song -- Elmo / Big Bird / Snuffleupagus
16. Pride -- Goo Goo Dolls / Elmo
17. Sing -- Dixie Chicks
18. Just Happy to be Me -- Fugees
19. Put Down the Duckie -- Ernie / Hoots the Owl
20. Everybody Be Yoself -- Keb'Mo' / The Kids
21. Sesame Street Theme -- Ursula 1000 (remix)
Boxed Set Celebrates Sesame Street
Billboard -- July 7, 2003
by Catherine Applefeld Olson
reprinted entirely without permission
In a time of musical segmentation and stratification, there remains a place
where artists of all genres can play on common ground: Sesame Street. In
celebration of the 35th anniversary of the seminal -- and seminally hip --
children's show, Legacy/Sony Wonder will on Sept 2 release the three-CD
boxed set "Songs From the Street."
The commemorative box features 63 digitally remastered artist tracks, 22 of which are being released for the first time and 12 of which are no longer commercially available.
The set, which also includes an extensive booklet with liner notes from Grammy-
and Emmy-winning songwriter/composer/producer Christopher Cerf, kicks off a
year-long campaign sponsored by Sesame Street creator company Sesame Workshop.
Slated to roll throughout 2004 are a new teen-oriented clothing line, a separate
video project, a possible Hollywood Bowl concert and a new series of classic
artwork.
From its inception in November 1967 [sic], Sesame Street began building a musical guest roster without rival. The likes of Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Celine Dion, Lena Horne, Billy Goel, BB King, REM, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Stevie Wonder have all stopped by to mingle with the Muppets.
"I'll tell you why Sesame Street is so cool," says longtime fan Tony
Bennett, whose 1995 performance of "Little Things" is featured on the
new set. "When I play with my quartet, the music is very much in the
moment. And they are doing the same thing at Sesame Street with words. It's
spontaneous; it comes right from the head and the heart, and it is just
wonderful."
"Being on Sesame Street was one of the biggest highlights of a career that's had many; I got to sing with Grover -- how cool is that?" Trisha Yearwood says of her 1998 version of "I'm Talkin' Love." "There is a magic about Sesame Street that endures no matter what your age. I'm honored that I got to be a part of it."
Sometimes an appearance on Sesame Street has also been career-defining. "We've had the privilege of playing at Woodstock ['94], opening for the Rolling Stones and getting a Grammy nomination, but more people come up to me and comment on our appearance on Sesame Street," says Chris Barron of the Spin Doctors, who performed "Two Princes" in 1993. "To be included on this album with these musical giants, I'm thrilled all over again."
Music will also have a starring role in the preschool-focused "What's the
Name of That Song," a commemorative VHS/DVD slated for release in January
that weaves 12 clips of musical guests and culminates with a celebrity pastiche
of the anthemic "Sing."
Although the nonprofit Sesame Workshop has released countless titles into the early-childhood market, its only other project with mass-market appeal is 1999's "Elmopalooza." Released in conjunction with a television special, "Elmopalooza" has sold 172,000 copies on audio and 229,000 on video/DVD, according to Nielsen SoundScan/VideoScan.
The opportunity to be included in a Sesame Street tribute is sweet for "Elmopalooza" alumni The Fugees, whose 1993 performance of "Just Happy to Be Me" is featured on the new set.
"It's funny, because kids see me now, and they know me from Sesame Street," former group member Wyclef Jean says. "Doing the show was great; it gave me a childhood vibe. Every time you do something, you want it to be simple enough for a little kid to understand. Then it's easy to take it to the world."