Friday Five: Sesame Street

If you’ve read the news—or our July playlist—you know that 2009 is the 40-year anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Also celebrating a 40th anniversary is children’s program Sesame Street. When you think about it, which of these two entities has had a greater impact on the daily lives of Americans?

In recent years, country artists including Wynonna Judd, Alison Krauss and Union Station and Sugarland have been featured on Sesame Street, but today we’re going to rummage through the archives and visit some of Sesame Street’s classic country moments. If you were a kid, or had a kid, sometime in the past few decades, you probably saw these during their original airings. You may still know all the words. But if not, check ‘em out now!

• 5. “Songs Are for Singing” – Loretta Lynn
  Lynn gathers up a bunch of kids that aren’t her own to sing a song about singing songs and climbing mountains and loving people. It’s nice enough…until those little punks join in on the chorus.

• 4. “You’ve Got to Ask Some Questions” – Randy Travis
  Here a baby-faced Travis sings about the importance of asking questions. Here’s one: what’s up with that shirt/turtleneck combo? All kidding aside, this is a pretty cool song; should Randy decide to rerecord it for his next album, I wouldn’t complain.

• 3. “Wavin’ Goodbye With My Heart” – “Polly Darton”
  Dolly Parton may be the only country singer to have her own Sesame Street avatar. This one is a favorite from my childhood, and probably more than a little responsible for my current musical tastes. In this song, Darton waves goodbye to her dog with various body parts. Not those parts, you creep. This is a children’s program.

• 2. “Don’t Take Your Ones To Town” – Johnny Cash
  Cash chalked up multiple appearances on Sesame Street (his mid-70s performance of “Nasty Dan” with Oscar the Grouch is another winner) but none beat this story of a “cowbird” who gathers up his collection of ones and hits the road. Instead of a shootout, though, in this song there’s an altercation with The Count and his wife.
• 1. “Ain’t No Road Too Long” – Waylon Jennings
  This song comes from horribly traumatizing 1985 film Follow That Bird. Big Bird gets sent to live with a family of birds, but his new family totally sucks, so Big Bird runs away and tries to get back to Sesame Street. Clearly, the best start to a safe and healthy journey home involves getting into a stranger’s truck (Great lesson there, Sesame.) Luckily that stranger is Waylon Jennings, who offers up some inspirational words in the form of a catchy song that’ll probably be stuck in your head for the rest of the day. It’s stuck in mine for 24 years.