When I was younger, I used to listen to a Sesame Street album, “Let Your Feelings Show”, which featured Grover singing a tune called, “Proud of Me”. It was a delightful little tune about feeling self confident and loving yourself, yadda yadda yadda , and it always stuck with me. Now I’m about to let you in on a little secret…to this day, sometimes when I’ve accomplished something cool (or at times, even when I haven’t) the song will pop into my head, and I will silently start singing it.  I do the same thing with Sharon, Lois, and Bram’s, “I am Slowly Going  Crazy” when I’m super stressed out…but, I digress.

The point is, the other day, I decided to try to find the song online as I only have a copy on vinyl. I came up empty handed at the time, but discovered something even cooler. I stumbled upon a box set of classic Sesame Street tunes called, “Songs from the Street: 35 Years of Music”. I rediscovered songs long forgotten, and I was hit with waves of nostalgia and overall giddiness. Aside from all of that, listening with a more “mature” ear  gave me a deeper appreciation for the music, and Sesame Street as a whole.

While the show was obviously created for children, it maintains a level of sophistication that makes it enjoyable for everyone. Unlike other kid shows, it doesn’t feel the need to produce trite, sugary sweet songs or characters (ok, maybe Elmo ruined some of that…but that’s another conversation). The reason why the show has continually been  successful for the last 39 odd years is because it doesn’t underestimate a kid’s intelligence. Story lines and songs are presented in a way that make it easy for a kid to digest, yet it’s done without “dumbing it down” (to borrow from Lupe Fiasco).  Just the fact that they tackled death with the passing of Mr. Hooper showed that they weren’t afraid to take chances that other shows wouldn’t.

This applies to the music as well.  The creators made the songs catchy and easy to learn and did so using a vast variety of musical styles. Established musicians of all kinds have lent their talents to the show, which has made for numerous memorable moments. I just discovered a duet with Diane Schuur and Elmo. What I love most about Sesame Street is that it continues to stay current.  This season includes Feist doing an adorable rendition of “1,2,3,4″, as well as a spoof called “30 Rocks” which features a bonfide Liz “Lemon”. My future children will be raised on Sesame Street. Barney will be banned.

Feist’s “1,2,3,4″

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