Question re: the song, "Sing"

[superfan]

I was wondering about the song "SIng"

Is the song that's on the CD from 35 Years of Music from the Street CD box set the actual original version of the song? (with child echoing the Spanish lyrics)
AND
What year on SS was it shown and how was it done? Live action film montage, actual child singing...human cast singing it...?

 

[rumtar_10165]

Yes on the album it is from the Sesame Strees 2 original cast record (1972@ WB) but originaly, as I recall, Leana Horn had sung it in one of the 1970-1972 seasons, and on The Muppet Show. The Frist Time she had sung it she sang it slowly. The Carpenters also were best known to sing it.

 

[superfan]

Ah, yes the Carpenters. Beautiful voice that girl had.
And Lena Horne sang it early on in the season, did she? Wow. She must have had a couple regular spots on that show (ie: How Do You Do? with Grover). Maybe that's why they didn't use her version on the CD. But was that the first known 'appearance' of that song?
Well, thanks for that bit of info!

 

[BEAR]

I was wondering about the song "SIng"

Is the song that's on the CD from 35 Years of Music from the Street CD box set the actual original version of the song? (with child echoing the Spanish lyrics)
AND
What year on SS was it shown and how was it done? Live action film montage, actual child singing...human cast singing it...?

I don't believe the Spanish echos were originally part of the song.

A little info on the song taken from the Joe Raposo Songbook:

"Sing" was written to accompany a short film of children playing in the 1971 season of Sesame Street. Bobby Cranshaw, a renowned bass player and a member of the Sesame Street Band, took the song to Peggy Lee, who was then performing at the Rainbow Room. Her version was heard by the Carpenters, Karen and Richard, who called and asked Joe (Raposo) for permission to record it (with a chorus of children). The Carpenters' version of "Sing" went platinum, and remained at the top of the charts for a year. "Sing" has been recorded by a number of artists, including Barbra Streisand and the Boston Pops, and has been translated into every language.

"Sing" embodies Joe's philosophy that everyone has a song to sing: "Don't worry that it's not good enough for anyone else to hear...just sing..."

Hope that helps at all.

 

[SesameMike]

Second verse

The version of Sing by The Carpenters has a second verse that begins "Let the world sing along." I never heard that line on any of the Sesame Street versions. Did Joe write that verse? Or did the Carpenters write it to justify longer radio playing time.

Tony Orlando and Dawn had a minor hit in about 1977 called "Sing". Although it has a completely different melody and structure, one of the lines still says "Sing it/out loud and sing it strong"

 

[superfan]

Haha, okay, lemme get this straight.
The song on the CD I have according to RumTar10165 was on the Original ast 2 album. According to Bear, he believes that the added Spanish lyrics were not originally part of the song. Well, unless I have the album right here in front of me, it'd be hard to determine!
Now (says Bear) the song was originally used for a short film. Who sang it then? Lena Horne?
You guys are actually very helpful. I certainly know more about it now than I did! Thank you!

 

[fuzzygobo]

Sing, why don'tcha

I was around, and there were a number of bits where Sing popped up.
The version on the Sesame Street 2 album was the first time it appeared on record. The Carpenters' version came out in March 1973 and went top 5 (I still have the 45 I got for my 5th birthday).

I can't recall the first Street scene where this appeared, but several exist.
At the tail end of the Noggin/Unpaved special that appeared in December 1999, there's a snippet of Bob, Susan, and Luis singing this song with a bunch of kids. Luis plays guitar, and Bob and Susan are pushing kids on the tire swing.

In 1972/73 when Sam the Robot joined the cast, he decided to teach music.
Mr. Hooper helped him out. "If you're going to be a teacher, you need pupils!"
So Mr. Hooper set up about a dozen transistor radios, all tuned to the same station, and on came "Sing" (the Sesame version, although the Carpenters' version was played on every radio station by that time too) and Sam was so happy to have his "class" singing along.

There's probably more out there. but these to spring to mind. It's all groovy, no matter who was lucky enough to sing it at the time.

 

[BEAR]

I was around, and there were a number of bits where Sing popped up.
The version on the Sesame Street 2 album was the first time it appeared on record. The Carpenters' version came out in March 1973 and went top 5 (I still have the 45 I got for my 5th birthday).

I can't recall the first Street scene where this appeared, but several exist.
At the tail end of the Noggin/Unpaved special that appeared in December 1999, there's a snippet of Bob, Susan, and Luis singing this song with a bunch of kids. Luis plays guitar, and Bob and Susan are pushing kids on the tire swing.

In 1972/73 when Sam the Robot joined the cast, he decided to teach music.
Mr. Hooper helped him out. "If you're going to be a teacher, you need pupils!"
So Mr. Hooper set up about a dozen transistor radios, all tuned to the same station, and on came "Sing" (the Sesame version, although the Carpenters' version was played on every radio station by that time too) and Sam was so happy to have his "class" singing along.

There's probably more out there. but these to spring to mind. It's all groovy, no matter who was lucky enough to sing it at the time.

I also remember a scene with Lily Tomlin on the show signing and singing the song.
Anyway, I dunno who sang the song in its debut on Sesame Street, I just know the info that I first gave you.

 

[superfan]

This is all fantastic, guys, thank you very much for the info given thus far!