Why do School Choirs Always sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"?

[Convincing John]

Oh yeah real smart. Having kids that are 10 & 11 years old sing the theme from M* A*S*H* . (For those that don't know or haven't looked up the lyrics ,I won't ruin it for you.) All I wonder,CJ,is where did your brother's chorus teacher get his music diploma; a Cracker Jack box?

Well, I have no idea where she got her credentials, but she was also the Music teacher for the whole elementary school.

Keep in mind that this was the same town I used to live in where certain teachers got away with clobbering students. A lot of things were (still are) screwed up there.

I don't know why they sang the theme from M*A*S*H, other than the fact that it was 1981 and it was really popular at the time. Same with the commercials they sang that were popular, like the Armour Hot Dogs jingle. Who knows, they could've even had the kids wear cat masks and sing "Meow meow meow meow, meow meow meow meow" (Meow Mix).

Mostly, those programs were guaranteed some kind of calamity. Something always went wrong! South Park captured many of those programs perfectly in this clip with Butters.

I also got another story that actually got me extra points in a college course assignment. I'll have to see if I can find it. It's a little gross, but nothing any parent (or kid on the playground) hasn't seen before.

Convincing John

 

[Katzi428]

Well, I have no idea where she got her credentials, but she was also the Music teacher for the whole elementary school.

Keep in mind that this was the same town I used to live in where certain teachers got away with clobbering students. A lot of things were (still are) screwed up there.

I don't know why they sang the theme from M*A*S*H, other than the fact that it was 1981 and it was really popular at the time. Same with the commercials they sang that were popular, like the Armour Hot Dogs jingle. Who knows, they could've even had the kids wear cat masks and sing "Meow meow meow meow, meow meow meow meow" (Meow Mix).

Mostly, those programs were guaranteed some kind of calamity. Something always went wrong! South Park captured many of those programs perfectly in this clip with Butters.

I also got another story that actually got me extra points in a college course assignment. I'll have to see if I can find it. It's a little gross, but nothing any parent (or kid on the playground) hasn't seen before.

Convincing John

Are you kidding me? What the French,Toast?

 

[Convincing John]

Are you kidding me? What the French,Toast?

Nope, not kidding. That school/town had a lot of things wrong with it. The only reason it doesn't so much anymore is because the old teachers eventually retired (or died). Same with the politicians/business owners. I'm so glad to be out of there. I have stories about that school/town that would literally make you sick to your stomach. It's one of those little, dying towns in the Midwest where I have seen many empty storefronts. Businesses never last long there unless owned by one of the families that have been there forever.

For two years, there was also a disgusting pile of asbestos-filled rubble on Main Street where some old buildings burned down (they never found the cause of the fire). Yeah, it took them two years to decide "hmmm...maybe we should clean all that up." Ever seen this Sesame Street sketch? Look when the city collapses. I'm not kidding. It looked just like that. Worst of all, there was still a sign on the lampost right in front of the rubble saying "Welcome to (name of town)." It's still on Google Maps. I checked. it's really embarrassing.

As for the school music programs, they were the lighter side of things...until they couldn't have the Christmas ones anymore. People complained about religion mentioned in the schools, "you can only say 'Happy Holidays' or 'Season's Greetings', etc." So...that ended that pretty much.

Most of the programs I remember, though, had these obscure folk songs no one had ever really heard of. The highlight of those songs was the kid who was in charge of playing the xylophone. He was told to gently play the same two or three notes throughout the song, but he instead went all Marvin Suggs on it and broke the mallets.

As for the story I got class credit for, it was for a college course writing assignment. "Write an experience you remember well from your childhood." Something like that. Like I said, I'll have to dig it up.

Convincing John

 

[Katzi428]

Nope, not kidding. That school/town had a lot of things wrong with it. The only reason it doesn't so much anymore is because the old teachers eventually retired (or died). Same with the politicians/business owners. I'm so glad to be out of there. I have stories about that school/town that would literally make you sick to your stomach. It's one of those little, dying towns in the Midwest where I have seen many empty storefronts. Businesses never last long there unless owned by one of the families that have been there forever.

For two years, there was also a disgusting pile of asbestos-filled rubble on Main Street where some old buildings burned down (they never found the cause of the fire). Yeah, it took them two years to decide "hmmm...maybe we should clean all that up." Ever seen this Sesame Street sketch? Look when the city collapses. I'm not kidding. It looked just like that. Worst of all, there was still a sign on the lampost right in front of the rubble saying "Welcome to (name of town)." It's still on Google Maps. I checked. it's really embarrassing.

As for the school music programs, they were the lighter side of things...until they couldn't have the Christmas ones anymore. People complained about religion mentioned in the schools, "you can only say 'Happy Holidays' or 'Season's Greetings', etc." So...that ended that pretty much.

Most of the programs I remember, though, had these obscure folk songs no one had ever really heard of. The highlight of those songs was the kid who was in charge of playing the xylophone. He was told to gently play the same two or three notes throughout the song, but he instead went all Marvin Suggs on it and broke the mallets.

As for the story I got class credit for, it was for a college course writing assignment. "Write an experience you remember well from your childhood." Something like that. Like I said, I'll have to dig it up.

Convincing John

Wow...that's sad.(CJ...had to laugh at your description of the xylophone kid going all Marvin Suggs on the xylophone!)
Didn't mean to muffin this thread.Sorry everyone.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Well it does make a little more sense that this happened in 1981; as you say M.A.S.H. was hugely popular. Its last episode is one of the "Largest TV audience ever" moments.

And the song is not advocating suicide; it's about the helplessness associated with an unjust war you can do nothing to stop.

I mean to play Devil's Advocate here, kids sing grown up songs all the time without fully understanding the meaning. And I don't want to go down the path of blaming songs for bad things happening.

Still, I can identify with Convincing John on towns/schools that have a lot of things wrong with them!

 

[Drtooth]

Kind of reminds me of that controversy that started up last year of that little group of second grade girls, all dressed up in revealing costumes, and dancing provocatively to Beyonce's "Single Ladies", but the parents of the girls, the dance instructors, and the girls themselves swore they were NOT inspired by Beyonce's actual video from the song for their number, but rather, The Chipettes' rendition of it.

I'm gonna just say this, since this thread has nothing else I want to add or discuss.

Why the frog do the same prudish people who whine about how sexual and evil a song is laugh like crazy when they use it out of context in a poor excuse for humor in a family film? I could get into the whole double standard of people complaining about how young girls are too over sexualized (no one stopped Bratz! NO ONE! No one complained about the Cheetah Girls either!) but that's another can of worms. Only thing worth the 6 bucks blown to see Yogi Bear was hearing people complain about the film ratings system, actually believing PG actually means anything anymore... (Rango YES... they at least cursed mildly and had handguns and death... I wouldn't take youngin's to see that one... amazing, though), and all this stuff about family entertainment, then laughing their heads off when Yogi danced to I like Big Butts (Yay! That's still funny! And Clinton is STILL president!)... considering years ago, those exact same people would write letters to radio stations to pull that one.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Why the frog do the same prudish people who whine about how sexual and evil a song is laugh like crazy when they use it out of context in a poor excuse for humor in a family film?

At the risk of being blunt, their own senses of humor should be called into question.

 

[Drtooth]

At the risk of being blunt, their own senses of humor should be called into question.

HAH!

It really seems that stuff like that becomes "Safe" with the passage of enough time... and of course, taken completely out of context.

Seriously, speaking off topic here, when you're aiming to make a film like Garfield and Alvin and the Chipmunks (that one was a pleasant surprise, but still a solid C) .... I can't even finish that. Why would ANYONE aim to make a movie like Garfield? Jeez! At least cast a GOOD stern actor for the stern parental/authority figure. Whole movie stunk because of a bad Ranger Smith. And he was the primary focus. They should have called the movie, "Lame Ranger who Fails at Love, featuring Yogi and Boo-Boo."

But enough of that. It's so annoying when music that was so hideous and shocking is welcomed when it's used for a bad attempt at humor in a kid's film. And really... if the Chipettes did it, and they copied the Chipettes, blame whoever put that in the movie.

 

[Gelfling Girl]

Hmm....Never really thought about that. Of course, I've never really been in a choir. I guess because it's a classic, and just about everyone knows it somehow.

Heh. I was in school when The Muppet Movie first came out. There was an event in which a bunch of Atlanta schools send groups to sing songs, and ours was far from the only one to sing The Rainbow Connection. I guess it really made an impression on us.

How cool! I would totally want to be in a choir singing that!

I've always wished I could be part of a choir that sang this.

Same here about this. (I'm sure it's a lot easier with a group than being one person trying to sing all of it. )