Up until last year, we had a library down the street from my house. When
I was little, we were frequent visitors to that institution, and I’m
afraid we took slight liberties with our borrowing privileges. By the
time I was in elementary school, I had a large collection of tapes that
had been copied from records and cassettes taken out of the library. The
downside to all this free music was that the tapes didn’t hold up very
well, and I am only in possession of a couple of them today. Happy Birthday from Sesame Street
somehow managed to survive. From what I can gather, it was just
recently re-released; in previous searches I was never able to find it
available for purchase. It remains one of my favorite Muppet-related
albums, and I still pull it out and listen to it now and then.
The album contains almost as much dialogue as music and could have been
a televised special, though I’m not aware that it was. I suppose it may
be more suited to audio, though, because of the direct address format.
One could just say that the residents of Sesame Street are celebrating
the birthday of an unnamed friend who never speaks throughout the whole
production, but it seems what they really intend is for the listener to
be the friend whose birthday is being celebrated. Accordingly, much of
the album is interactive, as it gives the listener a glimpse of what’s
happening with different characters during the party and often invites
participation.
Happy Birthday From Sesame Street gets
things rolling, establishing the occasion and the guests who will be
popping up again later. Each guest presents the birthday child with a
special wish, continuing in the style of The 12 Days of Christmas
and other such listing songs. Calm, leaderly Bob, Maria and David come
up with wishes that are generic but well-meaning while Big Bird, Bert,
Ernie, Oscar and Cookie Monster offer more personalized felicitations.
It’s a joyous opener that settles us firmly on Sesame Street.
I can’t find it on the track list, but Little Bit Older
should go here. It’s a nice little song led by Bob in which several
Sesame Streeters reflect on the differences that come with another
birthday. They can’t be too bad, though, because the singers declare
that “every year we like you even more.”
A Cat Had a Birthday
is a jazzy little number that encourages the listener to join in.
David, who departed from the Street (and this world) years ago, leads
this simple but groovin’ song about how different animals wish each
other a happy birthday. Rather along the lines of Old McDonald Had a Farm.
A Very Unhappy Birthday to You is possibly my favorite song on the album. Like Oscar’s more famous I Love Trash,
this song is a litany of broken, dirty, unsavory things, all of which
make a grouch’s birthday very unhappy indeed – but hey, for a grouch,
that’s happy! So don’t be offended when he croons, “May the presents
that you get make you angry and upset.”
Musical Chairs
is led by Maria and Big Bird. This is perhaps the most interactive of
the games; you can actually play this track as the backdrop to a game of
musical chairs. It’s very repetitive, of course, just the same chorus
again and again reminding you to keep walking around the chairs until
the music stops. I actually played this at my thirteenth birthday party.
I probably lost, too…
When Will My Birthday Come? is a
soft lament by poor unloved little Grover, who was not invited to the
birthday party. This is a crushing blow to such an affable monster, but
he tries to pretend it doesn’t bother him. What results is a reflection
on Grover’s desire to have a birthday all his own when everyone will
gather to tell him that he’s special. “It seems like there are so many
days; there must be a day for me.” It’s a bit reminiscent of Eeyore’s
famous forgotten birthday. Oddly, though, we get the impression that
Grover has never had a birthday in his life, and that clearly can’t be
the case. He must just have a short memory… Anyway, never fear, because
tears cannot last long on Sesame Street, and the song ends on a happy
note for Grover.
Put a Cookie in My Mouth, like Musical Chairs,
is an actual playable party game. This variation on Pin the Tail on the
Donkey is tailored to the gluttonous blue monster as he encourages
players to attach cookies to his mouth on a giant picture of his face. I
recently played a similar game at a baby shower, except in this
instance it was a pacifier. The song goes through several players’ turns
until finally Cookie is satisfied with one player getting the cookie
exactly where it ought to be.
Blow Out the Candles
features Bob again, and I’m afraid I find this one a bit of a snoozer.
Good old steady, dependable Bob… but he’s just a bit boring. Still, it’s
a pretty song encouraging the listener to make that all-important
birthday wish in whatever way seems best; whatever the preferred wishing
method, Bob is eager to impart the blessing “may all you wish for come
true.”
Everyone Likes Ice Cream is my other favorite
track, featuring a group of young Muppets. It turns out that each of
them is very different, but there is one vital thing that they can agree
on. This is a fun tune whose verses reveal a bit about the characters
involved. The song celebrates diversity while finding common ground and
reminds me of a book my grandma had (and, I presume, still does) at her
house in which a bear and a mouse become friends but cannot agree on
anything to do together until they discover their mutual love of ice
cream. “Search the whole world over, travel near and far, but everyone
likes ice cream, no matter who they are.” They won’t find a detractor to
their theory in me!
Birthday Rhyme Game features Big
Bird and Maria again. This game, the only one that is not sung, is also
interactive with a series of unfinished rhymes that the listener has to
try to figure out. Big Bird is almost annoyingly dopey in this one,
forever forgetting that the missing word is supposed to rhyme. I guess
that’s to make the kids feel smart…
Thanks for the Party
brings the album full circle with an upbeat number that once again
gathers everyone and collects their impressions of the party. Each
character makes a comment, with the humans again setting the structure
but the Muppets providing the more interesting remarks. I think Oscar’s
cantankerous commentary amuses me most, and I wouldn’t mind at all if he
were to tell me mine was “the yuckiest birthday party since I can’t
remember when.”
All in all, this is a solid album with lots of
fun tracks. Its intended audience is towards the younger end of the
scale, but older audiences can appreciate it as well. I certainly do.
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