It took me way longer than I'd like to admit to decipher what is even going on in this. But it didn't stop me from feeling the insane groove! Sometimes even the weird stuff can still feel just as groovy as 4/4! Side note: check out the new ebook! Literally comes with 40 backing tracks that you can download- jazzpianoimprov.com/
Hey Charles! I think it would be great if you looked over the scores for Charlie Brown the Great Pumpkin, and Indiana Jones and the last crusade. Both films follow musicians you’ve already reviewed, but show off their talents in such different areas. THANKS 🤙
It never ceases to astonish me the lengths the Children's Television Workshop went to, everything from mind-blowing music, having celebrities of all types on the shows, side-splitting humorous skits, etc. with the purpose of teaching something as basic as ABC or 123. So glad to have experienced all of it.
My music-major mom told 3 year old me "Some day, I'll explain to you why this piece is amazing." She didn't get around to it, but I studied music and worked it out myself. Great tune.
@@inkadinkadoodle it thrills me to no end how excited he gets over music; it's something I can well relate to. Plus, we need more happiness like this in our daily lives!
The music for kids shows on PBS at this time was often crazy. The music on the jazz piano for Mister Rogers was never played the same way twice even though on the surface we recognized it as the theme for the show. It was quite sophisticated music when you take into account its intended audience was kid's ears.
Yeah I have this song burned into my brain from hearing it so often in the 80s. I knew it was complicated, but I didn't appreciate just how complicated it was until this breakdown of it. And I had no idea the solo was different for every number! I love this song. Thanks for the reminder!
Anytime someone mentions a 12 count this song runs through my head. It's amazing how complicated the groove of this is, and so great for them to not dumb down kids programing.
Right? In the mid 80s there was also a piece called "Do De Rubber Duck" which happened because one of the musicians discovered there is a genre called "Rubber Duck Reggae" ....it doesn't go hard, but is also delicious
@@melissasaint3283i think we had that on VHS in the 90’s/early ‘00’s for my kids. I had no idea it referred to anything other than the actual rubber duck
Really?!🤯, I thought he was kidding or Idk but I was today years old when I heard that. Doesn't even sound like them but then I can certainly make out Ruth real good. Wait now I gotta really listen to it again. I was a kid but I was a major pointer sisters fan. I follow their music since the He So Shy album and I never really stopped, but I mostly follow their older hits. I love the memories these older songs bring to me.
They used to play two versions of this: a long one and a short one. I remember always hoping it was the long one that day. This is the long one in Charles' video. They would sometimes stop it after the first time they say, "12!". I always got excited if I heard the steelpan solo start.
I seem to recall they didn't do the long one very often, and I also got super excited when the long version was on! Maybe that was because I was in Canada, and they had to cut things down to put the "French" segments in. Just like how there were some Spanish segments in US Sesame Street, we also had some French segments in the Canadian version (in addition to the Spanish ones). Does anyone else remember one time they had a "Night time" version of the show that had different closing credits that was I think night time helicopter or airplane shots of a big city?
@@gorak9000 I think I vaguely recall that version of the closing credits, but I could be conflating memories. Would we be talking mid-to-late eighties?
As a kid growing up in New Zealand, born in 78, this was one of my favorite Sesame Street bits. Counting to 12 was easy breezy when you were singing this wild tune 😄
Northern Californian born mid-78 who remembers this with love. I don't have kids of my own, but sang it to my nieces & nephews then to their kids. While in Texas this past fall, visiting one of said nieces, introduced it to her two youngest (ages 3 & 4) via YT. They loved it!
As a child of the 70s, this song is imprinted onto my soul. I would say it’s responsible for both my ability to count to 12, and my adult appreciation for obscure jazz.
@@LessaCaira OMG Conjuction Junction What's Your Function was my Jam when I was a kid! 🎵It's gonna get you there if your mighty careful-- 🎵( I could be wrong but that was what I heard as part of the Lyrics. 😁)
It also made me appreciate the Pointer Sisters’ albums from before their ‘80s pop explosion when their sister Bonnie was still with them and were more of a ‘’70s jazzy 4-voice girl group. The songs “Salt Peanuts”, “That’s a-Plenty” and “Cheney Do” have been on my iPod forever. The stuck-in-your-head-forever funkiness was carried over from this to the “Funky Chimes” theme that Children’s Television Workshop used in the post Sesame Street credits. The Sesame Street version is credited to Joe Raposo and Jim Henson, but you can hear the foundation of the theme in the actual earlier jazz piece called Funky Chimes by Francis Coppieters. The music from this kids show was interesting and complex. They completely lost the plot about the time Elmo showed up and just sang body part names to the Jingle Bells theme. Way to underestimate kids on a grotesque level.
@@MKDumas1981 I have a theory and am writing an academic paper. If anyone has anything they want to write in a 400 word article for a Media Studies blog and maybe produce an expanded version for a pop-culture conference with editing help, I’m taking volunteers for a panel and blog section
@@MKDumas1981 Acid Jazz is popular to period, but it’s not as popular while Buffy Ste. Marie is breast feeding. In fact, when women are leading the way, it’s often melodic and old medicine show attractive to Broadway showstopper in composition, but when it’s “Dad,” and mom is missing, it’s often an extra jazzy tune. What I’m looking at right now is where Cotton Candy is giving a girl cavities on acid jazz and an alligator king loses his teeth on New Orleans style jazz.
@@MKDumas1981 This is definitely folk music to Chromatic scale by nature of simple stringed instrument, but the vocals are in a major pentatonic gospel to country western composition as opposed to in a minor pentatonic or minor diatonic scale form, so the theory holds true even in male to female and jazz to major pentatuch. ruclips.net/video/LXkM11kp_tg/видео.htmlfeature=shared
This is - without a doubt - one of the greatest animated segments ever shown on Sesame Street. I'm amazed that the animators made eleven different versions of it, with unique pinball "characters" and different instrumental solo sections! It's one of my favorite bits from the show and I saw it many times over the years. At least two generations of kids learned how to count AND how to groove from this song. Big Bird, Elmo, and Cookie Monster were great as always....but THIS song was a TRUE BANGER!! Love your enthusiasm, Charles! Keep it up.
I was born in 81 and this was my absolute favorite bit on Sesame Street. I loved the funky feel and the irregular cadence. I used it to teach my kids to count to 10 (and 12!) and still sing it now. LOL it's so ingrained in our brains!
80. And every older and younger sibling and cousins watched this. Then nieces and nephews also watched it and I thought "they're getting their money's worth!"
Somebody started laying down the initial baseline during a jam night at my local jazz bar a long while ago and it was extremely fun to see how excited all the musicians got when they recognized it, and everybody jumping in to play with it.
Legend has it Marvin Gaye came up with the melody, wrote it down on a cocktail napkin, and slid it across the bar to Jim Henson with a dollar amount written on the other side, and the rest is history.
this has always been such a memorable song from sesame Street for me. I think it's really cool that a children's program didnt shy away from this kinda complex stuff
Yeah this + School house rock I feel like are examples of what happens when you get top quality musicians making educational music for kids. Just incredible
I DEFINITELY remember this from Seasame Street. Basically the only things I remember are this counting to 12 song, the "near and far" sketch, and the alien monsters "yup yup yup yup yup uhuhh uhuhh". My mom always says something like "they really drill counting into you on sesame street - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10" and I"m always like "no, it goes to 12 - 1 2 3 -4-5- 6 7 8 -9-10- 11 12" and sing it in time to the song. This song is legendary! Also the music on Mr. Rogers was really great jazz too, and basically from what I've heard pretty much improved in real time as they shot the show - definitely the music of my young childhood!
For those of us who grew up in the 70's....THIS was the one song that we all were hoping would come on. I think it's also why so many Gen X kids are into funk music. It is burned into our minds, and we absolutely loved it. Classic Sesame Street had some of the best composers and lyricists working on the show.
@@positivecynik Hey, that song is fun, too. i'm of the age where I got to enjoy that stuff AND Sesame Street music since they would reuse the classics for YEARS.
I think this song is particularly well designed as a representation of pinball! Bouncing all over the place with sharp changes. I loved it as a kid and I still do. Heck, it's on my playlist!
I was born in '88, and _still_ have this song deeply, *deeply* ingrained in my memory. If you walk up to me out of the blue and go "one-two-three-FOUR, five" I will hit you back with a "six-seven-eight-NINE, ten... eleven-twelve" This animation and song were always one of my absolute favorite sections on Sesame Street, and I am sad to hear that kids aren't still learning to count with it, because it was beautiful to watch and it _bangs_ too.
Know what? I grew up to be a musician playing music exactly like this song. I grew up with it every freaking morning. Such a killer groove and I knew that at 5
I was 5 when this aired the first time. The music was hypnotic. It didn't sound like anything else we were being exposed to as children. Even now this earworm surfaces and I find myself grooving to it a little. I lived for when this was on Sesame Street. It made me happy. My sister loved it, too. We'd sing along with it.
It's an amazing song. I'd have been 3 when it first aired, and it's still incredible stuff! As far as teaching counting goes, I'll admit that this served more as a "12 awareness" song than a tool to teach you what 12 was, but they played it in the perfect environment for picking up on that distinction. The music and animation were amazing, and in retrospect it's still amazing. We were spoiled with great music in our educational materials, and if there are any funky kids out there who didn't grow up with this song, I'd have to ask where they got their funky from!
I was also 7 and it was life changing. I flipped out every time it came on. You never knew when it would hit, but there's those couple of the seconds with the snare roll crescendo as the pinball machine lever was pulled back.... that's still in the brain stem over 40 years later!
I agree with this 100%. There were some other really cool "brand new" music concepts for children on Sesame Street as well. I always liked that one where the guy with the 2 extra arms shows you 20 to zither music & Geometry of Circles by Philip Glass. I wish kids' shows now were as cool as 70s-80s Sesame Street was. I also want to know where kids got their funk if they have never seen this awesome "old" stuff. I know someone that has a well-rounded musical palette & has funk by the truckload. His Gen X parents raised him like they were raised back in the day & exposed him to all kinds of older media, especially music. He's going to college next year for music theory & his teaching license & I think it's fantastic b/c I know he'll teach new generations about this kind of funkitude.
My brother had a brain aneurysm several years back. Each caring professional would enter the room, introduce themselves, and then ask a battery of questions to test the state of his cognitive skills. After the removal of a stint, a doctor challenged him to count to five, and my comical brother, without missing a beat, started singing this tune! At that moment I knew he was going to be just fine! #SesameStreet #GenX #Classic1970s
@@ferretyluv Sacks is right, singing for whatever reason uses a different part of the brain that is less likely to be damaged by strokes or other issues
I not only clearly remember this from being little in the very late 70's, but it's a tune that comes back to me literally all the time as a brainworm. A band grooving so hard in such a wierd time signature, with such wierd harmonies, in a kid's show, is amazing.
As a 50-mumble-year-old I still love this song and the animations that go with it. Heck, if Tootsie-pops can still use the Mr. Owl ad from the '70s, I see no reason why Sesame Street can't still use this fantastic piece.
I wish they'd bring back lots of stuff. They've given into the short attention span thing. I remember when a full hour (okay, maybe a bit less than an hour) was one story line with multiple breaks. Now it all seems to be a short story line for things - so many segments. It's not that I don't like them, but they should keep them for episodes like they used to do.
In 1977 I was 2, and this was part of the soundtrack of my childhood. I still catch myself singing this when I’m counting; it’s ingrained in my musical memory. I feel like the jazz I heard in things like Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers really shaped my taste in music today. I tend to gravitate towards the more complex music naturally, and I think music like this, that I heard growing up, has a lot to do with it.
Same. Though I'm a year younger than you, this is part of my soundtrack, how I learned to count, and how I taught my daughter to count. The Jazz, Funk, and Blues influences in Sesame Street from the 70s and early 80s definitely played a part in shaping my musical tastes
As someone who grew up in 80s, I remember loving this song and so many other but never thinking it was complex or unusual, but I definitely think it opened my ears up to extended harmonies, without me knowing it at the time.
I grew upinthe 80s too and lots of kid's programmes had really awesome music, not just the theme tunes but throughout the shows, remember 'run with us' from the raccoons? Thomas the tank engine, inspector gadget, the turtles, dangermouse, fraggle rock, round the twist... I could go on for hours.
Bringing in snippets from the music courses you do is genius. Makes it more than a reaction vid, much more professional. Way to next level your content.
Kids of the ‘70s (including me) remember this so well after 40+ yrs- so it REALLY hit home! Didn’t realise it had so many layers, but what talent the writers had!
I was born in 1972, so this debuting in 1975 means I possibly saw the first time it aired. ...and it has been an earworm for the past FORTY-SIX YEARS. Seriously. any time I count to 12, I do it to this music in my head. Absolute classic.
It was no longer an earworm for me until this video. I still have trouble with the Roger Ramjet theme randomly popping into my earworm slot. The joys. Apparently some people don't get earworms. I do wish I could turn mine off. Lately my brain will even randomly count, as if counting without any music at all still counts as music.
@@deantmoodyvoice I agree but I was willing to say 1977 if I remembered wrong, but usually I don't. I remember watching this when I was 2 or 3. Before preschool. In 1977 I was in preschool. So I would say my earliest recollection is 1975.
This song has an almost hypnotic effect on people above a certain age. It's like "shave and a haircut" in the sense that if you hum the first part to someone (in this case, numbers 1-10) they'll feel almost compelled to complete the last two bits.
I was born in 2006, but I still remember seeing this song on Sesame Street reruns as a kid. It’s taught 3 generations both to count to 12 and to appreciate complex music!
As someone with NO formal music training and who plays precisely ZERO musical instruments, your energy and enthusiasm in breaking down this iconic soundtrack of my childhood makes me appreciate it for the masterpiece not enough people are talking about it being. Thanks for sharing your extraordinary talent and love of music with us, Charles! ❤
In 1976 I was six years old and I watched Sesame Street every day. I absolutely LOVED the One-Two-Three-FOUR-FIVE song, way before I ever knew music theory or even who the Pointer Sisters were! Thanks for digging up an incredible childhood memory.
@@johnricharddowling3276I grew up with this too - when my partner posted the link and I saw the thumbnail, it took me about 30 seconds to work out what song it was - which I thought was surprisingly slow. ;) It really was formative for many of us.
I absolutely CANNOT BEGIN to thank you enough for laying out this song! I'm a bassist and I've been trying to figure out this tune, every so often, for over a decade. I never got past the first measure, haha! One time, I jokingly (but kinda seriously 🙃) told my fiancé, "If I can't figure out this bass line, there will never be another rainbow" lol! I was born in '79 and, believe me, this segment was regularly played while watching Sesame Street throughout my childhood and was beyond being my favorite part of the show. Now, after having played bass guitar for a couple decades, this song not only conjures childhood wonder for me but it is seriously the SICKEST funk that I've ever heard, hands down!
I'm a musical theater performer, and this has been one of my go-to mic-check exercises for years. It often gets a chuckle from sound ops of a certain generation. 😉
This song is a core memory. And if it hadn't been in my life since before I developed conscious awareness, I might be able to appreciate how complex it is. Instead it just feels like the most natural groove in the world!
It's so, so good. As an Australian kid in the 80s I saw this all the time. Not gonna lie, back then I was more enchanted by the visuals, I really loved the whole pinball imagery, the ramps and tunnels and everything. But I definitely remember the music too, and watching this I'm blown away by just how sophisticated and awesome it was.
Man when I saw these animations it immediately triggered some strong recognition in me, but at the same time I can't remember seeing this or hearing this song at all. But I would have been very young. I don't know, the visuals seem so familiar yet at the same time it feels like the memory was buried very deep.
That seems to be a hallmark of CTW (and Henson's) philosophy: interest on multiple age levels. A catchy melody burrows into the toddler's ears, and the rich funk harmonies keep the parents entertained.
We introduce this song to our kids a few years back and I am pleased to report that the song will live in their memories as it did in ours. Thank you so much for breaking it down to give us the reason why this song is remains awesome to this day.
Lots of comments about how memorable this song was. And it’s true. I was eight years old in 1977, and this absolutely was a favorite. Even if you were a little older, if a younger sibling were watching the show and this came on, you would pause and listen. This is a great study on how to create a captivating groove. Thanks for the breakdown!
I also was 8 in ‘77, and this was definitely my favorite Sesame Street song, I absolutely loved it then, and totally remember it now, hearing it again for the first time in over 40 years.
I was the older sibling. My sister was born in 72, and I was born in 62. I LOVE this song! I think I was singing in Jazz choir about the time it was released on Sesame Street. Totally worth stopping to listen (and watch)!
Child of the eighties here and I distinctly remember this being a special song. You're spot on with your discussion at the end. The producers of Sesame Street clearly understood the importance of exposing kids to complex music can help to develop the mind. This tune is one of those melodies burnt in to my head like no other.
I wonder how much of a role this song had on my becoming a music snob. LOL! jk, I'm into all kinds of "simpler" music too, but yeah 'crunchy' music with 'teeth' is a staple
Dude, this chorus has been stuck in my head for the past 40 YEARS and it still makes me wanna sing it after not having actually heard it in forever. The fact that this video "randomly" showed up in my suggestion feed literally DAYS after it popped in my head again tells me that not only can AI tell what song you listened to recently, but can tell what song stuck in your head has recently come back to the forefront of your mind. Hmmm......
This has been stuck in my head too for 40 some years. I've randomly recited it amongst some of my younger coworkers who have never heard it and look at me like I'm crazy.
I'm in awe! This song popped in my head today and finding this video was WAY more than I expected to find. Such a beautiful deconstruction of this memorable childhood tune! Man! This made my day! 👏 👏 👏
I'm 24, my parents grew up in the 80's and I grew up hearing them sing this. I never realized where it came from until today. Thank you for bringing this back into my life and answering a burning question I have had for 2 decades
I'm laughing so hard, because this song is permanently ingrained in the brains of ALL of my peers. We were the target audience in 1977. It was an instant hit with us! 😂
Every time I watched Sesame Street I hoped they would run it. I didn’t know why I thought it was coolest thing ever until I got older. I’m so glad nobody involved thought it would be a good idea to dumb it down.
I am from 1972. So I was also the target audience, and this song fascinated me. I understood nothing ... but was fascinated by this groove. I have never forgotten it, and am watching this video just to listen to it again!
@@Boethius4748 Agree 100%. Kids are intellegent (they are just not yet "educated"). They should be treated that away, no reason to dumb anything down. In some ways, kids are more intellegent that adults, because they have the time to pay attention and absorb themselves. Challenge them and they will step up to it.
I remixed it a while back (the shorter version). Its not perfect, but I tried to improve it, and now its in stereo as well other upgrades!!! Enjoy: ruclips.net/video/EO0xkYLYj8s/видео.html
As a child I was very comfortable with everything this song was doing and without realising the complexity involved, it just felt very easy and kinda safe, the groove was normalized because of the sheer amount of repetition. This was run so often. It really was a core memory from a very early age.
The composer Benjamin Britten wrote a lot of music specifically for performance by children. A lot of it is surprisingly complex, but can be learnt quite easily by children because it uses repetition of small cells.
YES!!! Definitely wasn’t expecting literally ANYBODY to bring up “The Pinball Song” from Sesame Street. Absolutely one of the last things I’d expect Charles to review. Thanks, Charles.
I’m 50 yrs old, so I watched this as a kid. As a kid, i remember feeling a little scared when watching it. I think some of the psychedelic animation may be the cause. But, I remember singing along with it. I’ve never forgot this little ditty. There are a few other Sesame Street bits that stand out, but none as vivid as this. Thanks for your joyful uncovering of the music behind the magic. (I was so pleased to find out it was The Pointer Sisters sang this)
Fellow 50-year-old here. Adults severely underestimated how confusing psychedelic imagery was to kids too young to understand it. I remember being bewildered by a lot of 70’s/early 80’s art and media. But this song is burned into my brain, and I can, indeed, count to 12.
I'm 52 and was super happy to see this video pop up...I have to admit I'd forgotten this clip but it came back right away when I saw it. I also remember finding it strange and mesmerizing...not scary, but weird somehow. I've got young kids now and I love to challenge them with more complex music sometimes. Kids are learning machines, let's no go so easy on them, I say : ) I'm going to show my kids this animation for sure.
So odd, I'm the same age, and I had that same uneasy feeling when I watched it as a 5 or 6 year-old - I still liked it, but it was just something slightly unsettling about it that seemed to lurk in the background. Like something that would come from dreams; and conversely, I think I also had dreams about this.
The separation in the vocals to stop on the naturally dividing number 5 and 10 and then count another 2, which, with the visuals, relates 12 to 2 by showing, that after 10, 12 is 2 more than. This is a masterpiece in logical teaching that a child can absorb as well. All all around, an amazing pieces with amazing music and eye catching visuals that teaches in a great way.
And the way those vocals fit into the measures is weird. I had to look at some sheet music to confirm it. The first "1234-5-" fits into that first measure of seven (if you count it as seven), but then because the word "seven" has two syllables, the rest after the "10" actually comes a beat later, into the third measure of seven. Which makes it seem like the rest after "eleven 12" to finish out 21 beats is shorter than it should be.
Yes, I have the feeling it started with that concept, let's run one to ten then add 11 and 12, maybe a non musician like a producer suggested the line, speaking it or singing it, and then the composer decided, hang it, I'm gonna capture exactly what they said and run with it. And the rest is the reaction of a funky, accomplished composer to being handed a wonky line that takes 10 beats to sing.
It’s awesome and your enthusiastic review did it justice. I’ve had 12 as a Ringtone for 10 years+. Not musically minded at all and a lot of the explanation of bars and minor major went completely over my head but was in awe the whole time 👍
I was born in '69 and this bit from Sesame Street is a core memory from my childhood. I still find myself humming this tune from time to time even now (50 years later).. but after hearing you break it down, I realize my memory of it was way dumbed down. I am blown away at the complexity it actually has. I love that you are delving into these old musical gems and helping people like me appreciate them even more!
You and me, RIGHT on the same age. We LITERALLY grew up the same as Sesame Street, born the same year. We got SO MUCH quality music and imagination growing up with that show! Oh, and.... I STILL miss Mr. Hooper.
@@ShujinTribbleI have to say that the way Sesame Street approached the passing of Mr Hooper was very mature. Acknowledge death is unfortunately a part of life, and didn't recast with another actor.
I played this song with a band I was in. This was before it was released officially and we learned it from listening to a bootleg video. Trying to keep that time signature going on my drums while also singing the vocal at the same time was a challenge. Such a jam though, and always a crowd favorite.
I love how this song is nostalgic not only for me but also for the three generations before me who also grew up with Sesame Street. It's amazing how timeless it is
The Pointer Sisters are phenomenal. Their voices were all distinctly different yet blended together perfectly. Ruth is the only surviving member, and she has the most gorgeous contralto voice (listen to Automatic where she sings lead). The way they seamlessly switch between singing in unison and in harmony in this song is so good!
I still find myself singing this song randomly. I forgot it was sesame Street but I remember the animation and music. That 1,2,3,4,5... 6,7,8,9,10...11...12... just is catchy AF. ❤
Oh, she's a real cutie, She's my number 9 beauty, She's got 9 hairs on her head, 1 2 3,4 5,6 7 8 9, Done up in ribbons of red. She's got 9 little eyes, All the same size, Looking up, down, around, and straight ahead. She's got 9 little holes. In her turned up nose, And she snores when she goes to bed. She's got 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Little toes on her foot. She doesn't go shopping, Cause she doesn't like hopping, So usually she just stays put. NINE!
I was 6 when this came out. As a kid I enjoyed the animation mostly! And the catchy tune but only years later could I appreciate how audacious it was to invest that much time and energy into something “for kids”. It’s a work of art.
It's fun to see how different people remember different things. Everyone here is talking about how much this song stuck with them, but I remember the animation more than anything. I remember being in awe of it when I was a kid.
This segment was so ingrained into my childhood psyche that to this DAY, if I'm counting something out loud to twelve for some reason, I almost definitely use this melody, just because it's so fun.
I was born in 1978. I must have only heard this song a handful of times as a child. Yet it stuck with me as one of my favorite Sesame Street songs well into adulthood. I never struggled to feel the pulse with this one. It's so damn groovy. But what really captivated me were the visuals. I didn't know what pinball was. To me, this was another world.
This video brought me to tears. Born in 1975, this melody has been in my life for 50 YEARS!! I go thought life, today, still singing this and approximating the solos in some sort of scat like vocals. Love the content!
In the '70s, I saw this video as a kid and I never forgot that melody. Then when I had kids in the '90s, I saw it with them again and I knew it immediately. Shout out to those great public education shows with great music back in the day on PBS! I'm a musician and all these years it never dawned on me to try to analyze what is going on. Great music can defy time signatures and keys because it just works! Thanks for the memories and education.
My wife and I grew up with this amazing piece. Had no idea that the Pointer Sisters performed it! To this day, we'll sing it to each other at least once a week just randomly because it's such a nostalgic thing for us.
That was the Pointer Sisters? Mind blown. It's really amazing learning how much stuff they've shown up on. As a musician born in 76, inused to hum this all the time and still remember it. Seeing this breakdown has blown my mind in all sorts of ways. That's it. I'm subbing.
This replaced the earlier "Spies" counting segments from the early years of the show. Those ones were sung by Joan Jett, who personally rearranged the music, because it was too awkward to sing intelligibly.
You learn something new everyday. This song just popped into my mind for no reason and I decided to look it up and found out the Pointer Sisters did the vocals.
I’m 53 and this song is so special to me tears are in my eyes, wow. I’m so appreciative young man that you are covering this, we applaud you. Keep it up young brother, you are blessed.
You can almost guarantee, that you can go up to ANYONE that grew up in the mid 70's mid 80's and "count" to five in the same tempo, that person won't hesitate and finish the song/count! Everything about that song just hit soo perfect (not to mention the animation)!!!
Yeah, it's our version of the "two bits" song from Who Framed Roger Rabbit? You want to find a GenXer hiding in a speakeasy, just sing "one two three FOUR five" and we won't be able to help ourselves.
In a similar fashion I always loved the way Johnny Costa didn't dumb down his music for a children's audience. What a great way to help young minds develop!
Oh yeah. My dad used to watch Mister Rogers more than I did just to hear Costa. They hung out in similar musical circles in Pittsburgh; I always wondered if they ever met.
My Sesame Street days were right in the sweet spot (mid late 70s). Honestly, this piece was what made me want to play jazz before I could even really articulate what jazz was. I can’t explain how excited I was to see it was getting the Charles Cornell treatment. It’s so pleasurable to see someone just geek out on how fantastic this was and still is.
I’m 46 and vividly remember this growing up. It’s such a part of my musical dna I really didn’t even notice how insanely complex it was.. such a great video!
This song absolutely has its very own set of dedicated neurons in my brain, where it has resided for over 40 years. Instantly recognizable, instantly recallable, and could probably server as some student's Master's thesis on the use of music in education
This is actually the academic article for my not for profit on a crowded field of phd candidates not as good as me, and exceeding my humanities department chair at symphonic critique from the English department to technical and humanities concerns but still learning from time to time from symphony conductors and technical people in orchestral and ensemble music
This song was one of my absolute favorites as a kid. The groove is SOOOOO deep, neither me or my friends had any problem. Remember, too, that in the 70s the pop charts were full of heavy funk, jazz fusion and other rich, complex music. We all were steeped in stuff like this and it resonated!
I heard this innumerable times when my kids grew up, but never thought to actually go figure it out. It came out of the 70s, and the 70s were just like that, music was experimental, progressive, and way cool. Thanks for this video. Now I'm gonna go listen to 12!
For me the cherry 🍒 on top for this song is not only the nostalgia but also realizing later in life who was a part of this song. Greats like The Pointer Sisters and for any jazz buff the great Andy Narrell.
I used to LOVE this part back in the early 80s. When I was in preschool I had some of the solos memorized. I remember singing this song with kids in preschool while we were drawing. We'd start at 1 and go up to 12 with all the weird moments during the solo where they say the number in funny voices. It's so cool to see a breakdown of this song that lives in my soul.
I've never been so tickled by one of your videos. This song has been delighting and haunting me since I was a kid. I taught my own kids how to count with it and use it to challenge my fellow musicians to decipher the meter and play along with it. Thank you for recognizing how "sick" it is. It's so groovy, so mesmerizing, and so educational (mathematically & musically). It's such a masterpiece. Outstanding job!
This has always stuck in my head. I believe the reason they created it was because prior to this Sesame only taught kids to count to ten but in order to tell time they had to count to twelve. I never thought how complex this song was because it just grooves so hard! Pointer Sisters!!! Andy Narrell!!!! They spent some money recording this chart!
The clock motif and the numbers being placed along a clock-circle for the song as a method to teach analog time telling goes very underappreciated about this piece. This won't teach the "big hand" but it goes a very long way towards teaching a kid how to read a clock by knowing which number goes where along the North, East, South, and West angles of a clock face.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
It took me way longer than I'd like to admit to decipher what is even going on in this. But it didn't stop me from feeling the insane groove! Sometimes even the weird stuff can still feel just as groovy as 4/4! Side note: check out the new ebook! Literally comes with 40 backing tracks that you can download- jazzpianoimprov.com/
This is so fun! Thanks so much for making my day.
Hey Charles! I think it would be great if you looked over the scores for Charlie Brown the Great Pumpkin, and Indiana Jones and the last crusade.
Both films follow musicians you’ve already reviewed, but show off their talents in such different areas.
THANKS 🤙
I love the little explanations in front of the green screen. Helps a lot.
I was about 9 when this came out. "Insane" it was not, nor ever. I've hummed this song for a lifetime. Thanks for pointing out the Pointer Sisters.
More like 1973. This was definitely several years before 1977.
It never ceases to astonish me the lengths the Children's Television Workshop went to, everything from mind-blowing music, having celebrities of all types on the shows, side-splitting humorous skits, etc. with the purpose of teaching something as basic as ABC or 123. So glad to have experienced all of it.
I highly recommend watching Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street, if you haven't seen it already.
Out of all the songs from Sesame Street I've listened to, I specifically remember how much of a bop this one was
This is about the only one that stuck with me.
Oh yeah, I did not need this video to remind me of this song. I still think of it randomly. 😂
it's goood stuff. For me though it's all about Capital I / Lowercase n though.
Ladybugs' Picnic was also nice.
I’ve had this song stuck in my head every couple weeks for the last 30 years
It's true! I literally cannot remember a different one, but this... I remember.
Finally, someone who appreciates this iconic earworm as much as I do. It has been living rent-free in my head for more than 30 years.
Finally?! We appreciated this when we were kids. It’s the newer kids that are finally catching up
The snippet from 12 is still stuck there.
Yes. Me too, a few more years.
Only 30 years?!? Getting on towards 50 years in my head now! 😂
Not even American.
_Burned Into My Brain_
My music-major mom told 3 year old me "Some day, I'll explain to you why this piece is amazing." She didn't get around to it, but I studied music and worked it out myself. Great tune.
Noice!
And I'm sure you did it far more calmly than this guy! Jeez! :D
yeah - this song and "verb: that's what's what's happening" are my top two favorite 70s Childhood Education Jazz-Funk jams of all time.
@@inkadinkadoodle it thrills me to no end how excited he gets over music; it's something I can well relate to. Plus, we need more happiness like this in our daily lives!
This has been my vocal sound check melody for several years. The look on the faces of random people in the bar who recognize it is always worth it.
well now i gotta check your channel lol
Where is this bar you perform in?
Well, I’m definitely doing that next time! 😂
@@clancydowrca various live music spots in central Kentucky 😊
The frontman in one of my bands does this too. He’s relatively young too.
The music for kids shows on PBS at this time was often crazy. The music on the jazz piano for Mister Rogers was never played the same way twice even though on the surface we recognized it as the theme for the show. It was quite sophisticated music when you take into account its intended audience was kid's ears.
Yeah I have this song burned into my brain from hearing it so often in the 80s. I knew it was complicated, but I didn't appreciate just how complicated it was until this breakdown of it. And I had no idea the solo was different for every number!
I love this song. Thanks for the reminder!
Well this is an unexpected crossover
Anytime someone mentions a 12 count this song runs through my head. It's amazing how complicated the groove of this is, and so great for them to not dumb down kids programing.
Oh, look, it's the Netherlands stan guy! I watch your videos a lot.
oh hey not just bikes, love your videos! :D
@@UpliftedCapybara Not Just 4/4
I remember it from the 70s. 58 years old and I still love revisiting 12.
The Pointer Sisters didn't have to go so hard with that opening part, but they did. My childhood was witness to greatness.
Agreed
They could just as easily have hired studio singers. The kids listening to it wouldn't even know who the Pointer Sisters were.
Seriously.
Right?
In the mid 80s there was also a piece called "Do De Rubber Duck" which happened because one of the musicians discovered there is a genre called "Rubber Duck Reggae" ....it doesn't go hard, but is also delicious
@@melissasaint3283i think we had that on VHS in the 90’s/early ‘00’s for my kids. I had no idea it referred to anything other than the actual rubber duck
The fabulous Pointer Sisters
😮🤯
Oakland ❤
Really?!🤯, I thought he was kidding or Idk but I was today years old when I heard that. Doesn't even sound like them but then I can certainly make out Ruth real good. Wait now I gotta really listen to it again. I was a kid but I was a major pointer sisters fan. I follow their music since the He So Shy album and I never really stopped, but I mostly follow their older hits. I love the memories these older songs bring to me.
That was the bit that surprised me. I grew up on this song and never knew. Just makes it all the more awesome.
I didn't know that was them, either!
They used to play two versions of this: a long one and a short one. I remember always hoping it was the long one that day. This is the long one in Charles' video. They would sometimes stop it after the first time they say, "12!". I always got excited if I heard the steelpan solo start.
Yes! I didn't remember until reading your comment, but I always used to hope it was the long version too whenever I saw the pinball!
I seem to recall they didn't do the long one very often, and I also got super excited when the long version was on! Maybe that was because I was in Canada, and they had to cut things down to put the "French" segments in. Just like how there were some Spanish segments in US Sesame Street, we also had some French segments in the Canadian version (in addition to the Spanish ones). Does anyone else remember one time they had a "Night time" version of the show that had different closing credits that was I think night time helicopter or airplane shots of a big city?
I never even knew there was a longer version.
I always thought of the longer versions as a jackpot.
@@gorak9000 I think I vaguely recall that version of the closing credits, but I could be conflating memories. Would we be talking mid-to-late eighties?
As a kid growing up in New Zealand, born in 78, this was one of my favorite Sesame Street bits. Counting to 12 was easy breezy when you were singing this wild tune 😄
Born and bred in Christchurch in 77. Totally agree with you on this. Even now if I have to count in my head I hear it in this style.
I love this was a universal experience for kids from 77-78 - I'm Canadian (Toronto) and still sing this too
Northern Californian born mid-78 who remembers this with love. I don't have kids of my own, but sang it to my nieces & nephews then to their kids. While in Texas this past fall, visiting one of said nieces, introduced it to her two youngest (ages 3 & 4) via YT. They loved it!
Portsmouth, England. '78
As a child of the 70s, this song is imprinted onto my soul. I would say it’s responsible for both my ability to count to 12, and my adult appreciation for obscure jazz.
And my appreciation of pinball machines
This and Conjuction junction what's your function?
@@LessaCaira OMG Conjuction Junction What's Your Function was my Jam when I was a kid! 🎵It's gonna get you there if your mighty careful-- 🎵( I could be wrong but that was what I heard as part of the Lyrics. 😁)
It also made me appreciate the Pointer Sisters’ albums from before their ‘80s pop explosion when their sister Bonnie was still with them and were more of a ‘’70s jazzy 4-voice girl group. The songs “Salt Peanuts”, “That’s a-Plenty” and “Cheney Do” have been on my iPod forever.
The stuck-in-your-head-forever funkiness was carried over from this to the “Funky Chimes” theme that Children’s Television Workshop used in the post Sesame Street credits. The Sesame Street version is credited to Joe Raposo and Jim Henson, but you can hear the foundation of the theme in the actual earlier jazz piece called Funky Chimes by Francis Coppieters. The music from this kids show was interesting and complex. They completely lost the plot about the time Elmo showed up and just sang body part names to the Jingle Bells theme. Way to underestimate kids on a grotesque level.
It sounds like bossa to me.
Amazing to hear a complex, full-blown fusion jazz track as the soundtrack to teach us 80’s kids to count to 12.
Why is acid and fusion jazz so popular in children’s television from the 1970’s and 1980’s?
@@KateMorganStyle: I think it was just popular in general.
@@MKDumas1981 I have a theory and am writing an academic paper. If anyone has anything they want to write in a 400 word article for a Media Studies blog and maybe produce an expanded version for a pop-culture conference with editing help, I’m taking volunteers for a panel and blog section
@@MKDumas1981 Acid Jazz is popular to period, but it’s not as popular while Buffy Ste. Marie is breast feeding. In fact, when women are leading the way, it’s often melodic and old medicine show attractive to Broadway showstopper in composition, but when it’s “Dad,” and mom is missing, it’s often an extra jazzy tune. What I’m looking at right now is where Cotton Candy is giving a girl cavities on acid jazz and an alligator king loses his teeth on New Orleans style jazz.
@@MKDumas1981 This is definitely folk music to Chromatic scale by nature of simple stringed instrument, but the vocals are in a major pentatonic gospel to country western composition as opposed to in a minor pentatonic or minor diatonic scale form, so the theory holds true even in male to female and jazz to major pentatuch. ruclips.net/video/LXkM11kp_tg/видео.htmlfeature=shared
This is - without a doubt - one of the greatest animated segments ever shown on Sesame Street. I'm amazed that the animators made eleven different versions of it, with unique pinball "characters" and different instrumental solo sections! It's one of my favorite bits from the show and I saw it many times over the years. At least two generations of kids learned how to count AND how to groove from this song. Big Bird, Elmo, and Cookie Monster were great as always....but THIS song was a TRUE BANGER!! Love your enthusiasm, Charles! Keep it up.
I was born in 81 and this was my absolute favorite bit on Sesame Street. I loved the funky feel and the irregular cadence. I used it to teach my kids to count to 10 (and 12!) and still sing it now. LOL it's so ingrained in our brains!
@overcomingobstaclescreates1695 count to 479001600?
80. And every older and younger sibling and cousins watched this. Then nieces and nephews also watched it and I thought "they're getting their money's worth!"
Remember it? This song has lived in my head ever since hearing it. I'll catch myself randomly counting to twelve because of this song.
ME TOO!!!
So glad to know there are others out there who do the same!
Right?! 😂🩷
Somebody started laying down the initial baseline during a jam night at my local jazz bar a long while ago and it was extremely fun to see how excited all the musicians got when they recognized it, and everybody jumping in to play with it.
This deserves to be a jazz standard
@@froobly YES! Make odd meter jazz funk great again!
@@froobly someone randomly calling out a number and it's someone's cue to take a solo
Where is this wonderful jazz bar?
Legend has it Marvin Gaye came up with the melody, wrote it down on a cocktail napkin, and slid it across the bar to Jim Henson with a dollar amount written on the other side, and the rest is history.
this has always been such a memorable song from sesame Street for me. I think it's really cool that a children's program didnt shy away from this kinda complex stuff
From around the same time period, Mr Rogers also had the intro/ending improved every show by one of the world's best jazz pianists at the time.
Yeah this + School house rock I feel like are examples of what happens when you get top quality musicians making educational music for kids. Just incredible
My question is whether or not they knew what they were doing. Were they just jamming? Or did they actually write it write it?
I DEFINITELY remember this from Seasame Street. Basically the only things I remember are this counting to 12 song, the "near and far" sketch, and the alien monsters "yup yup yup yup yup uhuhh uhuhh". My mom always says something like "they really drill counting into you on sesame street - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10" and I"m always like "no, it goes to 12 - 1 2 3 -4-5- 6 7 8 -9-10- 11 12" and sing it in time to the song. This song is legendary! Also the music on Mr. Rogers was really great jazz too, and basically from what I've heard pretty much improved in real time as they shot the show - definitely the music of my young childhood!
took the words right out of my mouth. and I didn't think about it then, but it felt funky even as a kid. \m/
For those of us who grew up in the 70's....THIS was the one song that we all were hoping would come on. I think it's also why so many Gen X kids are into funk music. It is burned into our minds, and we absolutely loved it. Classic Sesame Street had some of the best composers and lyricists working on the show.
Always a good day when the number of the day was 12
same for every decade until it got canceled lol
Beats the utter hell out of "THIS IS THE SONG THAT NEVER ENDS"
We had the best kids stuff growing up no question.
Don't forget the closing credits banger.
@@positivecynik Hey, that song is fun, too. i'm of the age where I got to enjoy that stuff AND Sesame Street music since they would reuse the classics for YEARS.
I think this song is particularly well designed as a representation of pinball! Bouncing all over the place with sharp changes. I loved it as a kid and I still do. Heck, it's on my playlist!
Yes!
😮 I never thought to put it on my playlist... Going to now!
@@Paperscrapper Classic Sesame has some BOPS. Two of my other favorites are "Caribbean Amphibian" and "Monster In The Mirror."
@falcoskywolf I don't remember those two. I might be too old for them.
I was born in '88, and _still_ have this song deeply, *deeply* ingrained in my memory. If you walk up to me out of the blue and go "one-two-three-FOUR, five" I will hit you back with a "six-seven-eight-NINE, ten... eleven-twelve"
This animation and song were always one of my absolute favorite sections on Sesame Street, and I am sad to hear that kids aren't still learning to count with it, because it was beautiful to watch and it _bangs_ too.
Have a kid, show them, bring it back.
I was born in 81. I did not know this came out in the 70s. Thia was and will forever be a banger for me.
I was born in ‘71 and this is one of my earliest (and fondest!) memories
Born in '66, but this still bangs in '25!
I pitched this song to my funk band very recently, and you've done all the work for us! You're amazing, and a big thank you.
Any band that busts this one out live are absolute heroes and should be given medals and money and keys to cities.
Please share a recording when you've got one!!
@@SmaManyesss I'm gonna need an update lol
Following here for the video!
Yeah, gotta see this video!
Which song has lived in my head rent free for 40 years. Futaki had account, and also how to feel complex rhythms in music. Great video as usual.
Not a place I was expecting to see you
What's up Kenji!
Ayyy
Kenji!!!!! What a beast, a foodie and a music critic ;)
No way you share this type of interest with me too! The trifecta of cooking intelligently/well, science, and music theory. *Chef's kiss*
Know what? I grew up to be a musician playing music exactly like this song. I grew up with it every freaking morning. Such a killer groove and I knew that at 5
I was 5 when this aired the first time. The music was hypnotic. It didn't sound like anything else we were being exposed to as children. Even now this earworm surfaces and I find myself grooving to it a little. I lived for when this was on Sesame Street. It made me happy. My sister loved it, too. We'd sing along with it.
It's an amazing song. I'd have been 3 when it first aired, and it's still incredible stuff! As far as teaching counting goes, I'll admit that this served more as a "12 awareness" song than a tool to teach you what 12 was, but they played it in the perfect environment for picking up on that distinction. The music and animation were amazing, and in retrospect it's still amazing. We were spoiled with great music in our educational materials, and if there are any funky kids out there who didn't grow up with this song, I'd have to ask where they got their funky from!
I would have been 7 and I still loved it.
I was also 7 and it was life changing. I flipped out every time it came on. You never knew when it would hit, but there's those couple of the seconds with the snare roll crescendo as the pinball machine lever was pulled back.... that's still in the brain stem over 40 years later!
I agree with this 100%. There were some other really cool "brand new" music concepts for children on Sesame Street as well. I always liked that one where the guy with the 2 extra arms shows you 20 to zither music & Geometry of Circles by Philip Glass. I wish kids' shows now were as cool as 70s-80s Sesame Street was.
I also want to know where kids got their funk if they have never seen this awesome "old" stuff. I know someone that has a well-rounded musical palette & has funk by the truckload. His Gen X parents raised him like they were raised back in the day & exposed him to all kinds of older media, especially music. He's going to college next year for music theory & his teaching license & I think it's fantastic b/c I know he'll teach new generations about this kind of funkitude.
70's kid check. "Loaf of bread, carton of milk, stick of butter."
My brother had a brain aneurysm several years back. Each caring professional would enter the room, introduce themselves, and then ask a battery of questions to test the state of his cognitive skills. After the removal of a stint, a doctor challenged him to count to five, and my comical brother, without missing a beat, started singing this tune! At that moment I knew he was going to be just fine! #SesameStreet #GenX #Classic1970s
best comment! glad your bro is doing well, he sounds like a good guy.
Oliver Sacks said that the disabled or brain damaged have an easier time with songs than speaking.
@@ferretyluv Sacks is right, singing for whatever reason uses a different part of the brain that is less likely to be damaged by strokes or other issues
hope your bro enjoyed chrismas with his fresh healthy brain
Gabriel, thanks for sharing.
I not only clearly remember this from being little in the very late 70's, but it's a tune that comes back to me literally all the time as a brainworm. A band grooving so hard in such a wierd time signature, with such wierd harmonies, in a kid's show, is amazing.
Lots of great music in that show. I remember this one, the Ladybugs Picnic, and then, there was the Alligator King. Remember that one? Great song!
This was one of my brainworms too growing up in the 70s. I remember singing it to myself in elementary school.
@@Hun_UinaqI also remember the one one about I get mad, with the billy goat..😊
This brings me baaaaaack, this was such a banger back in the day. I still sing this and remember every note.
As a 50-mumble-year-old I still love this song and the animations that go with it. Heck, if Tootsie-pops can still use the Mr. Owl ad from the '70s, I see no reason why Sesame Street can't still use this fantastic piece.
50 mumble year old 😂👍
I wish they'd bring back lots of stuff. They've given into the short attention span thing. I remember when a full hour (okay, maybe a bit less than an hour) was one story line with multiple breaks. Now it all seems to be a short story line for things - so many segments. It's not that I don't like them, but they should keep them for episodes like they used to do.
Isn't it amazing. Tootsie roll commercial. 1 original commercial that still plays the same for at least 50 yrs.
the groove is absolutely immaculate
In 1977 I was 2, and this was part of the soundtrack of my childhood. I still catch myself singing this when I’m counting; it’s ingrained in my musical memory. I feel like the jazz I heard in things like Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers really shaped my taste in music today. I tend to gravitate towards the more complex music naturally, and I think music like this, that I heard growing up, has a lot to do with it.
Me too. I completely remember seeing this. It doesn't seem abnormal to me at all... Also remember the ladybug picnic was another counting song
Same. Though I'm a year younger than you, this is part of my soundtrack, how I learned to count, and how I taught my daughter to count. The Jazz, Funk, and Blues influences in Sesame Street from the 70s and early 80s definitely played a part in shaping my musical tastes
This and Charlie Brown specials.
@@catswatchingbirds818 oh my god, I used to get so excited when I saw the word special spin around in all of its technicolor glory!!
Agreed!
Even as a kid I knew there was something really special with this song and it still resonates with me to this day. Genius.
This song not only taught me to count to twelve but also set me up with a lifelong fascination of pinball machines
This breakdown explains why I like tool so much. ( and Frank Zappa )
and syncopation, and odd meters, and.. and... and!! #pinballmachineforbrains
@@slidey1788 sesame Street was making math rock before it was cool lol
Same! 😁
pumber :3
As someone who grew up in 80s, I remember loving this song and so many other but never thinking it was complex or unusual, but I definitely think it opened my ears up to extended harmonies, without me knowing it at the time.
Yes! I feel the same!
The Pointer Sisters were pretty handy at the harmony thing.
OMG Thank you, I feel the same. It’s was never complex just groovy as hell.
Same, felt very comfortable with it at the time and it caught, that's for sure. It worked as intended! Need to bring this back
I grew upinthe 80s too and lots of kid's programmes had really awesome music, not just the theme tunes but throughout the shows, remember 'run with us' from the raccoons? Thomas the tank engine, inspector gadget, the turtles, dangermouse, fraggle rock, round the twist... I could go on for hours.
Bringing in snippets from the music courses you do is genius. Makes it more than a reaction vid, much more professional. Way to next level your content.
I liked at that transition. Such an impressive touch.
Kids of the ‘70s (including me) remember this so well after 40+ yrs- so it REALLY hit home! Didn’t realise it had so many layers, but what talent the writers had!
I was born in 1972, so this debuting in 1975 means I possibly saw the first time it aired.
...and it has been an earworm for the past FORTY-SIX YEARS.
Seriously. any time I count to 12, I do it to this music in my head. Absolute classic.
exactly. Same here.
It was no longer an earworm for me until this video. I still have trouble with the Roger Ramjet theme randomly popping into my earworm slot. The joys. Apparently some people don't get earworms. I do wish I could turn mine off. Lately my brain will even randomly count, as if counting without any music at all still counts as music.
This predates 1977 by several years! I recall seeing it at least as early as 1970. Persnikkety? Maybe.
@@deantmoodyvoice I agree but I was willing to say 1977 if I remembered wrong, but usually I don't. I remember watching this when I was 2 or 3. Before preschool. In 1977 I was in preschool. So I would say my earliest recollection is 1975.
I feel like I recently saw it in a retrospective on the Electric Company. I know Sesame Street reusued some of their stuff so…maybe…I dunno
The pointer sisters are absolutely incredible musicians tbh.
Sadly only one left :-(
The Pointer Sisters never did anything in half-measures.
Except in multiple parts on this song.
@@rizzrustbolt4841well done! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
This song has an almost hypnotic effect on people above a certain age. It's like "shave and a haircut" in the sense that if you hum the first part to someone (in this case, numbers 1-10) they'll feel almost compelled to complete the last two bits.
Yes! If you sing the first ten, anyone else nearby MUST sing the eleven-twelve!
10? I'm not actually sure I know anyone who wouldn't immediately jump in after "one twothree FOUR FIVE"
It is paying tribute to the Elves who used a duodecimal system. ;)
@@Hansengineering😂 I see you had a set of the same dice I did!
I was born in 2006, but I still remember seeing this song on Sesame Street reruns as a kid. It’s taught 3 generations both to count to 12 and to appreciate complex music!
As someone with NO formal music training and who plays precisely ZERO musical instruments, your energy and enthusiasm in breaking down this iconic soundtrack of my childhood makes me appreciate it for the masterpiece not enough people are talking about it being. Thanks for sharing your extraordinary talent and love of music with us, Charles! ❤
In 1976 I was six years old and I watched Sesame Street every day. I absolutely LOVED the One-Two-Three-FOUR-FIVE song, way before I ever knew music theory or even who the Pointer Sisters were! Thanks for digging up an incredible childhood memory.
I recalled the whole song the instant I heard the first beat.
I was 7 😀
Written by Walt Kraemer, arranged by Ed Bogas and sung by the Pointer Sisters and preformed by San Fransisco Bay Area Jazz musicians.
@@Paolo8772that's how you get a children's show to last over 4 decades
@@johnricharddowling3276I grew up with this too - when my partner posted the link and I saw the thumbnail, it took me about 30 seconds to work out what song it was - which I thought was surprisingly slow. ;)
It really was formative for many of us.
Never seen this guy before but watching the buzz he gets from this tune is incredible and infectious
He seems to feel music the same way I do, and that's the biggest reason I can watch him talk about anything!
As someone already noted…l need a pause, a comma, a softer flow. Imposs to follow such a barrage. 😮 Am certain the content wud be interesting.
@@hgracern unlucky. Works like a charm for me 👌🏼
@stephenbrowne119yeah, only nerds show they like things. who wants to be passionate about anything? thats cringe.
That’s what’s up
I absolutely CANNOT BEGIN to thank you enough for laying out this song! I'm a bassist and I've been trying to figure out this tune, every so often, for over a decade. I never got past the first measure, haha! One time, I jokingly (but kinda seriously 🙃) told my fiancé, "If I can't figure out this bass line, there will never be another rainbow" lol! I was born in '79 and, believe me, this segment was regularly played while watching Sesame Street throughout my childhood and was beyond being my favorite part of the show. Now, after having played bass guitar for a couple decades, this song not only conjures childhood wonder for me but it is seriously the SICKEST funk that I've ever heard, hands down!
I'm a musical theater performer, and this has been one of my go-to mic-check exercises for years. It often gets a chuckle from sound ops of a certain generation. 😉
This song is a core memory. And if it hadn't been in my life since before I developed conscious awareness, I might be able to appreciate how complex it is. Instead it just feels like the most natural groove in the world!
It's so, so good. As an Australian kid in the 80s I saw this all the time. Not gonna lie, back then I was more enchanted by the visuals, I really loved the whole pinball imagery, the ramps and tunnels and everything. But I definitely remember the music too, and watching this I'm blown away by just how sophisticated and awesome it was.
We learn by osmosis.
I was asked how I learnt to count to 12... that's usually my reply
Man when I saw these animations it immediately triggered some strong recognition in me, but at the same time I can't remember seeing this or hearing this song at all. But I would have been very young. I don't know, the visuals seem so familiar yet at the same time it feels like the memory was buried very deep.
That seems to be a hallmark of CTW (and Henson's) philosophy: interest on multiple age levels. A catchy melody burrows into the toddler's ears, and the rich funk harmonies keep the parents entertained.
We introduce this song to our kids a few years back and I am pleased to report that the song will live in their memories as it did in ours. Thank you so much for breaking it down to give us the reason why this song is remains awesome to this day.
Lots of comments about how memorable this song was. And it’s true. I was eight years old in 1977, and this absolutely was a favorite. Even if you were a little older, if a younger sibling were watching the show and this came on, you would pause and listen. This is a great study on how to create a captivating groove. Thanks for the breakdown!
I also was 8 in ‘77, and this was definitely my favorite Sesame Street song, I absolutely loved it then, and totally remember it now, hearing it again for the first time in over 40 years.
I was the older sibling. My sister was born in 72, and I was born in 62. I LOVE this song! I think I was singing in Jazz choir about the time it was released on Sesame Street. Totally worth stopping to listen (and watch)!
Child of the eighties here and I distinctly remember this being a special song. You're spot on with your discussion at the end. The producers of Sesame Street clearly understood the importance of exposing kids to complex music can help to develop the mind. This tune is one of those melodies burnt in to my head like no other.
I wonder how much of a role this song had on my becoming a music snob. LOL! jk, I'm into all kinds of "simpler" music too, but yeah 'crunchy' music with 'teeth' is a staple
Do you remember the one with the claymation orange and the sexy lips? What was that one about?
Dude, this chorus has been stuck in my head for the past 40 YEARS and it still makes me wanna sing it after not having actually heard it in forever. The fact that this video "randomly" showed up in my suggestion feed literally DAYS after it popped in my head again tells me that not only can AI tell what song you listened to recently, but can tell what song stuck in your head has recently come back to the forefront of your mind. Hmmm......
The Collective Consciousness. What you put out into the ether comes back around.
This lives in my brain right next to the ladybug picnic.
I'm in my 50's and I will randomly find this song in my head from time to time, even without an instance of "12" being the trigger.
@@ryanmitchell4426 and the alligator king.... they are mentors and tutors patterned in my brain, am happy to have them there :)
This has been stuck in my head too for 40 some years. I've randomly recited it amongst some of my younger coworkers who have never heard it and look at me like I'm crazy.
I'm in awe! This song popped in my head today and finding this video was WAY more than I expected to find. Such a beautiful deconstruction of this memorable childhood tune! Man! This made my day! 👏 👏 👏
I'm 24, my parents grew up in the 80's and I grew up hearing them sing this. I never realized where it came from until today. Thank you for bringing this back into my life and answering a burning question I have had for 2 decades
One of the best songs by the Pointer Sisters. It's so catchy that it ingrained itself into kids to help them count.
I'm laughing so hard, because this song is permanently ingrained in the brains of ALL of my peers. We were the target audience in 1977. It was an instant hit with us! 😂
Every time I watched Sesame Street I hoped they would run it. I didn’t know why I thought it was coolest thing ever until I got older. I’m so glad nobody involved thought it would be a good idea to dumb it down.
Your having a lot of fun and so am I. At the end of the day this song is genius to the 10th power!!! Appreciate your analysis!
I am from 1972. So I was also the target audience, and this song fascinated me. I understood nothing ... but was fascinated by this groove. I have never forgotten it, and am watching this video just to listen to it again!
@@plovet I was also born in '72! See... you are exactly the peers I was talking about! 😂
@@Boethius4748 Agree 100%. Kids are intellegent (they are just not yet "educated"). They should be treated that away, no reason to dumb anything down. In some ways, kids are more intellegent that adults, because they have the time to pay attention and absorb themselves. Challenge them and they will step up to it.
I remixed it a while back (the shorter version). Its not perfect, but I tried to improve it, and now its in stereo as well other upgrades!!! Enjoy: ruclips.net/video/EO0xkYLYj8s/видео.html
As a child I was very comfortable with everything this song was doing and without realising the complexity involved, it just felt very easy and kinda safe, the groove was normalized because of the sheer amount of repetition. This was run so often. It really was a core memory from a very early age.
Repetition legitimises
Repetition legitimises
Repetition legitimises
70's kid here. I loved this bit so much, though I also never realized that it was so complex. It just felt really natural to listen to!
The composer Benjamin Britten wrote a lot of music specifically for performance by children. A lot of it is surprisingly complex, but can be learnt quite easily by children because it uses repetition of small cells.
They had a number of the day and worked it into the narrative and scenes. So it was either this or The Count doing the numbers for the day. :)
@@plektosgamingah ah ah! 😂
YES!!! Definitely wasn’t expecting literally ANYBODY to bring up “The Pinball Song” from Sesame Street. Absolutely one of the last things I’d expect Charles to review. Thanks, Charles.
Steel pan*
-a steel drum is essentially an oil drum, a steel *pan* is the instrument made by shaping, and tuning a steel drum
Aye! The Caribbean in the house! Gotta let em know about the steel pan… we can take mud and make music!
I’m 50 yrs old, so I watched this as a kid. As a kid, i remember feeling a little scared when watching it. I think some of the psychedelic animation may be the cause. But, I remember singing along with it. I’ve never forgot this little ditty. There are a few other Sesame Street bits that stand out, but none as vivid as this. Thanks for your joyful uncovering of the music behind the magic. (I was so pleased to find out it was The Pointer Sisters sang this)
Fellow 50-year-old here. Adults severely underestimated how confusing psychedelic imagery was to kids too young to understand it. I remember being bewildered by a lot of 70’s/early 80’s art and media. But this song is burned into my brain, and I can, indeed, count to 12.
I also loved the song and the pinball idea. It felt creepy to me and I didn't know how something that was fun to watch could be creepy to me.
I'm 52 and was super happy to see this video pop up...I have to admit I'd forgotten this clip but it came back right away when I saw it. I also remember finding it strange and mesmerizing...not scary, but weird somehow. I've got young kids now and I love to challenge them with more complex music sometimes. Kids are learning machines, let's no go so easy on them, I say : ) I'm going to show my kids this animation for sure.
So odd, I'm the same age, and I had that same uneasy feeling when I watched it as a 5 or 6 year-old - I still liked it, but it was just something slightly unsettling about it that seemed to lurk in the background. Like something that would come from dreams; and conversely, I think I also had dreams about this.
Can I pull up a chair? 49yr-old drummer here. This right here is a cornerstone of my musical identity.
The separation in the vocals to stop on the naturally dividing number 5 and 10 and then count another 2, which, with the visuals, relates 12 to 2 by showing, that after 10, 12 is 2 more than.
This is a masterpiece in logical teaching that a child can absorb as well.
All all around, an amazing pieces with amazing music and eye catching visuals that teaches in a great way.
And the way those vocals fit into the measures is weird. I had to look at some sheet music to confirm it. The first "1234-5-" fits into that first measure of seven (if you count it as seven), but then because the word "seven" has two syllables, the rest after the "10" actually comes a beat later, into the third measure of seven. Which makes it seem like the rest after "eleven 12" to finish out 21 beats is shorter than it should be.
Yes, I have the feeling it started with that concept, let's run one to ten then add 11 and 12, maybe a non musician like a producer suggested the line, speaking it or singing it, and then the composer decided, hang it, I'm gonna capture exactly what they said and run with it. And the rest is the reaction of a funky, accomplished composer to being handed a wonky line that takes 10 beats to sing.
Almost 50 years later, I still remember this song so fresh and it just gets stuck in my head
Same here, while also adding a pinball animation totally topped it off for me.
It’s awesome and your enthusiastic review did it justice. I’ve had 12 as a Ringtone for 10 years+. Not musically minded at all and a lot of the explanation of bars and minor major went completely over my head but was in awe the whole time 👍
I was born in '69 and this bit from Sesame Street is a core memory from my childhood. I still find myself humming this tune from time to time even now (50 years later).. but after hearing you break it down, I realize my memory of it was way dumbed down. I am blown away at the complexity it actually has. I love that you are delving into these old musical gems and helping people like me appreciate them even more!
You and me, RIGHT on the same age. We LITERALLY grew up the same as Sesame Street, born the same year. We got SO MUCH quality music and imagination growing up with that show!
Oh, and.... I STILL miss Mr. Hooper.
How about Ez Reader? SH IP SHIP!
I was 82' and this is still a core memory for me. I've always loved it.
@@ShujinTribbleI have to say that the way Sesame Street approached the passing of Mr Hooper was very mature. Acknowledge death is unfortunately a part of life, and didn't recast with another actor.
@@gorillaau ...and kept the store name too.
I played this song with a band I was in. This was before it was released officially and we learned it from listening to a bootleg video. Trying to keep that time signature going on my drums while also singing the vocal at the same time was a challenge. Such a jam though, and always a crowd favorite.
Doing Sesame Street covers is SUCH a fun idea for a band!
Now let's throw in a few random measures which are 6/8 time instead of 3/4 - I wanna see a band march to that !!!!
Man I wanna see a video of that..
I love how this song is nostalgic not only for me but also for the three generations before me who also grew up with Sesame Street. It's amazing how timeless it is
I was born in 1984 and I remember seeing this as a kid
hello pup64hcp
I watched this from about 1984 - 1990. Definitely a favorite, and never even thought of just how good it is.
The Pointer Sisters are phenomenal. Their voices were all distinctly different yet blended together perfectly. Ruth is the only surviving member, and she has the most gorgeous contralto voice (listen to Automatic where she sings lead). The way they seamlessly switch between singing in unison and in harmony in this song is so good!
"Automatic" is my favorite Pointer Sisters song!
I was born in 1976. 47 years later, I still remember this song like it was yesterday. An absolute classic.
Also born in 76. Also still remember this song. As a musician myself, this video is blowing my mind in all sorts of ways.
1971, here. And yeah.
Another ‘76er here! Totally agree, and what a joyous mix of nostalgia and music theory nerding out.
Same, I always remember this as being special but didn't understand how special until later.
as another bicentennial baby, I approve of this message...
I still find myself singing this song randomly. I forgot it was sesame Street but I remember the animation and music. That 1,2,3,4,5... 6,7,8,9,10...11...12... just is catchy AF. ❤
Oh, she's a real cutie,
She's my number 9 beauty,
She's got 9 hairs on her head,
1 2 3,4 5,6 7 8 9,
Done up in ribbons of red.
She's got 9 little eyes,
All the same size,
Looking up, down, around, and straight ahead.
She's got 9 little holes.
In her turned up nose,
And she snores when she goes to bed.
She's got
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Little toes on her foot.
She doesn't go shopping, Cause she doesn't like hopping,
So usually she just stays put.
NINE!
@@MdeaccostaBrain damage wasn't a part of this.
What you're looking for is a short bus.
@@MadScientist267 wow, you're unpleasant, I can do the Ladybug 12 from memory if it suits you better?
@@Mdeaccosta No but "lifetime supply of mute" sounds good
I do too! And I'm from Norway and learnt it in Norwegian. So it's catchy across languages.
I was 6 when this came out. As a kid I enjoyed the animation mostly! And the catchy tune but only years later could I appreciate how audacious it was to invest that much time and energy into something “for kids”. It’s a work of art.
It's fun to see how different people remember different things. Everyone here is talking about how much this song stuck with them, but I remember the animation more than anything. I remember being in awe of it when I was a kid.
Found the engineer 😂 (or engineer at heart, sorry to assume your profession)
This segment was so ingrained into my childhood psyche that to this DAY, if I'm counting something out loud to twelve for some reason, I almost definitely use this melody, just because it's so fun.
Me to! If I’m counting to 12, it’s to this song.
I do this too 😂
Me too! All the time lol
Teaching my teenage pianist son to sing this song was the first time I was confronted with its complexity. It was just “how you count to twelve”!
Same!
I was born in 1978. I must have only heard this song a handful of times as a child. Yet it stuck with me as one of my favorite Sesame Street songs well into adulthood. I never struggled to feel the pulse with this one. It's so damn groovy. But what really captivated me were the visuals. I didn't know what pinball was. To me, this was another world.
I came here to say the same. I STILL sing 1-2-3-*4*-5.... I had forgotten where I had learned it
It was on almost every episode
This video brought me to tears. Born in 1975, this melody has been in my life for 50 YEARS!! I go thought life, today, still singing this and approximating the solos in some sort of scat like vocals. Love the content!
In the '70s, I saw this video as a kid and I never forgot that melody. Then when I had kids in the '90s, I saw it with them again and I knew it immediately. Shout out to those great public education shows with great music back in the day on PBS! I'm a musician and all these years it never dawned on me to try to analyze what is going on. Great music can defy time signatures and keys because it just works! Thanks for the memories and education.
My wife and I grew up with this amazing piece. Had no idea that the Pointer Sisters performed it! To this day, we'll sing it to each other at least once a week just randomly because it's such a nostalgic thing for us.
That was the Pointer Sisters? Mind blown. It's really amazing learning how much stuff they've shown up on. As a musician born in 76, inused to hum this all the time and still remember it. Seeing this breakdown has blown my mind in all sorts of ways. That's it. I'm subbing.
This replaced the earlier "Spies" counting segments from the early years of the show. Those ones were sung by Joan Jett, who personally rearranged the music, because it was too awkward to sing intelligibly.
@OofusTwillip I thought the counting spies was Grace Slick?
First episode of Sesame Street also had Luther Vandross on it if I'm not mistaken.
@@ferox965it was
You learn something new everyday. This song just popped into my mind for no reason and I decided to look it up and found out the Pointer Sisters did the vocals.
I’m 53 and this song is so special to me tears are in my eyes, wow. I’m so appreciative young man that you are covering this, we applaud you. Keep it up young brother, you are blessed.
You can almost guarantee, that you can go up to ANYONE that grew up in the mid 70's mid 80's and "count" to five in the same tempo, that person won't hesitate and finish the song/count!
Everything about that song just hit soo perfect (not to mention the animation)!!!
Yeah like, even if they don't know how or why they know it, they know it. I had no clue where this song was actually from for a long time.
Sesame Street was the best in the 80s when I was a kid !! I love it
Yeah, it's our version of the "two bits" song from Who Framed Roger Rabbit? You want to find a GenXer hiding in a speakeasy, just sing "one two three FOUR five" and we won't be able to help ourselves.
Facts!
In a similar fashion I always loved the way Johnny Costa didn't dumb down his music for a children's audience. What a great way to help young minds develop!
Yay, Johnny Costa!
Oh yeah. My dad used to watch Mister Rogers more than I did just to hear Costa. They hung out in similar musical circles in Pittsburgh; I always wondered if they ever met.
I'm 55 and I still sing this melody, from time to time. What a gift!
I'm 55 and still remember this. Sometimes I even look for it on youtube! Good tunes - 'Ladybug picnic' got me too.
My Sesame Street days were right in the sweet spot (mid late 70s). Honestly, this piece was what made me want to play jazz before I could even really articulate what jazz was. I can’t explain how excited I was to see it was getting the Charles Cornell treatment. It’s so pleasurable to see someone just geek out on how fantastic this was and still is.
Same. It was one of a few songs that helped me realize at age 4 that I had to be a musician.
This song is so embedded in my brain that I can’t believe more people are not doing videos about it. This is an absolute classic!
I'm in my 40s so yes... I absolutely grew up with this. So catchy, if counting out in my head, will still be along to this tune.
Same. It actually caused me some problems learning to count music!
Always loved it, from my own childhood thru my kids'. Thanks for the video!
I’m 46 and vividly remember this growing up. It’s such a part of my musical dna I really didn’t even notice how insanely complex it was.. such a great video!
Same here. I’ll be 46 in just a couple months, myself.
This song absolutely has its very own set of dedicated neurons in my brain, where it has resided for over 40 years. Instantly recognizable, instantly recallable, and could probably server as some student's Master's thesis on the use of music in education
I Absolutely agree. 💯
This is actually the academic article for my not for profit on a crowded field of phd candidates not as good as me, and exceeding my humanities department chair at symphonic critique from the English department to technical and humanities concerns but still learning from time to time from symphony conductors and technical people in orchestral and ensemble music
As a kid? Hell, it still intrudes on my thinking every now and then. The Pointer Sisters still rocked even when they went pop.
I was today years old when I found out the Pointer Sister's had a hand in this song.
@@skyydancer67Did you know Grace Slick did the Jazzy Spies?
Yes it is in all our heads from that era !
The Pointer Sisters totally dominated with film soundtracks, Pop, and R&B they were the go to group.
@@skyydancer67Same, but when you listen to it, and you know their sound, you immediately recognize them.
I've sung this to myself about once a week since childhood . Crazy you covered it!
This song was one of my absolute favorites as a kid. The groove is SOOOOO deep, neither me or my friends had any problem. Remember, too, that in the 70s the pop charts were full of heavy funk, jazz fusion and other rich, complex music. We all were steeped in stuff like this and it resonated!
I could NEVER forget it. It's absolutely engrained in my brain. And the Pointer Sisters do incredible work on this track. Those harmonies are complex.
I heard this innumerable times when my kids grew up, but never thought to actually go figure it out. It came out of the 70s, and the 70s were just like that, music was experimental, progressive, and way cool. Thanks for this video. Now I'm gonna go listen to 12!
For me the cherry 🍒 on top for this song is not only the nostalgia but also realizing later in life who was a part of this song. Greats like The Pointer Sisters and for any jazz buff the great Andy Narrell.
I used to LOVE this part back in the early 80s. When I was in preschool I had some of the solos memorized. I remember singing this song with kids in preschool while we were drawing. We'd start at 1 and go up to 12 with all the weird moments during the solo where they say the number in funny voices. It's so cool to see a breakdown of this song that lives in my soul.
I've never been so tickled by one of your videos. This song has been delighting and haunting me since I was a kid. I taught my own kids how to count with it and use it to challenge my fellow musicians to decipher the meter and play along with it. Thank you for recognizing how "sick" it is. It's so groovy, so mesmerizing, and so educational (mathematically & musically). It's such a masterpiece. Outstanding job!
This has always stuck in my head. I believe the reason they created it was because prior to this Sesame only taught kids to count to ten but in order to tell time they had to count to twelve. I never thought how complex this song was because it just grooves so hard! Pointer Sisters!!! Andy Narrell!!!! They spent some money recording this chart!
Probably why they used it for so long to get their money’s worth.
Song was written by Walt Kraemer.
The clock motif and the numbers being placed along a clock-circle for the song as a method to teach analog time telling goes very underappreciated about this piece. This won't teach the "big hand" but it goes a very long way towards teaching a kid how to read a clock by knowing which number goes where along the North, East, South, and West angles of a clock face.
I remember this.
From being a kid.
I'm pushing 50!
I love this. And still sing it randomly. 😊