This Song Teaches Counting But Is INSANELY Hard To Count

2 bars of 7
1 bar 8
2 bars of 3
1 bar 11
1 bar 8
1 bar 7
1 bar 8
1 bar 9
Double time 4/4

Hope that helps SOMEONE out there lol

If you think counting the beats in THIS one is tough, try tracking down Sesame Street's acid-heavy Jazz # series from 1969, featuring vocals by the legendary Grace Slick!

The writing of this has intention. Most kids first learn how to count to 10. So the entire emphasis of the song is on 11 12. Adding to that knowledge.

Im 50 and totally remember this song like it was yesterday. What a jam!

I guess you could sat Sesame Street didn't talk down to children musically.

Sesame Street was one of my fave programmes and this song is one of the major reasons why. It is such a core memory and now as an adult who happens to be a musician, I appreciate it even more.

Thank you so much for this video! The musical breakdown is incredible and you articulate my exact thoughts and giddiness, perfectly 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I am so glad there was a time when musicians created art and not analyze technical aspects…. Dude it’s art.

This song pops into my head now and then and I first heard it forty odd years ago. A good groove never gets old.

If you're looking for more cool kids' music that teaches counting, I recommend Here Come The 1 2 3's by They Might Be Giants, another band of funny and clever musicians who never talk down to their audience.

I remember boppin to this all over the living room! Whenever it came on I dropped everything, bopped and sang. What a great throwback. The Electric Company had some pretty great bops too.

I love this channel

Pointer Sisters rocks!

to this day i STILL count to twelve with this song in my head. LOL

I really love how excited you are about every piece of music you talk about. The passion and the energy are really compelling and it’s fun to see you be so excited about something which if you don’t pay attention might go straight over your head.

I loved this song as a kid. Guess I can thank them for introducing me to prog rock

Great video. The solo being described as electric guitar might be a Fender Rhodes, almost sounds like Bob James?

I was created the same year as this tune! And I remember it so well that my brain often refers to it at random. I can find myself just humming it or saying the numbers to the tune... I can't believe it lasted all the way until 2002, and I am equally confused as to why, if it lasted that long, they stopped using it. Sometimes "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" really is the best advice.

I’ve noticed over the years that time signatures are not confusing to people who play by ear. I know how to read music but I’ve always just played by ear for the most part. Some feel music and just play it from memory whereas others have to read the music and count measures and yada yada and it comes out robotic.

who wrote that Herbie Hancock ?

Excellent

Wasn’t sure what song it was going to be but as soon as I heard the melody of ‘one, two, three…..’ etc, I was instantly sent back to being a kid. I’ve started to sing it to my 6yr old daughter and she just smiles asking ‘what are you doing’ haha. But my nearly 2 year old will be counting to this before he knows it 😉🤣

I remember this song from my childhood. Still slaps imo

Somebody was high when they wrote that song, and even higher when they came up with the visuals.

12345678910...11.12.

This song is 4/4. I am open to make it crystal clear.

This song will live rent free in my brain till the day I die

The Pointer Sisters! A group that could take a Bruce Springsteen song, and make it good! That's right......I said it!

This is a great song, I've been listening to the song for years since I was a kid watching sesame Street. This song is timeless.

This was one song from Sesame St I never forgot. I always loved it and now it's fun to learn about it even though I'm not musical at all!

A group is called the pointer sisters

When we still trusted children to appreciate and internalize the most sophisticated music.

I was 4 in 1977 and I can remember this insane song. It's ingrained into me.

I keep coming back to this video when the song pops up in my mind. As a kid, I had no comprehension of the complexity. As an adult, I realize Frank Zappa would be impressed by this arrangement! Such a crazy impressive composition for a children's educational show from the 70's.
Thanks again for the breakdown!

I was born in 1977. I remember specifically that while I was in high school the song was still popular. We used to sing it during track practice. Even in high school most students agreed that it was probably the best song ever written.

Electric Company had the funk.

I was 11 when this first came out, so I still consider it new! When this came on, nobody in the same room with the TV was allowed to speak- we were glued in awe to the screen every time!

As a child of the 70’s, this was my jam when i was little…. this and the sugar beet song….

The animation that goes with the song was equally cool. When I first saw this back in the late 70s, I was truly mesmerized.

YES. This was my FAVORITE SONG and it didn't occur nearly enough and was always too short.

I just had my piano lesson today, and my teacher showed me this, since I asked a question about how certain Key changes work, and she shared me this song when her kids were growing up, and she also recommended me this video. I love the different chords in there, and I also myself have perfect pitch, and am completely blind; so I pay attention a lot to how certain cords are thrown in there. It’s still baffles me on how they manage to put this altogether, and yet it sounds awesome sauce. I tried to count the meter, but it didn’t work lol. It has a very odd meter, and yet it sounds really cool

I remember the Japanese drummer in a fuchsia cat suit playing drums at a children's show

Can you share the links for all the long solo versions?

very Zappaish, beautiful!

I am norwegian and sesamy street here was great! BTW do you have the sheet music?