From the early 1970’s through the mid-1990’s, Schoolhouse Rock produced over 50 educational video songs, for which I have a top ten list. My top ten Schoolhouse Rock video songs are from the topics of Grammar, Multiplication, and America. Other topics like Computer and Money came later as I got older so none of them are in my top ten Schoolhouse Rock video songs list. I didn’t like the Science topic tunes as much either, so there won’t be any in this list. The beauty of Schoolhouse Rock is that they are fun to listen to, and through the repetition of watching them, I was grounded in English usage, history, civics, and multiplication tables.
My Top Ten List Includes Favorite Grammar Rock Video Songs
As a writer, I realize just how important these instructional music video songs are. So many children and adults in this country have very little ability in how to write properly. I’m no ultra-stickler for English grammar usage, but that’s still no reason to hope people write at least in a presentable way!
A Noun Is a Person, Place, or Thing (Nouns)
The song title says it all, and for three minutes, we go on an adventure with a girl who travels, sight sees, plays a bit of classic rock music, and is pestered by a barking dog. Since I am a travel writer and a classic rock music lover, this is one of my all time top ten favorite songs. It’s loaded with fast-paced bluegrass-rock-style music.
Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla (Pronouns)
Singer Jack Sheldon really knows how to explain pronouns via his crooning, and with all the long proper names in the song, he doesn’t tongue twist himself. Sheldon makes the simple point about how pronouns are there to take the place of nouns.
I would always stop what I was doing to listen to this Schoolhouse Rock song on a weekday afternoon or Saturday morning. This grammar music video is about an urban big city boy who goes to the movie theater to watch his super hero VERB explain what verbs are. It’s as if time slowed down greatly and I was watching a much longer movie instead of a short top ten feature. The end of the video is memorable for me when VERB stands at homeplate, then hits a baseball out of the park.
Interjections! (Interjections)
To me, this is Schoolhouse Rock’s cutest video song, with a sickly little boy Reginald being a main guinea pig for the explanations of interjections, as he was being stuck by a needle. It then proceeds to use other interjections as a man hits on a woman, then onto a football game where the home team loses. Yes! As the song goes, An interjection starts a sentence right!!!
My Top Ten List Includes Favorite Multiplication Rock Video Songs
Ready or Not, Here I Come (Multiplying by Five)
This Schoolhouse Rock music video about how the game of Hide and Seek can implement multiplying by five is definitely a favorite. Since I’m not good at memorizing the full lyrics of songs, this is one song that I know much of since multiples of 5 make up a big part of the song: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60…
Figure Eight (Multiplying by Eight)
Why Schoolhouse Rock chose to make this the saddest-sounding of music video songs is beyond me. Could its depressing tone using a schoolgirl that daydreams about figure skating in a figure eight have been the inspiration for the tear-jerker 1978 movie Ice Castles? Despite the mood of the song, it’s one that I think of a lot!
This Schoolhouse Rock music video takes place in a pool hall where a mouse is being harassed by a fat cat pool hustler as they go over the nines multiplication tables. Since nine is my favorite number, it’s not surprising that I like this one.
The Good Eleven (Multiplying by Eleven)
Because the number eleven is one of the most difficult numbers for students to multiply by after 11 x 9, it’s good that a children’s video even tells young watchers and listeners how to get past that for their multiplication tests. Its very friendly and catchy tune is enough to bring those math grades up just by memorizing the song’s multiplication lyrics! This, I think, is the key of Schoolhouse Rock video songs: watching them over and over.
My Top Ten List Includes Favorite America Rock Video Songs
While it’s true the America Rock video songs are over-simplified and whitewash the truth in many cases, I still find them useful in retrospect, because it was the door opening for me to explore history and politics more in depth.
I’m Just a Bill (Legislation)
I can’t get over that little piece of paper, who’s a Congressional bill trying to get passed into a law. The explanation is really detailed, yet it’s simple for kids to follow, and is truthful at its face value. Of course, as we get older, we realize that while the process outlined in this Schoolhouse Rock video has a lot of behind the scenes shenanigans, it’s important to know the basics of how our government works, as it can inspire the pursuit of change.
I always did well in American history during my time in grade school. This rather idealistic Schoolhouse Rock music video covers the Pilgrims’ landing in 1620 through the American Revolution, so eloquently sung by Lynn Ahrens. Of course, this video fails to mention that many of the founding fathers were slave holders who fathered children via the slaves and that they really didn’t think much of the poor colonists, but what the heck! To repeat, tools like these top ten music video songs of Schoolhouse Rock are there to get the interest in our nation’s history and political process started. As children, they need a starting point, and I am so thankful I was a kid during the time of the height of these entertaining and educational products!
