Sesame Street - "The Honker Duckie Dinger Jamboree" (1983)

[Frosty81]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeq1a8RajQA

If you folks listen to this song from start to finish, then you'll know it sounds like a rip-off of the Beverly Hillbillies title theme song, "The Ballad of Jed Clampett."

Being a 1983 release on the 'Street, I can't help wonder why Paul Henning, the owner of the Beverly Hillbillies trademark, never sued CTW (as Sesame Workshop was known until 2001) over the similarity to his "The Ballad of Jed Clampett."

The songwriter credits should be: Christopher Cerf and Paul Henning.

~Ben

[Zoneboy]

You're kidding, right? Any Judge would probably laugh and toss this out of court if Paul Henning had tried to sue.


"Honker Duckie Dinger Jamboree"

Come on everybody
To a street called Sesame
There's something very silly
That we'd like you all to see
It's the latest, it's the greatest
It's the only place to be
It's the Honker Duckie Dinger Jamboree

Take a chance and join us
And I know that you'll agree
Our show may not be fancy
But it's noisy and its free
It's got honks, it's got squeaks, it's got dings, and it's got me
It's the Honker Duckie Dinger Jamboree
The Honker Duckie Dinger Jamboree

If you want to be a member of our happy family
Nothing to it, you can do it
If you listen carefully
Clap your hands, tap your toes
Snap your fingers slap your knees

At the Honker Duckie Dinger Jamboree
The Honker Duckie Dinger Jamboree

"Ballad of Jed Clampett"

Come and listen to a story 'bout a man named Jed
Poor mountaineer barely kept his family fed
Then one day he was shooting for some food,
And up through the ground come a bubbling crude
(Oil that is, black gold, Texas tea)

Well the first thing you know old Jed's a millionaire
Kin folk said Jed move away from there
Said California is the place you oughta be
So they loaded up the truck and they moved to Beverly
(Hills that is, swimming pools, movie stars)

Well now it's time to say goodbye to Jed and all his kin
They would like to thank you folks for kindly dropping in
You're all invited back again to this locality
To have a heaping helping of their hospitality
(Beverly Hillbillies, that's what they call 'em now,
Nice folks Y'all come back now, ya hear?)


At least Mr. Henning was credited for one that more closely resembles "The Ballad of Jed Clampett".

[Sal]

I would think that the folks at "Sesame Street" would have a lot more important things to worry about than just a silly song---like who's really been tickling Elmo lately and why does he seem to be enjoying it more than usual? That's not something you'd want to sing about!

[ThomasE]

Originally Posted by Sal

I would think that the folks at "Sesame Street" would have a lot more important things to worry about than just a silly song---like who's really been tickling Elmo lately and why does he seem to be enjoying it more than usual? That's not something you'd want to sing about!

I knew someone was gonna take a cheap shot sooner or later. Elmo is a target now.