“Rubber Duckie” (written by Jeffrey Moss in 1970) is one of those songs that brings instant sunshine to a room.  I open the book to this song and everyone in the room starts to glow.  “Rubber Duckie” is a favorite among favorites!

“Rubber Duckie” is printed and illustrated in,

*

The Songs of Sesame Street in Poems and Pictures
Words (and Music) by Various Artists
Illustrated by Normand Chartier

The music for “Rubber Duckie” is printed and illustrated in,

*

The Sesame Street Songbook (64 Favorite Songs Featuring Jim Henson’s Sesame Street Puppets)
Words, music, and arrangements by various artists
Illustrations by David Prebenna
This Songbook includes the following songs featured in this blog:
Being Green
I Love Trash
Rubber Duckie
Sesame Street Theme

“Rubber Duckie” on the Sesame Street YouTube Channel:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh85R-S-dh8

Little Richards sings “Rubber Duckie” on  Sesame Street YouTube Channel:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWCEG6lV0ek

A sing-along karaoke video for “Rubber Duckie,” here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhGhgmfF27E

“Rubber Duckie” was written by songwriter Jeffrey Moss in 1970. 

Here is a Wikipedia bio of Jeffrey Moss:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Moss

A biography of Jeffrey Moss on MuppetCentral.com:
http://www.muppetcentral.com/articles/tributes/jeff_moss.shtml

MuppetCentral.com is a terrific resource for info on all things MUPPET:
http://www.muppetcentral.com/

A terrific Muppet Wiki article about Jeffrey Moss (including pictures and links to Muppet Wiki articles about each of his songs:
http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Jeff_Moss

A Muppet Wiki article about “Rubber Duckie”:
http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Jeff_Moss

Kid Jamz has a terrific, jazzy instrumental version of “Rubber Duckie,”
http://www.amazon.com/Rubber-Duckie/dp/B0016LET4K/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1273270955&sr=8-1-fkmr1

This is a long track, though.  The instrumentals go through the song three full times (each time nicely arranged and played by different instruments in the jazz band).  You can always use sound editing software to isolate the last time through for a snappy little sing-along track. 

Some interesting Wiki info about the song “Rubber Duckie” here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_Duckie

I just love that the first recording of the song was by Ernie, voiced by Jim Henson, and that “the song became a surprise mainstream hit, reaching #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1970.”
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_Duckie)

**********************
I’m very excited that “Rubber Duckie” will be one of the songs in “Sing Books with Emily, the Cabaret.”  I make a strong committment to each song I perform and completing my Song Craft Worksheet is part of that process,

 Emily’s Song Craft Worksheet

Because the first section of the Song Craft Worksheet involves background research on the song, I’ll share the answers with you so you can know about the song, too.  The more you know about the song (both concrete facts and less tangible artistic choices), the more “authority,” and heart and soul you can put into the singing and sharing of the song with others.  If you are interested in improving your artistic abilities for singing songs in any capacity, just simply filling out the Song Craft Worksheet is a great place to start!  After the background research, the rest of the Song Craft Worksheet gets VERY personal…don’t worry!  I won’t bore you with that.

1 Q: Who wrote the words?
1 A: Jeff Moss

2Q: Who wrote the music?
2A:  Jeff Moss

3Q: When was the song written?
3A: 1970

4Q: At what point in the lyricists’ and composer’s career was the song written?
4A:  Middle

5Q: What is the song from?
5A: Sesame Street

6Q: If from a show, what character sang it?
6A: Ernie

7Q: If from a show, from what situation does the song arise?  Why does the character sing the song?  What function does the song/character play in the story?
7A:  Ernie is in his bathtub and is describing the items in his tub for bath taking…and introduces his bath time friend:  Rubber Duckie!

8Q:  What other contextual elements of the song are significant?
8A: This song is like SUNSHINE!  This song is about LOVE and ENJOYMENT in someone else.

9Q: Was the song written for a particular singer?  Why?
9A: Jim Henson voiced Ernie in the original recordings of this song.  I imagine Mr. Moss wrote this song with him in mind.

10Q: If not from a show, why did the songwriter write the song?
10A: NA

11Q: What do you feel the lyricist is trying to say?
11A: When you really love someone, you can’t wait to see them at every opportunity.  The song is about a completely unselfish friendship.  It describes, in its way, a beautiful friendship between two “characters” who love and enjoy each other’s company without any pretense whatsoever.  It is innocent and unpretentious love and friendship.  Wonderful.

12Q: Does the song tell a story or just express feelings or ideas?
12A: This song both tells a story of bath time and looking forward to spending time with a friend, and expresses the joy and love Ernie feels in that friendship.

13Q:  Look Up Newspaper Articles and Reviews
13A: I could not locate a review specifically for “Rubber Duckie,” but considering its longevity, children’s love for the song, its use by so many artists over the years, and its being one of the top songs of 1970, I’d say its a pretty darn good song!

14Q: Who else has recorded this song:
14A: Bob McGrath, Jane Krakowski, Little Richard (and many others you can find on iTunes and Amazon.com

The rest of the questions require VERY personal answers and I will spare you those!