Photo: Flickr user woodleywonderworks
Remember when you were little, and you used to learn all these silly, sweet songs? Well, whatever happened to Old McDonald? Where have the wheels on the bus rolled to these days? Are you still a little teapot? Yeah, I see you smiling — these songs were once joy incarnate, right? That’s why we decided to remind you of them with today’s Top 10!
10. “The Ants Go Marching.” Whoever knew ants were so talented? According to this song, they can tie shoes, shut doors, and more. Hurrah, hurrah for ants!
9. “Down by the Bay.” This tune was great, because we could fill it in with our own version of exactly what craziness was happening aside the bay.
8. “Bicycle Built for Two.” We’re not half crazy for this song, we’re wholeheartedly nuts for it!
7. “If All the Raindrops.” Raining sweets? When we were kids (and we’ll confess — it holds true even now), these lyrics were a dream come true.
6. “Frère Jacques.” A great early effort at being bilingual, this song never put us to sleep.
5. “Baby Beluga.” I think you know what comment is coming: Singing this was always a whale of a good time!
4. “Oh! Susanna.” Well-weathered paradoxes, banjos, and a great tune — no wonder we couldn’t stop bellowing this song.
3. “You Are My Sunshine.” This musical marvel will never know how much we love it.
2. “Señor Don Gato.” If you don’t know this lesser-known masterpiece, look it up to be the coolest cat in town!
1. “On Top of Spaghetti.” An educative number that taught us the perils of sneezing near meatballs.
What was your favorite tune as a tyke?
13 loves 
I went through a phase where all I wanted to listen to was Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry Be Happy”. And when I say phase, I mean lifelong obsession :)
Love all the songs; especially “Oh Susanna”. So many people have sang that to me trying to be funny, just because my name is Susanna. I think some boy in grade school tried to win my love with that song once!
FINALLY! Someone knows Señor Don Gato! Now if only someone else would remember “Zayna!”
Ha, I forgot about Baby Beluga…by the deep blue sea!
I can’t believe you have “You Are My Sunshine” and “Freres Jacques” on there! Amazing! And how about “Do Your Ears Hang Low” and “The Hokey Pokey”? Can’t forget those. Haha.
Yes to Amanda! I loved the “Hokey Pokey”, and “Do Your Ears Hang Low”!
In addition: At my preschool we used to sing “The Farmer in the Dell” every so often… no one ever wanted to be the cheese! My parents also say that when I was really little I liked M.C. Hammer’s “Too Legit”, haha
“itsy-bitsy spider” and “the wheels on the bus” you know the one’s that ’round and ’round? those were popular ones in my grade school music class!
these songs just make my sun shine. I think I’ll go down to the bay and sing the song that never ends. It just goes on and on my friends someone started singing it not knowing what it was and now they keep on singing it just because it is the song that never ends it just goes on and on my friends, someone started
oh my god, “If all the Raindrops” was stuck in my head all day! I haven’t thought of it in years, and now it’s shown up twice in one day!
My fav. song when i was lil` tht i constantly was belting out was “Great balls of fire” like the true southern girl I am. :)
Those are great, but I will always remember “How Much is That Doggy in the Window”!
hahaha, those really bring me back to being in second grade, but my favorite was definitely the zippity doo dah song (or however you spell it) !
I remember school bus songs. On the way to field trips.
There was one and it was like
“I’m a little peice of tin, no one knows where I have been, got 4 wheels and a runnin board, I’m A FORD OH I’M A FORD! Honk honk raddle raddle CRASH beep beep”
And there was also:
“We’re from Nairobi and we’re on the best team! We do the wattoosi (?) we’re 7 feet tall! The Camels may eat us but they’ll never beat us cuz we’re from Nairobi and we’re on the wall! SING ALONG SING ALONG SING ALONG!!! Oooga Wah Oooonga Waa….” and so on
Oh and the classic cheer at our little league baseball games
“HOW…Funky is your chicken? How funky is your chicken? How loose is your goose? Our goose is TOTALLY LOOSE! So come on all you baseball fans! So come on all you baseball fans… AND SHAKE YO CABOOSE!”
Ohh I just had so many childhood flashbacks! We used to have a Substitute Teacher that would come in with his ukulele and we’d sing a long to ‘You are my Sunshine’. He was a bit of a fav.
No Peter Combe? Was he an Australian thing? Toffee Apple, and Newpaper Mumma were my favourites of his. Then there was Don Spencer and his Penguin strut.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lR5j8MBfXA
You can’t forget “Ms. Mary Mack” (all dressed in black, black, black) … does it get any better than sitting cross-legged with a girlfriend singing that while doing the super awesome hand clapping that went with?
Also, anything Raffe was always clutch as a kiddo … oh the good times.
I loved Baby Beluga…I still sing it sometimes, especially when I’m cleaning the house. My fiance looks at my like I’m crazy!
The Elephant Show had THE best song collection.
This is the song that never ends……..
This might be a Canadian-ism, but I remember “Alouette”
I’ve never heard of “Oh, Susanna” or “Senor Don Gato” though!
Also, “The Song that Never Ends” My parents favourite I’m sure.
I don’t remember what this one is called, but it was like ‘one bottle of pop, two bottle of pop’ and then other kids would sing (in harmony) ‘don’t throw your junk in my backyard, my backyard’ and another group would sing “fish and chips and vinegar’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4EvZNM7zr4&feature=related
Sorry, wrong link!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt5tLTnu7Ws&feature=related
Comment overkill!
My grandmother is French-Canadien and used to sing us “Alouette.” Je te plumerai la tete!
Had a bit of a flashback to my Houston childhood (moved after sixth grade) when watching Whip It and the protagonist and love interest were lying on top of a car and singing “Deep in the Heart of Texas.” Haven’t heard that for maybe twelve years!
Ahhhh… Don Gato. One of the best songs ever.
The best was Eddie Cutcha Catcha Kamma Tosa Merry Tosa Nona Samma Kamma Wacky Brown, though. Good times in elementary school.
My first graders love to sing, Frère Jacques! We use this an end of the day transition to eeeease them into packing up, lining up… and quietly walking out the classroom door. (They are so proud to ‘know’ French! :D
Baby Beluga was a big deal at my preschool. We had a stuffed animal Baby Beluga and would sing and dance with it. So cute. Ahh the memories. I remember all of those songs except Don Gato which is a shame since I’ve always had kitties for pets.