You remember the silhouette. Two faces in profile, staring at each other, as letters and phonics sounds fly between them like sparks. Then the music hits. It wasn't just catchy; it was funky. For anyone who grew up in the 1970s—or caught the reruns and the 2009 reboot—the songs from The Electric Company weren't just educational filler. They were legitimate jams. While Sesame Street was busy being sweet and gentle down on the corner, The Electric Company was basically a psychedelic variety show designed to teach struggling readers how to decode the English language using the power of Motown, soft rock, and vaudeville.
It worked. It worked because the Children’s Television Workshop (CTW) didn’t hire "children's songwriters" in the traditional, saccharine sense. They hired Joe Raposo. They hired Gary William Friedman. They even had Tom Lehrer—the satirical genius and mathematician—writing lyrics about l-y adverbs.
The Genius of Tom Lehrer and the L-Y Song
If you want to understand why these tracks stuck, look at "The L-Y Song." Tom Lehrer is a legend in the world of musical satire, known for his caustic wit and rhythmic precision. When CTW asked him to write for the show, he didn't dumb it down. He wrote a song about how adverbs change the meaning of a sentence, performed by a giant blonde wig (played by the incredible Judy Graubart).
The lyrics are tight. "Slowly, gently, softly, sweetly." It’s a masterclass in prosody. Most educational music feels like a lecture set to a metronome, but Lehrer’s contributions felt like something you’d hear in an off-Broadway revue. He also gave us "Silent E," which is arguably the most famous pedagogical song in history.
"Who can turn a can into a cane?"
It’s a simple premise. But the way the "e" jumps onto the end of the word with a "zap" sound effect turned a dry grammar rule into a superpower. You weren't just learning phonics; you were watching a magic trick. This is a recurring theme with songs from The Electric Company. They focused on the "blends" and the "digraphs" but treated them like characters in a drama.
Short and Punchy: The Power of the Vibe
The show was fast. It had to be. It was targeting kids who were "graduating" from Sesame Street but still struggling to read, meaning the energy had to stay high to keep a second or third grader from changing the channel.
Take the "Soft C" song. It’s basically a lounge act. The lyrics explain that when "c" comes before "e," "i," or "y," it sounds like an "s." Sounds boring? Not when it’s delivered with a wink and a baseline that sounds like it was lifted from a Quincy Jones session.
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Then there was the "Hard G" and "Soft G" distinction.
"A goat... a ghost... a girl."
The repetition wasn't accidental. It was rhythmic reinforcement.
Honestly, the music was often better than what was on the radio at the time. You had a young Morgan Freeman—long before he was the voice of God—singing as Easy Reader. Easy Reader was the coolest guy on TV. He wore denim on denim and loved to read everything from matchbook covers to billboards. His theme song wasn't a nursery rhyme. It was a soulful, groovy anthem about the joy of literacy. When Freeman sang, "I’m easy... easy reader," he made reading look like a lifestyle choice rather than a chore.
Why the 2009 Reboot Hit Different
Fast forward a few decades. In 2009, PBS brought the show back. The world had changed, and the music had to change with it. The funky 70s grooves were replaced with hip-hop, beatboxing, and pop-rock.
The revival featured a new group of "Electric Company" members, and the focus shifted slightly toward "literacy in context." One of the breakout stars of this era was Shock, played by Chris Sullivan (who later went on to star in This Is Us). He was a beatboxer. The songs from The Electric Company in this era used "The Power" (the show's version of magic/superpowers) to solve word puzzles through freestyle rap.
Lin-Manuel Miranda was involved. Yeah, the Hamilton guy. Before he was a household name, he was working on the music and even appearing as "Albie" on the show. You can hear the DNA of his later work in the rhythmic complexity of the 2009 tracks. The song "The Word 'Just'" is a perfect example. It breaks down the multiple meanings of a single word—fairness vs. timing vs. quantity—all within a hip-hop framework that actually respected the genre's roots.
The Semantic Soul of the 70s
Back in the original run, the show benefited from a literal "Who’s Who" of talent. Rita Moreno wasn't just a cast member; she was an EGOT winner bringing world-class theatricality to songs about the "sh" sound.
There's a specific kind of nostalgia for the track "Sweet, Sweet Dictation." It's a parody of 1950s girl groups. It’s funny, but it’s also musically accurate. That was the secret sauce. The producers knew that if the music was "good" by adult standards, kids would respect it.
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Think about "N-T."
"I can't... I won't... I don't."
The song is a bluesy, defiant number about contractions. It’s gritty. It feels like it belongs in a dimly lit club, not a primary school classroom. By using sophisticated musical styles, the show avoided the "babyish" stigma that often caused older kids to reject educational programming.
The Phonics Revolution
The "Sound of Silence" wasn't just a Simon & Garfunkel hit; in the world of The Electric Company, it was about the silent "k" in "knight" or the silent "w" in "write."
One of the most underrated aspects of these songs was their ability to handle the "rule breakers" of the English language. English is a mess. It's a Germanic base with a French overlay and Latin roots. Songs like "The O-U-G-H Song" tackled the absolute chaos of words like though, through, tough, and cough.
It’s a nightmare to teach.
But when you put it to a vaudevillian beat?
Suddenly, the absurdity becomes the hook.
The Cultural Impact of the Soundtrack
You can still buy the original soundtrack on vinyl if you look hard enough at garage sales or Discogs. It’s a cult favorite among crate-diggers and hip-hop producers. Why? Because the session musicians were the best in the business. We’re talking about players who were recording with the likes of Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder.
The drum breaks in some of the songs from The Electric Company are surprisingly heavy. There’s a raw, analog warmth to the 1970s recordings that digital modern children's music just can't replicate. It felt "street." It felt like it was coming from the heart of New York City, which, of course, it was.
What We Can Learn From the Electric Beats
So, what’s the takeaway here? Why are we still talking about these songs fifty years later?
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First, it proves that "educational" doesn't have to mean "boring." If you're trying to teach a complex concept—whether it's phonics or physics—the medium matters as much as the message. The Electric Company used "Sticky Content" before that was even a marketing term.
Second, it shows the importance of cross-generational appeal. Parents didn't mind having The Electric Company on in the background because the music was actually sophisticated. It was a shared cultural touchstone.
How to Use Music for Learning Today
If you’re a parent or an educator looking to channel that Electric Company energy, you don't have to just rely on the old clips (though they are all over YouTube). The principles still apply:
- Use Rhythm for Retention: The brain loves patterns. Setting a list of rules to a steady 4/4 beat makes them easier to recall under pressure.
- Don't Fear Complexity: Kids can handle jazz, funk, and hip-hop. You don't need to simplify the music to simplify the lesson.
- Visual Association: Pair the song with a visual "gag" or a recurring character. "Easy Reader" isn't just a song; it's a personality.
- Focus on the "Why": The best Electric Company songs didn't just state a rule; they showed what happens when you break it (like the chaos of a world without the letter "E").
The legacy of these songs is found in every educational YouTube channel and every "singing" classroom today. They proved that the "Electric" part of the title wasn't just about the technology of television—it was about the energy of the performance.
Moving Forward With Your Playlist
If you want to dive back in, start with the "Silent E" track and then look up the "Easy Reader" theme. Watch for the way the 1970s version uses animation to reinforce the lyrics. For a modern twist, check out the 2009 "Natural High" song or anything featuring the beatboxing of Shock.
The best way to experience this is to actually watch the sketches. The visual of the words appearing on screen in sync with the percussion is what created that "neural pathway" for millions of readers. It wasn't just a song; it was a multi-sensory literacy tool that happened to have a killer groove.
Next time you find yourself randomly whispering "Hey you guuuuys!" or humming a tune about adverbs, just remember that you're participating in a fifty-year-old experiment in musical education that turned out to be a massive success. The phonics might be basic, but the music is timeless.