Todd Snider At Newport Folk 2019

Photo: Nate Hertweck/Recording Academy

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Todd Snider On Songs About Songs, Storytelling & His Dreamlike Return To Folk | Newport Folk 2019

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We sat down with the man Aaron Lee Tasjan called "a Mark Twain of our time" to talk songwriting, storytelling and the spirits behind his triumphant folk return, 'Cash Cabin Sessions Vol. 3'
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jul 29, 2019 - 4:44 pm

Todd Snider's latest album, Cash Cabin Sessions, Vol. 3, marks a return to his acoustic storytelling roots—but true to his track record, it's anything but unimaginative. After creatively experimental and successful stints with a garage band (on the raucous Eastside Bulldog) and an Americana jam band (the psychedelic supergroup Hard Working Americans), Snider began to dream up his new album, literally.

Todd Snider Talks Songwriting, Storytelling & More

It all started with Snider's recurring dream of Johnny Cash standing over him after vising Cash's cabin studio for the first time. The ensuing aptly titled album was recorded there by Cash's son, John Carter Cash, after Loretta Lynn invited Snider to the cabin to record some songs they'd written together.

But these musical giants' influence on Cash Cabin Sessions, Vol. 3 are more cosmic than musical. Musically, Snider is in rare form with his stripped-down sound, poking and sauntering with irreverent candor and hilarious wit of Woody Guthrie, Ramblin' Jack Elliott and, of course, John Prine. In fact, Snider is an intriguing twist in the road paved by Guthrie, Elliott, and Prine. Part sharp left turn, part missing link, he occupies a musical gap between these storied folk heroes and a new generation of songwriters plagued by a new era of political, social and technological issues to sing about.

Perhaps Snider's special songwriting and storytelling abilities are best described by one such artist, his friend, mentee and fellow East Nashville counter-culture song rebel Aaron Lee Tasjan.

"I see Todd as being the full amalgam of an incredible, all-encompassing show as one guy with a guitar on stage," Tasjan said. "My other hero growing up was Mitch Hedberg. And for me, Todd kind of had this sort of way, it was almost like he would fall into punchlines on accident, and his lyrics felt that way to me too."

Tasjan, like many folk hopefuls, was under the influence of Prine from a young age. But he points out how disorienting it can be to find yourself born a generation (or more) after your idols.

"As an artist, when you love, when you have that kind of reverence for music like that, and you're a young person, sometimes it can make you feel a little out of touch with your own generation. Well, all of a sudden, along comes this guy named Todd Snider, with this album called East Nashville Skyline. And it was like, he took all of that tradition and all of that history that I loved about Prine's music and made it for right now, for right then. And it totally blew me away," Tasjan said, adding, "He's a Mark Twain of our time."

During his set at Newport Folk this weekend, Todd Snider didn't blow the audience away in the traditional sense with vocal acrobatics or maudlin folk ballads. Instead, he told his stories and played his songs with a kind of loveable truth that had the Newport audience chuckling with respect. We sat down with Snider before his set to talk about his unique craft and style, his triumphant return to folk on Cash Cabin…, what he remembers from marrying his friends Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires and more.

There's a dreamlike quality to Cash Cabin Sessions, Vol. 3. What does the album mean to you, to have these songs touched by a sort of divine intervention?

I guess at my age ... when I was young I wanted to stay driven by the muse or artsy-fartsy stuff, and I felt like to me, that's what I'm always trying to do, is stay interested or follow a muse rather than try to figure out how to make a living. Just chasing the muse all the time. The older you get, the more attempt there is to make wiser decisions, but I like to just chase songs around and that. This record that you're asking about, it felt like at a certain point I went to the studio and I started having dreams about it, and I thought maybe there's something there. Maybe there's some songs there, and there was.

Yeah, I believe Keith Richards used to say, "incoming," like the idea is coming from somewhere else and passing through him, and he just tries to capture it before it gets away. Do you feel that way about songwriting?

I do. I feel like it happens a lot of ways, but that particular way is the one that is like an addiction to me. I think a lot of singers, that one, the song that feels like it wrote itself is the one you're driving around looking for constantly.

What's interesting about that is one thing you do, I think, as good or better than anybody, is the sort of songs about songs.

On this record too, yeah. Lots of that on this record.

This kind of meta-songwriting. Where were you first exposed to that kind of songwriting?

Maybe this guy named Ken Finlay who lives in Austin, Texas, and teaches people to write. Then I think on this particular record too going back to a feeling in my 50s, and for some reason I'm feeling ... my dad died at 54, so I did a lot of reflecting on my own job in this record. I didn't see that coming but, so it's a lot of, like you said, songs about songs.

"Working On A Song" specifically traces your time in Nashville. Obviously you've seen the city change in the course of time that song covers. How was it trying to finish a song that started that long ago?

When I first got to Nashville, I was working on a song called "Where Will I Go (Now That I'm Gone)." I still haven't technically finished it, but on this record, I have a song about that song, that you could call that song. It's a tribute really to my friends in Nashville. A lot of them are here, Aaron Lee, Jason, Amanda, a lot of singer/songwriters live in Nashville. We spend our life looking for a song, and eventually there's almost no reason. It's usually about a girl or something, and the next thing you know, it turns into an album. Then you have to figure out, are you going to still sing for real girls, or are you just going to sing for the crowd? That's been my experience anyway.

Jason joined you on "Just Like Overnight." You and he go way back.

Yeah, I married them, Jason and Amanda, and they both sing on there.

What do you remember about the wedding ceremony?

That it was hilarious, and I did a prayer written by John Hartford that was very funny. They both looked really beautiful, and it was the beginning of a sea change in our town and our genre. Those two are connecting our town in a way. There's an east side and a Music Row side, and those two have really ... and the guy that was just here [in the interview room], Lukas Nelson, there's a lot of young people right now that are connecting two sides of this Nashville thing that have been separate for a long time. It's fun to watch.

Yeah, it is. It seems like a new era for the city, more united…

Right. I've always wanted to see that happen. That's what it was like when Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson and Billy Joe [Shaver were active]... so I'm excited to see that happening, Chris Stapleton, Kacey Musgraves, Margo Price, that lot.

Storytelling is such an integral part of your live show and your live albums. Where did the urge come to do more than just play songs?

It started right off the bat, mostly because I only had my own songs, and you had to cover a certain amount of time. So I would just talk to try to cover it, to bullsh*t my way through the gig. But then, really quickly, I learned through trailing back ... somebody pointed out Arlo Guthrie to me, and that led to Ramblin' Jack Elliott. Then pretty early in my life, I started studying that guy. He's played here. He played here the night they landed on the moon, and he's here today. But Ramblin' Jack Elliott, if you look into him, he is the first person that really did that. There's others that do it, but I probably copy him more than most people. Arlo did too. He did "912 Greens." "912 Greens" is the song that starts that stuff, I think.

"Talking Reality Television Blues," pulls from that same well, right?

For sure, and Woody Guthrie, I was listening to a lot of Woody Guthrie at the time.

How did Cash Cabin Sessions, Vol. 3 become a "Vol 3"?

It was a record I worked on for a long time. I found this studio I liked, and then I started making songs and recording them. I went through the process three times before I was certain I had this record I wanted, but made two others in the process. They're okay too, they might even be better, they just didn't feel finished, but I'm going to put them all out. So Vol. 2 comes out in January. It's got different songs, same session though. Then Vol. 1 is a bunch of spoken-word stuff. I just started hanging out at the studio for a long time until there was a record, but there was tons of stuff building up to it.

And is that what's going on next for Hard Working Americans?

Right, the Vol. 2 is them, is Hard Working Americans… We're sort of a jam Americana group.

You seem like you're an adept observer of the world, creating a compelling interpretation somehow without casting a lot of judgment or a lot of negativity on it. You have an incredible knowledge of the music history and what's going on in our culture. What's inspiring you now as you move towards the next phase of writing?

Thank you. Next year I'm going to do a tour with a band, and I'd like to try to ... I don't know if this is [possible]... before I die, I would like to do some music that's really original, which is really hard to do and not even necessarily... It'd be fun to come up with a sound like ... even Waylon Jennings did it or Bo Diddley did it. I can't imagine why I would do it, but why not try?

[Waylon Jennings] came up with his own groove, too. Like there is a mathematical way that you can show that he did something that hadn't been done. Bo Diddley did it, rap did it. If a 50, 52-year-old guy came up with a new music, I don't think it would matter, but I would have done it and I would be able to play it for my friends. When 20-year-olds, like when somebody young does something, that's when I think music is really powerful.

You're playing here at Newport later today, how you put a set together for something like this? Are you a set list guy or you just go with it?

I usually will pick a song and then start. I haven't thought of that yet. No, I stopped doing set lists a couple of years ago. Yeah, I haven't decided what to play yet, I don't know what I'll do.

John Prine On The Tree Of Forgivenesi, Protest Music & More At Newport Folk

Ozomatli 

Photo: Jordan Strauss/WireImage.com

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Ozomatli To Host Family-Friendly 'OzoKids' Event At GRAMMY Museum Latin Gallery Opening

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The band's program, inspired by their 2012 album of the same name, comes to the GRAMMY Museum on Nov. 18
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Nov 15, 2019 - 3:53 pm

In 2012, Los Angeles' own Ozomatli recorded their very first kid's album, Ozomatli Presents OzoKidz.

Previously, the two-time GRAMMY-winning band had been known for meshing cumbia, salsa, hip-hop, funk and more in an upbeat, danceable fusion unique to growing up Latinx in L.A. Songs like "Cumbia del Muerto," or "Cumbia Of The Dead," off their 1998 self-titled album, was easily the soundtrack of Latin bi-cultural America during that time. Now, the song is a cumbia-American classic, continuing to bring Ozomatli's legacy to the next generation of Latinx in the U.S. 

OzoKidz - Plans For Children's Album

But as time went by and the band began to notice that their fans were starting to have kids, they saw an opportunity to connect with an even tinier generation.

"I think one of the great things about it for us is that we were able to really look at songwriting as a way to really get into characters," vocalist and guitarist Raul Pacheco tells the Recording Academy. "We just sat around and talked about things we went through as a kid or things you were into and just kind of associated certain styles of music with those subjects."

The 2010s album, which would become a GRAMMY-winning album, kept the band's sonic essence but also contained songs meant to teach kids how not be afraid of water, skateboarding and germs. Ultimately, the album taught the band something, too.  

"It actually helped our songwriting, [to] kind of not have to be stuck to what it meant to be an adult," Pacheco said. 

Now, Ozomatli are bringing their program—inspired by the OzoKidz album experience—to the Recording Academy's GRAMMY Museum on Nov. 18, the same day the Latin Music Gallery at the museum in Los Angeles is set to launch. Pacheco says the program will only continue to build the relationship Ozomatli has with the museum, the GRAMMYs and the Recording Academy. 

The Recording Academy spoke with Pacheco more about how the album helped the band evolve, their workshop at the Latin Gallery unveiling, being a part of the GRAMMY Museum history, music education and more. 

You are going to be a part of a kids workshop during the GRAMMY Museum Latin gallery opening. But this isn't your first rodeo with kids. Why connect with kids via an album?

We all grew up in public school systems where we learned and were introduced to music. I think that experience for us as young people is super impressionable, something we all talk about a lot, the importance of that experience for us. It really kind of makes playing music not some unattainable thing that you only see someone do in pictures or on TV or whatever. It's always been something very important to us.

I think we've always had a connection. As we've gotten older and have our own children, we got to a point where a lot of our fans were having kids ... So the idea came up to make a kid's record and we went for it. I think one of the great things about it for us is that we were able to really look at songwriting as a way to really get into characters. It actually helped our songwriting, [to] kind of not have to be stuck to what it meant to be an adult. We could just... create these different kinds of impressions that we were trying to focus on what it meant to be a kid. It was really cool to all these different kinds of subjects you go to just in a natural way as a child. I think we tried to make a record and songs that the parents wouldn't get sick of listening to a thousand times.

Was it only the themes you felt changed?

Yeah, because on that record there's a song about going to the movies, there's a song about germs that's just kind of funny. It's a little scary and funny. There's a song about being afraid to go into the water, and don't be afraid of it, just jump in. There's a song about skateboarding. So there's all these different subjects. We just sat around and talked about things we went through as a kid or things you were into and just kind of associated certain styles of music with those subjects. 

What kind of experience with music did you have at school?

My first real experience with music was in the school choir and I had a very, very important teacher, Mrs. Hubbard. She was one of those teachers that was so influential in terms of really introducing children to music and she was so good at it. You don't really realize that until you're old and you can kind of go like, "Wow, this lady used to wrangle all of these kids and get them to do something some of them didn't even think they could do." There's a kind of a profound thing in that, that a lot of teachers probably experience in terms of just introducing kids to concepts or to the experiences to help them do the work that it takes to have an outcome. I think for me it was also understanding, without knowing it at the time, it takes work to do what you want to do.

You have to show up, you have to practice, you have to rehearse, you got to prep and then you got to perform. And the better you get at all that it really allows you to have better presentation. Those concepts, which you're not really sure that you're not even really aware that you're learning that, it's kind of really important ... I went on to be in a boys' choir because of her. Then I just got into rock guitar as a teenager and that kind of led to other stuff. But that first experience from her was super important.

Why work with the museum on this workshop now?

We've had a long relationship with the GRAMMY Museum. [We] performed there many times. We did a kids' presentation there ourselves. We got to perform with Booker T. there. I've seen numerous presentations there. So we have a relationship with the GRAMMYs. Doing MusiCares, which we performed at, to Harold Owens who runs MusiCares, to people who work at the GRAMMY Museum. We've won GRAMMYs. I think that all kind of makes us part of that family so we know that there's certain things that they can ask us that we're always willing to do, if possible. This is one of those things.

What can you tell us about the event on Monday?

I know that it's an important presentation. There's going to be important items there with the idea of Latino music and we're going to grab the family. We're a part of that history. We have some stuff there that they asked us to bring. I have a Tres guitar, which is a Cuban guitar, that's going to be there. That was one I played at one of the Latin GRAMMYs. They asked for a bunch of stuff from some performances that we had. For us, it's just important to be a part of that whole moment and that presentation and we're honored that they asked us. Doing what we do is just, [it's] not really work. We're going to have to show up and do what we do.

For people not aware of what Latin music is today, and specifically in Los Angeles, what is the significance of the Latin gallery opening up at the museum and specifically in L.A.?

I think that there's always been a correct criticism in terms of the separation of those worlds, [between L.A. and Latinos]. To me, to this day, it's a little hard to understand the strict separation that we have in our daily lives even though that there's all kinds of people that live in Los Angeles. When it comes to Latino L.A. and non-Latino L.A., I know there's plenty of integration in our game, but somehow in our hearts and our heads, it still seems different. I'm hoping that this is a continuation of a progress into recognizing some very obvious things about the city of Los Angeles, its own history, its own adversity, and continue to create that kind of awareness in all institutions, not just music.

I get that this is important to kind of continue that evolution of thinking, of how we look at the city. This particular showcase is going to be about music, popular music. And because it's in Los Angeles, directly is how it affects L.A. There's a lot more integration that ... [brings into] recognition of basic things that we all share and ultimately don't need to be kind of segregated in that way. I'm really very happy to be a part of the progress of that.

GRAMMY Museum Reveals Flor de Toloache, Angela Aguilar & More As Special Guests For Opening Of Latin Music Gallery

Bad Bunny

Photo: Rich Fury/Getty Images

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Bad Bunny, Rosalia, Juanes & More: 5 Unforgettable Moments From The 2019 Latin GRAMMYs

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Here's what you may have missed from the Biggest Night In Latin Music
Jennifer Velez
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Nov 15, 2019 - 12:52 pm

The Biggest Night in Latin Music proved to be exactly that last night, Nov. 14, as the Latin GRAMMYs celebrated 20 years of Latin music excellence at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and brought together musical stars from all over the world and of many genres. Ricky Martin, Roselyn Sanchez and Paz Vega hosted the night that saw 26-year-old Spanish superstar and flamenco ambassador Rosalia take the coveted Album Of The Year award, a Metallica surprise for Latin GRAMMY Person Of The Year honoree Juanes and performances that included something for every generation. 

Here are some moments you  may have missed:

Rosalia Wins Album Of The Year 

The Spanish "Con Altura" singer kicked off the night with a win in the Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Album category for El Mal Querer and Best Urban Song for "Con Altura," with J Balvin but that was only the beginning. Rosalia, who has been using reggaeton, R&B and hip-hop inspired beats to bring Spain's flamenco influence to the world, ended her night with the most renowned award of the show: Album Of The Year. The moment came as a surprise to the 26-year-old sporting grillz and a black blazer, bra and skirt. "I'm serious, I'm in shock," she said after accepting the award. "This is the last thing I expected."

While she took three wins, her album El Mal Querer also won Best Engineered Album and Best Packaging. The singer put down her golden gramophones before her last win to do a performance of a medley featuring "Con Altura."

The Fernandez Dynasty Leave The Room Standing With Performance 

The Latin GRAMMYs celebrates generations of music and nothing represented the sentiment more than a performance by three generations of ranchera music singers. Mexico's Vicente Fernandez, the most iconic living ranchera singer in the world, performed alongside his son, renowned pop-ranchera singer, Alejandro Fernandez, and his rising ranchera singing grandson, Alex Fernandez in a medley performance that ended with a standing ovation and the room in Vegas asking for an encore. The Fernandez are known for singing Mexico's most traditional music genres: mariachi and ranchera. They awed the crowd, each with their own powerhouse vocals and ended together with Vicente's "Volver Volver."

Vicente, who was awarded the President's award at the end of the medley and was nominated for Best Mariachi/Ranchera Album category which also included his grandson Alex, has been a key figure in bringing Mexican traditional music to the world. In his acceptance speech, he recognized Latin America's embrace. "[Thanks] to my fans, which I feel are like family," he said. "All of South and Central American and the U.S., who know will stay [in my heart] until the day I die."

Metallica's Lars Ulrich Surprises Juanes 

That Look on a superstar's face when one of his heroes walks on stage to present him with an award. Right after Latin Recording Academy Person Of The Year Juanes finished his epic performance on the show last night, a voiceover announced Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, who walked out on stage to a roar of applause and an unforgettable reaction from Juanes.

A little backstory: Juanes has been a Metallica fan for a long time, something Ulrich learned when the two first met years ago in Mexico. But as the Danish drummer presented the Colombian singer/songwriter with the Person Of The Year Award, he honored his friend and fellow musician, saying "Tonight, we've come full circle. I proclaim myself a Juanes fan!"

The magical moment was sealed by a big hug between Juanes and Ulrich, perhaps the biggest hug on the Biggest Night In Latin Music. 

Alicia Keys Joins Miguel, Farruko And Birthday Boy Pedro Capó 

The big GRAMMY news this week was that 15-time GRAMMY winner Alicia Keys will return as host for the 62nd GRAMMY Awards on Jan. 26 on CBS. But last night in Vegas, she lit up the stage, joining Miguel, Farruko and Pedro Capó.

Together they performed a medley of "Show Me Love" and "Calma," which earned Capó Song Of The Year honors with the song's co-writers, Gabriel Edgar González Pérez and George Noriega. The best part? It all happened on Capó's birthday!

Bad Bunny Brings It Home

Not long after Puerto Rican rising star Bad Bunny won Best Urban Music Album for his debut album, X 100Pre, and performed alongside GRAMMY winners Ricky Martin and Residente, he was back on stage to close the 20th Latin GRAMMYs.

In his larger-than-life fashion, the recent first-time Latin GRAMMY winner went big for the show's finale, enlisting a full orchestra to perform a medley leading into "Callaíta." The fully covered Bad Bunny still managed to deliver a passionate performance through the mask, and his intoxicating closing act served as the perfect nightcap for Latin Music's Biggest Night.

Poll: Which 2019 Latin GRAMMY Performance Was Your Favorite?

Feist on "Sesame Street" in 2008

Photo courtesy of PBS

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"Sesame Street" Turns 50: Remembering The Series' Greatest Musical Parodies

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From Feist's "1234" to Norah Jones' "Don't Know Y," here are 10 parodies of other people’s songs that the fantastic songwriting crew at "Sesame Street" have lovingly made their own through the years
Ron Hart
GRAMMYs
Nov 15, 2019 - 11:04 am

The two most enduring and unshakable attributes of "Sesame Street"'s 50 years on the air have been multicultural unity and education in the creative arts. And it was music that’s proven to be the quintessential conduit connecting these two primary factors in the program's half-century of success throughout its entire run on television. 

Whether it was the creative use of analog synthesizers at the beginning of the very first episode aired on Nov. 9, 1969 to the Pointer Sisters’ pinball song to the guest appearances from such superstars as Stevie Wonder, Tony Bennett, Cher, Cab Calloway, Chaka Khan, Linda Ronstadt and so many more on through to the numerous GRAMMY Awards the show's music department has won over the decades, music has always been the nucleus that keeps the power charged at 1234 Sesame Street. 

But perhaps the most appealing aspects of the show’s lifelong love affair with recorded sound has been the virtual songbook that’s been created through the years of Sesame’s world famous song parodies—utilized to put a child-friendly and educational spin on a current hit song of the day. 

Here are 10 parodies of other people’s songs that the fantastic songwriting crew at "Sesame Street" have lovingly made their own through the years.

"Two Princes" by The Spin Doctors

"I happened to be watching television one day and as I flipped through the channels I saw Peter Sellers on 'Sesame Street,'” recalls Spin Doctors frontman Chris Barron to the Recording Academy about the band’s appearance on Episode 3450 in Feb. 1996. "'Classic,' I thought, and I watched the rest of the segment. Peter Sellers was followed by Aretha Franklin, Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Bruce Springsteen. I called my agent and asked her to call them and see if they wanted Spin Doctors. They got right back and said they'd love to have us.

"Standing on my mark with Telly, the Muppet, I confided to him that I had never worked with puppets before. He put his paw on my forearm, leaned it conspiratorially, and said, 'To tell the truth, neither have I.'"

The show has an amazing creative department who came up with the 'cooperation' version 'Two Princes.' When we arrived on the set, I tweaked a few of the lines to make them sing a little bit better. Standing on my mark with Telly, the Muppet, I confided to him that I had never worked with puppets before. He put his paw on my forearm, leaned it conspiratorially, and said, 'To tell the truth, neither have I.' 

You can see that I’m laughing at the beginning of the clip as I walk on camera. I’m very proud to have been a part of that show. Not only because of the great people who have also made appearances, but to be a part of some of the greatest educational programming ever, not to mention, 'Sesame Street' was a big part of my childhood."

"Happy, Furry Monsters" by R.E.M.

It’s hard to really pinpoint what makes this "Sesame Street" version of what many R.E.M. fans consider the group's biggest sonic faux pas so wonderful upon its premiere on Episode 3829 in 1998. Maybe "Daysleeper" from their then-new album Up didn’t jibe with the Muppets. Perhaps it was all centered around that Muppet version of Kate Pierson of the B-52's. When we asked the men themselves, however, this even shinier, happier version of their 1991 hit single had always made sense as a "Sesame" song.

"We might not have done other songs with the Muppets but that one fitted," Mike Mills told the Sun in 2016. "They had already rewritten it as 'Furry Happy Monsters' and we said, ‘All right, why not?’ It’s not as if we were tarnishing its legacy.” That same year, Michael Stipe told NBC's Willie Geist, "It was a song written for children, and it’s still enjoyed in elementary schools around the world as far as I know.

"1234" by Feist

In the Aug. 22, 2019 edition of the New York Times, Leslie Feist spoke at length with writer Melena Ryzik about how her 2007 indie-pop smash "1234" has become more renowned among preschoolers than hipsters in the decade since the tune received its Muppet makeover in 2008 on Episode 4161, the first episode of the show's 39th season that year.

"Do you mind, my 3-year-old has watched it 7,000 times," Feist told the Times in regards to the countless instances she’s been stopped by parents for an autograph. "And I say yes, but I always joke: You notice me because you’re a grown-up—the 3-year-olds are really only interested in the puppets. And without fail, the kids are just sort of looking at me like, who is this weird lady in the airport?’" 

But the proof is in the viewer numbers on YouTube. As it stands at press time, the "Sesame" version of "1234" has 281,064,113 views, while the original is capped at 13 million.

"Wrong" by Waylon Jennings

"Sesame"'s first foray into movie theaters with 1985's "Follow That Bird" indeed teemed with heavyweight cameos by such comedy legends as Chevy Chase, John Candy and Sandra Bernhardt. But for young music heads, it was the appearance of the late, great Waylon Jennings as a truck driver who picks up Big Bird along the way, and the two sing a duet together on a song called "Ain’t No Road Too Long" written by the songwrtiting team of Jeff Pennig, Jeff Harrington, and Steve Pippin with additional vocals by Gordon, Grover, Olivia and the Count.

But it was in 1990 when Jennings made his official debut on the Street, appearing on episode 2850 to perform "Wrong," a song from the country great’s then-new album The Eagle, retooled to encourage Big Bird to build a properly standing block tower. Waylon and Big Bird puppeteer Carroll Spinney became pals, with Spinney going on tour with Jennings in the early '90s, where he'd make a cameo as Oscar the Grouch, the other main character he controlled. "It was more like rock 'n' roll than country," Spinney told the Muppets-based blog Tough Pigs. "And when we were in Nashville, he asked me to have Oscar ask him, 'Hey Waylon, what's the best thing about Garth Brooks?’ And then I’d answer him, 'He ain't here!'"

"Just The Way You Are" by Billy Joel

"You hear the song and then you get the piano," Billy Joel assures Oscar the Grouch when he guest starred on Episode 2533 alongside actress Marlee Matlin, mere months removed from her role as a member of the cast for Alex Cox's 1987 Joe Strummer-soundtracked masterpiece Walker. That was the deal the Piano Man set for the Grouch in order to let the beloved garbage monster keep the keys, and Oscar then begrudgingly sat through Joel serenading him with a sweet version of his 1977 hit ballad "Just The Way You Are" as Matlin translated the lyrics in American Sign Language.

Joel's appearance in 1988 came at a time when he had installed a bit of a moratorium on "Just The Way You Are," following his 1982 divorce from first wife Elizabeth Weber. But given he had a little three-year-old Alexa Ray Joel was undoubtedly an avid viewer of the show must have surely cajoled him into changing his tune.  

"Don’t Know Y" by Norah Jones

“You came!” smiled Norah Jones to the Letter Y after leading a chorus of all the surviving members of the original "Sesame Street" cast through a welcome song that brought in HBO's 50th Anniversary special on Veteran's Day weekend 2019. It was the perfect little cherry on top of an already impossibly endearing segment that lovingly harkens back to her first appearance on the show on Episode 4081 in May 2004 when she serenaded Elmo with a vowel-friendly version of the song rewritten by longtime "Sesame Street" songwriter Christine Ferraro. "I was supposed to meet my friend today, the Letter of the Day," she told Elmo before breaking into the song. "But Y never showed up." Then they start reflecting on all the "Y" words they know until the penultimate letter in the alphabet finally showed up.

"Hold My Hand" by Hootie & The Blowfish

Even the most ardent Hootie hater cannot help but get the feels for this insanely sweet reworking of their biggest hit, effortlessly rewiring it into a song about—what else?—practicing safety when crossing the street. "I don't know how that came together, but it was really fun," recalls guitarist Mark Bryan, speaking to the Recording Academy. "And they re-wrote the lyrics, not us. We were working off of an instrumental track so we had to re-sing everything, backgrounds and all. On set, I got to pop up through Oscar's trash can, and sit in Big Bird's nest. Literally felt like a little kid."

"There was a palpable magic being on the set of 'Sesame Street' that morning, even as an adult," adds Hootie's chief songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Jim Sonefeld. "It was only slightly dulled by the physical state I was in after another late night in Manhattan. This was a big stretch to have someone change our lyrics this drastically, especially after three self-penned platinum albums. The only reason we did it was the special place in our hearts we all still held for 'Sesame Street.' I remember the producers being grateful for our willingness and ability to adjust to the new lyrics so quickly. They did not have the same level of thanks after seeing our acting skills."

"Barn In The U.S.A." by Bruce Stringbean And The S Street Band

This farm animal singalong from Episode 2991 in 1991 highlights the talents of "Sesame Street"'s longtime in-house lyricist Emily Perl Kingsley, who worked on the show from 1970 to 2015 when she retired having one 21 Emmy Awards for her efforts through the years. As one YouTube viewer commented, this version of the Bruce Springsteen anti-war anthem has a little darkness on the edge of its town in this version led by "Bruce Stringbean And The S Street Band" featuring performances by such Sesame power players as show songwriter Christopher Cerf, the Voice of Elmo himself Kevin Clash, Elmo's World creator Jim Martin and Avenue Q puppeteer Rick Lyons, among others. The song would also be featured on the Children’s Television Workshop album Sesame Street: Born To Add. 

"Letter B" By The Beetles

Many "Sesame Street" viewers might not immediately know the name Richard Hunt without Googling. But they will most certainly know many of the beloved Muppets he had voiced in his all-too-short life after succumbing to an AIDS-related illness in 1992. Scooter, Janice, Statler, Beaker and Junior Gorg from "Fraggle Rock" were just some of the characters he portrayed through the years. But one of his truly best works just turned 40 this year when he captained an insect beat group called The Beetles through a rewiring of the title track to the Fabs' 1970 swan song to celebrate everyone's favorite first consonant in the alphabet. You can really hear the Harry Nilsson influence in Hunt’s voice as he sings as well, allowing the song to seamlessly survive ear appeal beyond the visual aspect, giving light to his immense talent taken from us far too soon.

"Don't Take Your Ones To Town" by Johnny Cash

One of the more harrowing gunfighter ballads in the Johnny Cash canon is the cautionary tale "Don't Take Your Guns To Town" from the Man in Black's 1958 LP The Fabulous Johnny Cash. But in 1991, Cash saw his classic tune retold on Episode 2982 into "Don't Take Your Ones To Town," penned by in-house lyricist Christopher Cerf. The "Sesame Street" version finds Big Bird playing "Birdie-Big," a cowpoke who counts to 1 all over town in lieu of Cash's warning until he meets the Count and the Countess, who teach him to count higher.

Revitalized Sesame Street Records Is Stepping Into The Streaming Age

Taylor Swift

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GRAMMY Rewind: Watch Taylor Swift Win Album Of The Year For 'Fearless' In 2010

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"This is for my dad. This is for all those times that you said I could do whatever I wanted in life. And my mom, you're my best friend," the pop performer said at the time
Rachel Brodsky
GRAMMYs
Nov 15, 2019 - 10:00 am

In 2010, pop powerhouse Taylor Swift was just beginning to come into her own as a household name, with ultra-catchy singles like "You Belong With Me" and "Love Story," among others, from her sophomore 2008 album, Fearless.

Swift took home four trophies that night at the 52nd GRAMMY Awards, one of which was for Album Of The Year. Re-experience her acceptance speech below for this latest edition of GRAMMY Rewind:

Taylor Swift Wins Album Of The Year In 2010

"I just hope that you know how much this means to me... that we get to take this back to Nashville!" she said onstage. "Our families are freaking out in their living rooms! My dad and my little brother are losing their minds in our living room right now.

"This is for my dad," she continued. "This is for all those times that you said I could do whatever I wanted in life. And my mom, you're my best friend. This is the story all of us when we're 80 years old and we are telling the same stories over and over again to our grandkids and they're so annoyed with us, this is the story we're going to be telling over and over again in 2010 that we got to win Album Of The Year at the GRAMMYs."

Watch Swift's thank you speech above, and look out for more Friday editions of GRAMMY Rewind!

GRAMMY Rewind Returns With History-Making Performances, Acceptance Speeches & More