Comments on: It's such a good feeling to know you're alive.

It's such a good feeling to know you're alive.

not_on_display — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 20:45:26 -0800

Fred Rogers wrote two hundred songs during his career. Here are fourteen of them, accompanied by the amazing Johnny Costa.

By: louche mustachio

louche mustachio — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 20:55:28 -0800

Let's think of something to do while we're waiting While we're waiting for something new to do. Let's try to think up a song while we're waiting That's liberating and will be true to you. What an amazing and wonderful person. I know it's been said a lot, but it just can't be emphasized enough.

By: zennie

zennie — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 21:26:59 -0800

Hah... never occurred to me to post that site to MeFi. "Won't You Be My Neighbor?," "It's Such a Good Feeling," "It's You I Like," and "What Do You Do?" have the sheet music posted in PDF format.

By: moxiedoll

moxiedoll — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 21:31:49 -0800

I hear him in my head every time I write f-r-i-e-n-d.

By: nanojath

nanojath — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 21:34:04 -0800

I like how by requiring the use of Real player, they force me into the technically more manageable option of physically signing to my child. But seriously, having the lyrics is actually great; I know most of these off the top of my head, but not all the words by heart. Not just all the great sing along songs but all the fantastic incidental jazz pieces in Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood are one of the subtle geniuses of a show that impresses me ten times as much now that I'm watching it as an adult with a very young child.

By: ericb

ericb — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 21:52:39 -0800

A Sad Day in The Neighborhood. 15 Reasons Mister Rodgers Was The Best Neighbor Ever. Mr. Rogers Says Goodbye.

By: ericb

ericb — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 22:01:21 -0800

Proper link: 15 Reasons Mister Rodgers Was The Best Neighbor Ever.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 22:12:04 -0800

Hey, cool post, n_o_d. Thanks!

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 22:13:09 -0800

From the Costa Wiki link: "Given the title "The White Tatum" by jazz legend Art Tatum himself"... Fantastic!

By: not_on_display

not_on_display — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 22:26:18 -0800

I would love to find examples of his interstitials -- like when we'd follow Mr. Rogers from room to room, or the music that accompanied the trolley. I was struck once, when much younger, that he was a great songwriter, awesome melodies, and great accompaniment--but my brain buried those memories until tonight, out of nowhere, I wanted to hear this music so badly. So I thought I'd share via FPP. The story going around Carnegie Mellon the one year that I attended was that Mr. Rogers lived in the area behind our set of dorms, perhaps in an apartment building nearby. A friend of a friend one night, after a bout of drinking, falls asleep on a bench in Scheneley Park. In the morning, he's awakened by someone asking if he's all right. The FOAF nods, and goes back to sleep, but wakes up moments later, realizing that the kind man was Mister Rogers himself. I've always liked that story, and I don't care if it's true or not.

By: QuietDesperation

QuietDesperation — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 00:48:36 -0800

In addition to the great John Costa, another frequent guest on his show was "handyman" Joe Negri - a superb guitarist. That was one hip show.

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 02:15:01 -0800

Wonderful post, I love Fred Rogers.Won't You Be My Neighbor? is one of my favorite songs and it's nice to have the music and lyrics together for that and his other gems, like It's Such a Good Feeling. Johnny Costa's piano adds such excellent depth. I wish there were many more happy, friendly, innocently joyous songs like these for adults. John Denver's Sunshine on My Shoulders is one of the few and it's so corny. Some happy songs I like: Zippity Do Dah l Say hey Good Lookin' l I Got Spurs That Jingle, Jangle, Jingle

By: lampoil

lampoil — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 06:10:13 -0800

A couple weeks ago my husband was watching the movie Being There in the other room. The part came on when the main character is watching an episode of Mr. Rogers. I sang along with "Won't You Be My Neighbor." Then I heard him begin, "you are my friend. You are special..." and I burst into tears.

By: danb

danb — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 06:39:38 -0800

For those who haven't seen it, this comment by Pastabagel is one of the best things I've ever read on MetaFilter.

By: boo_radley

boo_radley — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 07:58:57 -0800

I... I gotta call my mom.

By: hexatron

hexatron — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 08:47:09 -0800

Where is "You Can Never Go Down The Drain" my personal favorite? Have to admit I thought he was icky when my kids were small, and nobody past age 4 wanted to watch him, but it was a great show to calm down toddlers. I preffered Oscar the Grouch and Cookie Monster on Sesame street. Hexatron's Wife

By: dontoine

dontoine — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 09:21:00 -0800

My 5 month old son just heard these for the first time. Thanks!

By: louche mustachio

louche mustachio — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 11:08:00 -0800

What do you do with the mad that you feel?

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 12:30:06 -0800

danb, thanks for the pointer to Pastabagel's great comment about Mr. Roger's and the whole worship of cool thing. Mr. Roger's is good for kids and for one's inner child. Not merely for nostalgia but as an example of patience, unadorned goodness without any grandstanding or fingerwagging. In contrast to Mr. Rogers, the excellent Frontline documentary, Merchants of Cool (now online), details intelligently how kids are manipulated by the money grubbers in advertising and wedged from connecting with that goodness in themselves and others, exploited by and becoming narcissists. The fear of being uncool seems to be at the core of the obsessiveness of the culture of cool. It makes me value Mr. Rogers' feel-good-about-life songs all the more, there's a plain courage there in loving others and oneself innocently, which I admire and enjoy.

By: Sweetie Darling

Sweetie Darling — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 17:46:32 -0800

The day Mr. Rogers died, I cried like I have never cried for anyone, so often and with such ferocity that I ended up having to leave work early. What a lovely man.

By: Laen

Laen — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:31:09 -0800

My favorite: Propel, propel, propel your craft gently down liquid solution ecstatically, ecstatically, ecstatically, ecstatically existance is but an illusion