we're gonna turn it on

I found a gem on YouTube, The Electric Company theme song from season 6, which is the one I remember.

Here's the lyrics because some are a bit difficult to understand:

HEY, YOU GUYS!
Movin' out in a new way
Movin' out in a new way
We're gonna turn it on (turn it on)
We're gonna bring you the power (you can do it)
We're gonna light up the dark of night like the brightest day in a whole new way
We're gonna turn it on (doo doo, doo)
We're gonna bring you the power (doo doo, doo doo)
We're gonna tell you the truest word that you ever heard anybody say
Movin' out in a new way
Movin' out in a new way
We're gonna turn it on
We're gonna bring you the power
It's comin' down on the lines, strong as it can be through the courtesy
Of The Electric Company

This show ran from 1971 to 1977, however it stayed in heavy rerun rotation on PBS up until 1985. Being I was born in 1975, I did see quite a few of these episodes.

And by the way, at the 25-second mark, yes, that is Morgan Freeman. I never knew that before I found this vid. And is that Spider-Man at the end? Yes. He was in the show, too.

Now that I get to look back on this show, review some of the sketches, I gotta say.. this is probably one of the most unique kids' shows of all time.

First: Try and find a children's television show with a theme song more cinematic than the one above. Seriously. You won't find one. Blaring horn section, tubular bells like a newscast, fast beat, timpani drums? This is a POWERFUL song. Try to imagine seeing this as a kid. When I heard this song, my mind said, "Whoa.. this must be important. I'd better watch."

Second: This show is decidedly 70s.

Third: The primary actors are all adults. Yes, there are kids on the show but the focus is placed on the adults first. It's an interesting twist to what we now know as a kid's educational show.

After watching a few minutes of The Electric Company, you may say, "Okay, that show is weird." Hardly. It is good children's television.

See, the deal is that the kid's shows of the 70s and early 80s were all written by children of the 50s and 60s, with a big chunk of them being hippies or former hippies. Said honestly, those guys and gals made the best frickin' children's television shows on the planet. They kept it fun, simple and never, repeat, never went for the gross-out factor.

This didn't just count for The Electric Company but any children's television during that time on PBS. I consider myself very fortunate to have grown up during that time, and yeah, I learned a lot. The format worked.

Published 2009 Jul 11