Silent E

[jarvis255]

I love it

[st4rsndasky]

Memorable! I miss the 70's!

[TeeGeeFan]

that's not a cube...

[Lyra74]

I was singing along after don't add w... I haven't heard this in over 20 years, now it reminds me of yellow submarine.

[emilythechef]

Been singing this song in my head for 35 years... (quite incorrectly I just learned, but I had the gist of it) :)

[TotalShippudenIsland]

Silent EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE­EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

[pinkyy0406]

perfect I will show this to the kids I work with afterschool, they are second language english learners..

[UniverseAndI]

17 people's friend Sam stayed just the same.

[chicago913]

I remember learning this song in 3rd Grade.

[supergirl27162]

i learned to play this on guitar and sing the lyrics for my niece.

[jfpinell]

0:34-0:37.....their mother is probably thinking; "Oh no! My poor baby! What'id you do to him??!!"

[jfpinell]

I like 1:21 where he's poking at the "y" like; "Come on, I'm a busy "e"! Change, will ya'?"

[stapler942]

What's always baffled me about this particular clip is the lack of the orchestral track heard on official releases of this song. Was the orchestra added later? I wish the "piano" version could have been released alongside it...

[TServo2049]

@stapler942 Yes, extra instrumentation was overdubbed on the record version. I'm assuming it was arranged by Joe Raposo.

[jfpinell]

Sam/Same.... After having all that fun, he's probably thinking: "Shhhhhhhhugar! I can't do anything to him! GRRRR!"

[jfpinell]

My friend Sam stayed just the Same -all I can say is, as Nelson Muntz on "The Simpsons" would say: HAAA! HAAAW!

[ClarkeMarek]

Who can turn a star into a stare? Who can take a bar and make it bare?  A car gets lots of care instantly if you just add silent e.

[jfpinell]

@ClarkeMarek Poor bartender!  :)

[NullEggman]

0:18 That's clearly a rectangular prism...

[xDroflmao1337]

@NullEggman I guess silent E failed on that one

[vrikey]

I don't understand why people enjoy this nonsense. Potty-training videos with Elmo are much more worth-watching.

[beanienus]

@vrikey So then you're not potty-trained yet?

[TheSquirrelMeister92]

I'm terrified.

[Mrnestorh]

The lion at 1:07 looks severely traumatized.

[TnseWlms]

As soon as I mastered silent e, my parents took me to a cafe, and I called it a "kaif"

[tishtashtishtash]

It's funny, but the only globs I've seen have been wingless.

[TheSapphirec]

weried 

[no1stunada]

Grew up with Tom, yet did not realize that my kids did too, in the guise of learning!! Awesome... I just have to remember the silent e song!

[reallyharried]

I've been looking for this for years!!!  Thank you, thank you, thank you Zardeenah!!!!

[ghostinthemean]

Louie CK should see this!

[jgarcouda]

Man- I was always facinated by the E on the cliff with the  "Welding light" effect

with stars and stuff coming out of the wand.....

[raggedyanarchist]

Turning that pin into a pine whilst holding it above his head was poor planning on Silent E's part...

[Grammymelody]

I teach little girls in China, ages 6 & 8...they LOVED this! Thanks!

[JOxSOxFINEx21x]

god i love tom lehrer

[oceandove1990]

Awesome show!!!!!

[LittleSocrates]

That last note is AWFUL.

But otherwise, lawl.

[Croavin2000]

What I wanna find is silent e man from between the lions

[kpuc1973]

it's magic e, full stop.

[tadge72]

try watching the look and read series from the UK too. notably 'drop that e' and 'magic e' to name but a few!

[wickedfeylady]

I accept Tom Lehrer as the savior of the human race!!! His wisdom will survive the ages

[njdmanok]

the 15 people who disliked this have no childhood

[njdmanok]

YAY i found it mommy, i found my childhood, wheres my blanky?

[FoxPlant2006]

I know Tom Lehrer wrote other songs for the Electric Company, but some weren't sung by him. What other songs did he both write and sing on the show?

[DLCOrganization]

One notable tune that Tom Lehrer wrote for

"The Electric Company", if you want to know,

FoxPlant, is "The Menu Song", which is a hilarious

dialogue that was executed by Rita Moreno as the

counterperson and Morgan Freeman as the customer.

BEAUTIFUL! Look for it.

> Professor DLC

[TheJmiketay]

This song was a regular staple of a show created by the Children's Television Workshop on PBS, the show was known as "The Electric Company".

[Jesslayc]

i love this song!

[gordenfreemen1337]

wat

[elc1960]

The amazing Tom Lehrer. I wonder if he still occasionally performs concerts. OK, some of his humor was terrible puns, but most of it was sheer genius. And if anyone out there is sick of all the PC stuff that exists today, they shoud check out his "National Brotherhood Week" song from his "That Was The Year That Was" album. Brilliant satire. If someone did that song today it would be sheer career suicide.

[cookycandy4]

i love tiz catchy

[cookycandy4]

i love it. it's catchy

[Polisharek]

this thing was hilarious when i was stoned

[patluvsvettes]

This brings back some memories! I used to watch the Electric Company every day as a kid.

[evsxrk]

I sometimes used to watch the Electric Company when I was a kid over 30 years ago, and this is the thing I remember best. Of course at the time I had no idea who was singing it. It was only a few years ago that I learned that it was Tom Lehrer, the writer of great satirical songs like "Poisoning Pigeons In The Park". This song is completely different from most of his work, but just as brilliant.

[Christoph777]

They should've had the silent E turn a "snap" into a "Snape" and they could have Professor Snape appear and do some magic of his own!

[evsxrk]

@Christoph777

Not a bad idea, but this song is from the early 1970s, long before JK Rowling had even thought about writing Harry Potter stories. Maybe you can do your own updated version.

[Rosedaleb1]

Thank you so much for posting this! Great educational tool in teaching my four year old about silent "e."

[ClassicTVMan81]

From Carol to Carole - the silent "e" doesn't change the pronunciation.

[mdf3530]

@CarlLikes That's because it was for a kids' show you wiseass

[Danale111vids]

But all rap becomes rape, everyone knows that.

[elc1960]

@CarlLikes I love that line from "Blazing Saddles" where Harvey Korman asks the guy "What are your qualifications?" He goes "Rape, murder, arson and rape". Korman says "You said 'rape' twice" and the guy goes "I like rape."

[JoeMoron2000]

@CarlLikes Like Sam, they're the same, anyway.

[sammizu0]

@CarlLikes I know!! :)

[dmi0]

@CarlLikes

Amazingly, this comment appears to have been made before

RAP NEWS 4: Wikileaks vs The Pentagon - the WWWAR on the Internet watch?v=3adw9oLBkBI

[DoomDodgers]

@CarlLikes No need. Modern rap already is rape to my ears.

[lackawhatz]

@CarlLikes Well that's kind of obvious seeing as they go together so well so...

[marauder08901]

@CarlLikes I should hope so.

[NoirFan01]

@CarlLikes also absent is turning a pub into a pube.

[nirmalsuki]

@CarlLikes I was thinking the exact same thing...

[cybus69]

@CarlLikes Rap is pretty rapey as it is though.

[tanda0000]

a timeless e.c. classic..thank you...gives me shivers watching that!!

[parkercadie1]

Just compare-just TRY to compare a smart ditty like this to the mess that is "Elmo's Song". Oh yeah---if the thought of a silent E on a hill gives you the creeps, you are MUCH too easily scared. Must be all that "Big Brother" crap on nowadays.

[RCbohemian]

Thanks for the memories of eating cinnamon raisin oatmeal in the morning on the living room floor, GLUED to the Electric Company a few inches away from the TV!

[mZzBaNaNeRzZ]

why does it seem like it should be on a mickey mouse episode? i really like this video though. it helped my little brother a lot in 1st grade.

[DrBurglewergle]

It's not to hard too see, it's silent e!

[mcridiculose]

i like the new silent e song from the current electric company though...

[thediamonddoggie]

WOW! This brought me back! Thanks for posting.

[nowolfy121]

lol psyco xD

[PrinzessClara]

yeah xD

[cqsallie]

I've read comments that this was from the '70s, when kids tried to learn.

Well, kids might want to learn in 2009. Gotta kid? Know a kid? You'd be surprised that what turned you on to spelling will work for them, too.

Give it a try.

And don't forget: When Two Vowels Go Walking from Between the Lions. You're never too old to like that stuff....

[NowhereMan1966]

I haven't seen this in years but I remember it. BTW, I'm almost sure it is Tom Lehrer singing the song.

[PatchesRips]

Oh, yes, that's definitely Tom Lehrer. This song's one of the best things that came out of The Electric Company -- and there were so many. :)

[am9224]

He's also known as Magic E because of his wand.

[cgsilverscreen2020]

between the lions are a bunch of theives...

[wyecee]

Who can turn a nat, into Nate? Who can turn a mut, into mute? Who can turn a hat, into hate? Who can turn a pop, into Pope? Remember, don't add w, don't add x, don't add y or z, just add a silent eeeeeeeeeeeeee.

[GoodQueenLaura]

Great!

[1woodcutr1]

i watched this show in elementery school and always rembered easy reader and this tune . did joan rivers narate for letter man?

[Zardeenah]

Yep.  LetterMan was Gene Wilder, and other voices were done by Mel Brooks.

[jeauxdet]

@Zardeenah and of course, easy reader, himself was Morgan Freeman.

[mbutchin]

@Zardeenah Actually, the Spellbinder was voiced by Zero Mostel.

[DLCOrganization]

Actually, Zardeenah.

From what I recall of this show's history,

Mel Brooks had no involvement (regular, anyway)

with Letterman or even "The Electric Company".

The voice of Spellbinder on "Letterman" was

Zero Mostel.

> Professor DLC

[Zardeenah]

@DLCOrganization: According to Sesame Workshop, Mel Brooks did some regular voices on Electric Company (see: tinyurl(dot)com(slash)2fenvmv)­, but you are correct, that he was not a regular on Letterman.

[DLCOrganization]

I stand corrected on the "Electric Company" factor.

I remember Brooks WAS involved.

By the way, doesn't the tone of this tune sound just

a LITTLE bit sad at times?

> Professor DLC

[sibuser]

the ONLY song from electric company i remembered over the years. Not all the words but definitely the images.. Great to see it. this was in the 70's when kids actually tried to learn.

[bogenseeberg]

looks a lot like Yellow Submarine!

[gDisk12]

that was a giant acid trip movie... :D

[LadyHawke78]

OH MAN. The flashbacks. D:

I remember I loved this EC segment as a little kid. Kids today should start watching these good ol' shows. Maybe they'd learn something...

[abcaines]

Not seen this one in 35+ years, yet bits of that song still linger in my head.

[nickynocynoo]

yayay! i havnt heard this since i was like in year 2!!!

[GroundXeroEmpire]

Holy damn! This song I do remember. I haven't seen this since I was like 5 or 6...hell it's been a couple of decades. This is cool.

[palmtreehomonculus]

My linguistics teacher used it for class, it's just great! (I wish teachers use it when kids start learning english^^)

[ymegzari]

haha mine too...

[dudeulartv]

OMG haha! I remember this...lol!

[LooooNyTuNeS]

yayaya Silent E lol ^^

[ensabrenur]

not really silent e is it

[A1l2l2e2n4]

Silent in that the "e" doesn't have its own sound here. However, it influences the rest of the word. Silent but NOT weak.

[lsefia]

Nice catchy song!

[dudemansam4189]

hmmm i never knew that tom lehrer was in the electric company :P

[A1l2l2e2n4]

Well, he wasn't a member of the cast, but he DID do some musical work for "Electric Company".

[dudemansam4189]

o i c

[apparationsofmelody]

I used to stop building with my Legos to watch this one. It was one of my favorites on E Company. Thanks for the memories!

[FuzzehPeach]

AH.

Anybody know where the between the lions version is?

I remember it seriously scared the CRAP outta me!! ahaha

[JamiJR]

Wasn't there another one like this where silent E was a criminal and he escapes custody by turning the cop's cap into a cape and flying out the window?

[Zardeenah]

Yes, there was one from "Between the Lions". Silent E is dressed as a spy in a trenchcoat and fedora. He keeps escaping from the police with silent e tricks.

[JamiJR]

I could've sworn it was on TEC or another show from that era, because I remember seeing something like that as a kid, and I'm 32 now. BTL is a little after my time.

I also can't believe I got a thumbs down for my comment. All I did was ask a question.

[Zardeenah]

The thumbs down wasn't me! :)

Now that you mention it, I have a vague recollection of another piece from Electric Company. If I find it while I'm watching old episodes, I'll post something.

[triplexgearjammer]

@JamiJR I'm like roughly the same age as you. I'm looking for what must be the only episode with Joyce Dewitt( you know, threes company the brunett) were she's dressed up in some sort of safari outfit and actully screams the opening of show " hey you guys

" I know this episode must exist some were. I don't remeber if it was in the middle of the show or at the begining or end or what ever. But I can swear I saw it....................

[zzremington]

Silent E on this hill was always "spooky" - love it.

[jeffkjoe]

1971

38 years ago.

[JudeMaris]

Criminy, I remember this. Always thought the "E" looked like Mickey Mouse's role as the Sorcerer's Apprentice in "Fantasia" :)

[AllRequired]

Without YouTub (ahem, Tube), how many of us would think to preserve gems like this for posterity?

[twdalbeck27]

@AllRequired whew! Good thing silent e was around to help.

[JGCooney]

Anyone have the Silent E sketch where Draucla (Morgan Freeman), Wolfman (Jim Boyd) and Frankenstein (Skip Hinnant) sing about their friend Silent E, where Dracula sings about bite/bit, Wolfman sings about ripe/rip and Frankenstein sings about hid/hide? I think it repeats in the A and B series.

[mommejen05]

my mom will still sing this song - my kids arelearning it.

[geezerbill]

>>my mom will still sing this song

My mother does too. And every single time over the past 30 years I have to tell her that "grap into a grape" isn't in the song, since "grap" isn't a word.

[nickynocynoo]

i watched this in year 2!onthe school tv it waz so funny

[DLCOrganization]

Funny thing is the "cube" in the song was more like a rectangular block. HA!

Nonetheless, the memories caught me all too deeply. Thanks, Tom.

--Professor DLC

[dadgamor]

oh yeah!! i remember this song!!!!! takes me wayyyyy back no fair im getting old!!!  *sniffle*

[hadou17]

what the heck is a pane? lol

[raposofan]

My dear Hadou, a pane is one of the squares of glass in your window. Panes are the sections of a window. Most windows have six.

[etraig]

love tom lehrer, and the cool peter max style graphics

[cochranexyz]

Well now. Back to work....  Thanks again for the memories, YouTube.

[BadgerSamson]

great

[carryyouinmyheart]

THIS is what children's educational entertainment should be. not generic animations and repetitive little melodies, but creative stuff that really sticks in a child's brain. i'm so glad i got the benefit of children's programming producers who really cared about my learning and continued interest.

[xmikywayx]

I agree! I already know most of the elements because of the elements song! XD

[maestrolx]

That was cool stuff! I remember that.

[EvanexcenceLover]

Cute, Were'd u get it?

[Ivy94F]

Wow. Its weird that I can remember almost every word to this song. Lol! Thanks for the post!

[6funswede]

Another Tom Lehrer song on YouTube, and with the same seal of quality as all of Tom Lehrer's songs. I love this song, and from today it is included on the front page of The Tom Lehrer Wisdom Channel. Thank you so VERY much for this posting!

[yubazubee]

I learned more from this show that I did in college.

[student702]

Anyone who doesn't know that this (VERSION of this SONG) is sung by Tom Lehrer needs to get into Tom Lehrer. ALL his tunes are AMAZING!!!

[myscprin]

haha funni song ^-^

[chadsummers01]

the kicker is the song is sung by Michael Feinstein if I'm not mistaken.

[scottbaino]

Michael Feinstein was in high school when the Electric Company debuted so it wasn't him. Plus, he moved to LA at age 20, and "EC" filmed in NYC.

[chadsummers01]

Actually you are partly correct. I have the dvd box set of Feinstein and in his bio he talks about his early gig as a YOUNG writer/singer and that he started out doing jingles. Bottomline, he did in fact sing the silent E song on E.C..

[colbygirl20]

Tom Lehrer.  Famous piano playing comedian of the 60's.

[kirmesorgelfan]

great fun!

[MommieDearest67]

I forgot how powerful silent e was!

[moogyboy6]

This may sound wacky, but I wonder if "Silent E" can be interpreted in a religious/supernatural context, with E as a personification of God/Creator/Life Force/whatever. Note all the transformative powers he has, and the fact that he's present but "silent" (ie invisible). In particular, the glob/globe pairing takes on a new significance, as does Sam (the US) staying the same (bad old milindustrocomplex) in spite of his influence. Or maybe I'm just strange.

[KiNeTiCLigHtEnInG]

dude ur looking WAY too deep into this.

[raposofan]

I'm glad he is, because the animators probably did also.

<-- animator

[scebboaliwiw]

You have to wonder if silent E turned that twin into twine...aware twine.

If silent E made the twin immortal, but aware.

Having to live the rest of his life as twine, which would be forever.

If the twins mind was left intact, if he dream, if he can wonder, if he can lament.

If he has no mouth, and he must scream.

[LiLuLung]

believe it or not there bringing back The Electric company and i hope they bring back all of the old skits.. including all of tom Lehrer's works.. LY ... E... maybe even LETTERMAN

[A1l2l2e2n4]

I wonder if "Who can turn a tap into a tape?" was a veiled reference to Nixon?

[oltlghfan2008]

OMG, I remember this clip! Thanks for the great memories. :)

[vezina808]

hahaha! this is some old school shit! remember watching this when i was a kid. good times!

[iswc27]

I was one of the biggest fans of The Electric Company as a kid and I remember this clip very well. I think "Silent e" had to be the show's most often covered subject.

[tamapalagi]

Does anyone remember wild cold bill or fiddler on the chair? High on roof tops never would he dare just call him fiddler on the chair

[Rookiewill]

I prefer the "magic e" song myself.

:P

[shorty267442]

what is this?

[TnseWlms]

I learned to play Scrabble when I was eight. I spelled out the word DOG and then my younger opponent added an E on the end thinking that spelled "doggie."

[mmcutiepie]

aw this is cute

[jpsd]

but a little hug becomes huge, instantly. how bad can silent e be?

[A1l2l2e2n4]

Don't add w, don't add x, and don't add y or z, just add silent "e".

[ISNorden]

Aww, yeah...despite the mischief Silent E causes here, that example proves he isn't all bad.

[lorahaytch]

thats because cafe is a french word.

[TnseWlms]

I saw this when I was six, then my parents drove me past a sign saying "Cafe" and I tried to apply what I just learned, and assumed the word was pronounced "kayf". English is so complicated.

[Doombuggyman13]

"Cafe" is a french word.

[Julian9ehp]

And sake is a Japanese word. Both are composed of two syllables, meaning that the e keeps its sound.

[xoxLettermanxox]

Lol I also love how e is standing on a mountain and he looks really evil. but it is adoreable.

[RedwoodTheElf]

But he IS evil...turning a twin into Twine? EVIL I TELL YOU!

[xoxLettermanxox]

yes he is being very evil...should i blame him?

[A1l2l2e2n4]

No, you should blam him.

[xoxLettermanxox]

I absolutely loved this video! Rock on silent E!!!!WOOOW!

[madamecarroll]

I love this!

[craysingerkid06]

I suppose this could be a good learning video for lil kids lol He shoulda had somebody else to do the singing though as his voice isn't exactly great for it

[beartard1]

Using celebrities was a trademark of The Electric Company. Tom Lehrer was *very* popular from the 40's to the 60's with general and political satire songs. TEC picked him up and did a great job.