Michelle Williams, at Sundance with critical fave Blue Valentine, is adorable singing the names of the 44 presidents with the help of a catchy tune (video embedded below). Pretty impressive, right? I learned this song to remember the states when I was about 11 and it still comes in handy today. And EW’s own Mike Bruno reminded me of the greatness of the Albania song on Cheers.
So, are you impressed by Michelle? What useful songs do you know?
Oh, I thought this was Destiny’s Child Michelle Williams…
I see your states and raise you their capitals, thanks to the Animaniacs. If I could learn their countries song, I’d be golden.
WORD. ANIMANIACS!
Word x2…
united states canada mexico panama haiti jamaica peru…
repubic dominican, cuba, carribean, greenland, el salvador too
REPUBLIC!!! OMG…worst typo ever.
Speaking of typos, I love love love the Animaniacs country video, but when I wanted to use it for my social studies class, I realized that it spells Israel wrong (“Isreal”) and includes Palestine as a country (not saying it should or shouldn’t be, but it isn’t one yet). Oops!
Sorry, but the best is the final run: “Crete, Lithuania, then Transylvania, Monaco, Lichtenstein, Malta, and Palestine, Fiji, Australia, Sudan!” – I had to look that section up because it rather comes out “cream of latania…”
Janice, I seriously burst into tears from laughing so hard at your typo!
she is so cute.. man i hated her character on dawsons creek and in a spiteful girl way thought she wasn’t pretty but now i love her- oh growing up!
Animaniacs had so many great tunes. “The Presidents Song” lists all the presidents, “Wakko’s America” gives you all the states and their capitals, and “Yakko’s World” (now outdated) names all the nations of the world. They definitely got me through 5th grade social studies.
Definitely the ‘Fifty Nifty’ song- I learned that back in 1985 and I still use it when I need to think of a state…for whatever reason…is that weird?
Fifty Nifty United States! I still sing it. It helps me win trivia contests.
I can’t even list all the things I learned from School House Rock. I can still sing Conjunction Junction, I’m Just a Bill and the Preamble. I actually use SHR in my classroom today! It’s the best.
LOVE freakin’ school house rock. it’s boss.
Adorable.
God I heart him. Sorry, couldn’t take my eyes off Ryan.
i would marry her and take her away from all that high lifestyle living with the fancy clothes and stuff to my one bedroom apar- oh wait, never mind. i’ll go back to my corner now.
It’s the Presidential Boogie! I learned this in 6th grade!
I used to be able to do all the books of the bible by song. Now I can only do the New Testament.
My husband taught me the Greek alphabet to the tune of Yankee Doodle.
We sang a song in middle school with all fifty states in alphabetical order and I remember every word. It’s very helpful when trivia games ask you how many “M” states there are (eight).
In the horrible Melanie Griffith remake of “Born Yesterday” there’s a scene where she sings the Bill of Rights to the tune “12 Days of Christmas.” Can’t tell you how many Social Studies tests that helped me ace!
You are not alone! “Don’t rat on yourseeelf!”
Definitely Animaniacs for the state capitals; and for absolutely no use whatsoever, all of Jacob’s sons from the Bible, thanks to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. (Reuben was the eldest of the children of Israel, with Simmeon and Levi next in line…)
I love to bust out with Jacob’s 12 sons, thanks to “Joseph”. I also remember all the darn colors of the coat, not that that helps me any.
It was red and yellow and green and brown and scarlet and black and ochre and peach…