Really Rosie

Really Rosie by Carole King (1975) with Lyrics by Maurice Sendak

Carole King topped the charts in 1971 with her debut album, Tapestry, sounding her great hits “I Feel the Earth Move” and “Natural Women.” Few years later, King and Sendak would collaborate on a CBS television special featuring the Brooklyn kids from the Nutshell Library (1962) and The Sign on Rosie’s Door (1960). The special is only a half-hour, featuring seven songs and the “Really Rosie” reprise, but the full album, produced by Ode Records, lists an additional five tracks. On a hot summer day, ambitious Rosie (Carole King) wishes to evade boredom by encouraging her friends on Avenue P to put on a musical! Each number carries Carole King’s hypnotic pop flare and Sendak’s quippy dialog, in a series of educational numbers akin to the popular TV shows, Sesame Street (1969) and School House Rock (1973). “One Was Johnny” focuses on numbers, each verse adds to the sequence and works backwards similar to “Twelve Days of Christmas.” “Alligators All Around” delightfully sings through the alphabet, and the strophic argument of “Chicken Soup with Rice” lists the meal as top tier for every month of the year. The special was a great success, added to the American Library Association’s Notable Children’s Videos in 1976 and expanded into an off-Broadway production with designs by Sendak on October 14, 1980. It ran for 274 performances. If you are a fan of Carole King, Sendak, or interested in children’s music, Really Rosie is an incredible case study for the rapid development of music education specials in the 1970s.