Man, kids’ entertainment used to be so much… Edgier. Creepier. Just plain weirder. I’m currently obsessing over “The Cannibal Song”, a insanely catchy little ditty from Walt Disney’s Addition And Subtraction.
This was an educational record from 1963, and the song is a variation on the basic “Ten Little Indians” form (see examples here), counting down from ten to one.
Anyhow, it’s a pretty amazing listen. It’s performed by Thurl Ravenscroft (veteran of uncountable TV shows/films/cartoons/voiceovers/records, and probably best known as the booming voice of “You’re A Mean One Mr. Grinch”), with added narration and assistance from Cliff Edwards (in his hallmark role of Jiminy Cricket). There’s a nice little marimba/vibraphone riff to open the song, and then… Well, then the lyrics kick in. And ten cute little vine-swinging cannibals get knocked off in various colorful ways to illustrate the concept of “subtracting by one”. It’s dark and twisted, and pretty marvelous.
Oh, and best of all? It (and the entire album) is is available for download
on Amazon! So now you too can thrill to this wonderful tune, sing along to the bloodshed, and use it to warp future generations in the name of mathematical preparation.
There’s a copy of this out in my parents garage somewhere. More than once in my life Thurl’s voice resounded in my head: “Knowing six and one must both add up to something…I know that you are smart, not dumb…By gum, let’s have some fun!” Jiminy Cricket butts in, “You’re right!” Thurl booms, “SEVEN IS THE SUM!”
Uh, it’s the admonition, “I know that you are smart, not dumb!” that I wish I could emphasize, but all that “Gawrsh”-ing on the part of Jiminy and the thrummm of the bass viol clutters my head too.
I love the Cannibal Song and would listed to it over and over and over and over …. well, you get the picture! I am now trying to find it in MP3 form to teach my stepdaughters. I have the album but no record player!!!
It’s not on Amazon any longer, but here’s the itunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/addition-and-subtraction/id257520003 (and the itunes link for the companion ‘Multiplication/Division” album: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/multiplication-and-division/id257520041 )