Written by | Jeff Moss |
Date | 1970 |
Publisher | Festival Attractions, Inc. |
EKA | Episode 0153 |
"I Love Trash" is Oscar the Grouch's signature song.
It was first sung in Sesame Street Season 1. The song was retaped several times as the Oscar puppet evolved.
In episode 3638, Oscar sang a variation of this song "Grouches Love Trash" to his niece Irvine. In episode 3891 his old friend Felix the Grouch sang a variation called "I Love Cleaning" while Oscar sang "I Love Trash." Yet another variation occurs when Oscar's trash can was grown to a larger size and the lyrics were adjusted to accommodate (a clip can be seen in Sesame Street All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever!).
Oscar sang this song in Here Come the Puppets!, accompanied by Bruno the Trashman on rollerskates. Oscar also sang the song during an appearance on The Bonnie Hunt Show.
K.d. lang sang this song when she guest starred in The Jim Henson Hour episode about Garbage.
Grover, Telly and Zoe each sing a verse of the song (with changed lyrics to suit their interests) in the CD-ROM game, The Three Grouchketeers.
Steven Tyler recorded a new version for the album release of Elmopalooza.
A brief portion of the song was also sung by a group of socks in Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic, during Oscar's imagination sequence where Sesame Street is turned into a vast garbage dump.
On Plaza Sésamo, a Multimonstruo, who loves trash, performed a rock version of this song.
At the Jim Henson's Musical World concert on April 14, 2012, Elmo, Ernie, Bert, Cookie Monster, Gordon, Bob, Susan, Leela, Gina, Alan and Maria performed the song.
Stephen Colbert, Big Bird, and Oscar sang a portion of the song on The Colbert Report.
Trash mentioned
- A sneaker that's tattered and worn. It's all full of holes and the laces are torn. Given to Oscar as a newborn baby by his mother.
- Some newspaper 13 months old with smelly, old fish wrapped inside.
- A clock that won't work
- An old telephone
- A broken umbrella
- A rusty trombone
Versions
- (EKA: Episode 0153)
- (EKA: Episode 0291)
- (EKA: Episode 2980)
- Episode 3612
- Episode 3815
- Episode 3959
- Episode 3891
Releases
- Audio
- The Sesame Street Book & Record (1970)
- Goin' for a Ride/I Love Trash (single, 1970)
- I Love Trash/Up and Down (single, 1970)
- Let a Frown Be Your Umbrella (album) (1974)
- Sing the Hit Songs of Sesame Street (1974)
- 60 Favorite Songs from Sesame Street (1975)
- 25 Greatest Hits (1975)
- I Love Trash/Grouch's Lullaby (single, 1976)
- 10th Anniversary Album (1978)
- Muppet Masquerade (1978)
- The Best of Oscar the Grouch (1983)
- My Record (1983)
- We Are All Earthlings (1993)
- Sesame Street Celebrates! (1994)
- Platinum All-Time Favorites (1995)
- Oscar's Trashy Songs (1997)
- Sesame Street Best (1997)
- Elmopalooza! (1998, performed by Steven Tyler)
- The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999, performed by Steven Tyler)
- Songs from the Street (2003, both Oscar and Steven Tyler versions)
- Valentine's Collection (2012)
- V is for Valentine (2014, Steven Tyler cover)
- Video (1969 version)
- Old School: Volume 1 (2006)
- 40 Years of Sunny Days (2009)
- Video (1973 version)
- Video (1991 version)
- Sesame Street: 25 Wonderful Years (1993, beginning edited)
- The World of Jim Henson (1994, brief clip only)
- Best of Friends (2012)
- Video (other versions)
- Elmopalooza (1998, Chorus only)
- Elmo in Grouchland: Sing and Play (1999, "Grouches Love Trash" version with animated on-screen lyrics)
- Online (1991 version)
- Publications
- The Songs of Sesame Street in Poems and Pictures (1983)
- The Sesame Street Song Book (1971, 1992 and 2007 editions)
- Sesame Street Unpaved (1998, lyrics and pictures from 1991 version)
- The Reader's Digest Children's Songbook (1986)
- Sesame Street Songbook Vol. 1
- Songs of Sesame Street (1977)
- The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999)