Sesame Street Rocked...Some of the Time
A few days ago I found the Smokey Robinson "U Really Got a Hold on Me" video from Sesame Street on YouTube. Unfortunately, as a child, there were only two things that scared me more than that clip. One was a nightmare I used to have in which there was a short fat man and a tall skinny man wearing penguin suits and top hats standing in the middle of a white background screaming. One had a high pitched voice and the other had a very low voice and they'd just go "eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek" and "eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer" respectively. The other thing that scared me was nothing because I was a pretty fearless child.
Anyway, in the Smokey Robinson video, Smokey Robinson stood in the middle of nowhere with a black background singing his song, "You Really Got a Hold on Me" while being attacked by a humongous letter U. I wasn't commitment phobic at the time, I was just the product of two independent parents and couldn't stand the idea of being clung to. By anyone. Ever.
While watching this clip on YouTube, I was freakishly reminded of someone I dated once. Every time I thought that for the sake of being in a relationship I would give and let him say things that made me feel uncomfortable (the list included and was limited to "I miss you"), he would demand more. It wasn't enough for me to stomach his "I miss you"s, I had to respond in kind. Etc. He wasn't for me.
My point in writing this is that until recently, I never thought about this video. Also, until recently, when I did think about this video, I thought I was alone in my sentiment that the U was a scary stalker. But alas, I am not alone. I wrote on the YouTube comment board, "This video cost me hours of sleep as a child. There was nothing I found more frightening. I guess I was always commitment phobic. :)" Which wasn't necessarily true because I did find something more frightening (see above), but it was irrelevant at that point. Over the course of four days, people responded with: "You too, man? For about two weeks, I could not sleep with the lights completely out, I was SO terrified that the big letter U would come running out of the nearby closet to get me. OMG(SHUDDER)." And "You're not alone guys. I used to be really freaked out of this clip when I first saw it. I was only 3. But now I can say is after 20 years of being scared of this clip, my trauma is cured." And such inarticulate comments as, "When I was little I thought that U was the most annoying think ever and it use to get me real fustrated. I was like that hinm go what are you thinking and even now when I watch I still get a little fustrated." And lastly, "This segment used to scare the crap out of me. OMG THE GIANT U IS GOING TO KILL HIM IT'S KILLING HIM SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING"
But why am I forming your opinion for you? Watch the video and you will see.
Anyway, in the Smokey Robinson video, Smokey Robinson stood in the middle of nowhere with a black background singing his song, "You Really Got a Hold on Me" while being attacked by a humongous letter U. I wasn't commitment phobic at the time, I was just the product of two independent parents and couldn't stand the idea of being clung to. By anyone. Ever.
While watching this clip on YouTube, I was freakishly reminded of someone I dated once. Every time I thought that for the sake of being in a relationship I would give and let him say things that made me feel uncomfortable (the list included and was limited to "I miss you"), he would demand more. It wasn't enough for me to stomach his "I miss you"s, I had to respond in kind. Etc. He wasn't for me.
My point in writing this is that until recently, I never thought about this video. Also, until recently, when I did think about this video, I thought I was alone in my sentiment that the U was a scary stalker. But alas, I am not alone. I wrote on the YouTube comment board, "This video cost me hours of sleep as a child. There was nothing I found more frightening. I guess I was always commitment phobic. :)" Which wasn't necessarily true because I did find something more frightening (see above), but it was irrelevant at that point. Over the course of four days, people responded with: "You too, man? For about two weeks, I could not sleep with the lights completely out, I was SO terrified that the big letter U would come running out of the nearby closet to get me. OMG(SHUDDER)." And "You're not alone guys. I used to be really freaked out of this clip when I first saw it. I was only 3. But now I can say is after 20 years of being scared of this clip, my trauma is cured." And such inarticulate comments as, "When I was little I thought that U was the most annoying think ever and it use to get me real fustrated. I was like that hinm go what are you thinking and even now when I watch I still get a little fustrated." And lastly, "This segment used to scare the crap out of me. OMG THE GIANT U IS GOING TO KILL HIM IT'S KILLING HIM SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING"
But why am I forming your opinion for you? Watch the video and you will see.
Labels: music videos, provided in part by the letter U, tales from 932
posted by BrownsvilleGirl at 2:54 PM
see i was so excited when i saw the title bc as you know im obsessed with sesame street. i happen to remember this clip but i wasn't scared of it; in fact my overactive imagination took over and i started having daydreams about the secret lives of large multi-colored letters. i still daydream about it from time to time...imagine the possibilities
holy shit; i thought i was the only one. used to make me scream bloody murder every time.