List of Schoolhouse Rock! episodes

The following is a list of the 64 episodes of the Schoolhouse Rock! series.[1][2]

Series overview

Season No. of
episodes
Premiered: Ended:
Multiplication Rock 11 1973 1973
Grammar Rock 9 1973 1993
America Rock 12 1975 2008
Science Rock 9 1978 1979
Computer Rock 4 1982 1984
Money Rock 8 1994 1996
Earth Rock 11 2009 2009

Songs

Multiplication Rock

Ep No Title Sung by: Written by: Original air date
1"Three Is a Magic Number"Bob DoroughBob DoroughJanuary 6, 1973
The pilot episode of the series, a magician shows how magic the multiplication of 3 really is. This song was voted #7 on the 30th anniversary DVD's Top 46.
2"My Hero, Zero"Bob DoroughBob DoroughJanuary 13, 1973
A young boy portrayed as a superhero (later redesigned as "Schoolhouse Rocky," the franchise mascot), shows his skeptical older sister the importance of the digit 0 as well as multiplication by powers of 10. This song was voted #11 on the 30th Anniversary DVD's Top 46.
3"Elementary, My Dear"Bob DoroughBob DoroughJanuary 20, 1973
The multiplication of 2 is taught in the context of the story of Noah's Ark. This song was voted #17 on the 30th Anniversary DVD's Top 46.
4"The Four-Legged Zoo"Bob DoroughBob DoroughJanuary 27, 1973
A teacher (Miss Simpson) takes her class to the zoo where they use the animals (alpacas, ibexes, kudus, etc.) to learn the multiplication of 4. This song was #31 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
5"Ready or Not, Here I Come"Bob DoroughBob DoroughFebruary 3, 1973
It teaches about the multiplication of 5 through a game of hide and seek, in which the seeker counts by fives. This song was voted #16 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
6"I Got Six"Grady TateBob DoroughFebruary 10, 1973
This is the first to feature a black person as the main character of the series. It teaches about the multiplication of 6 with visits to the neighborhood candy store, a restaurant, and an African prince. This song was voted #33 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
7"Lucky Seven Sampson"Bob DoroughBob DoroughFebruary 17, 1973
Lucky Seven Sampson is a lucky but mischievous rabbit with the number 7 stamped on the bottom of his right foot and a black circle around his left eye. He teaches kids from Public School #7 about the multiplication of 7. This song was voted #35 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
8"Figure Eight"Blossom DearieBob DoroughFebruary 24, 1973
A young girl's thoughts about the multiplication of 8 revolve around winter games, particularly ice skating. This song was voted the 12th best song on the 30th Anniversary DVD's Top 46.
9"Naughty Number Nine"Grady TateBob DoroughMarch 3, 1973
It teaches about the multiplication of 9 during a cat-and-mouse version of billiards featuring a large anthropomorphic feline pool hustler (possibly inspired by Minnesota Fats). Despite the blatant tobacco-smoking reference in which "Number Nine" puffs a cigar, the song never received any censorship or removal from rerun rotation and continued to air, with no known complaints, well after the depiction of smoking in children's television was banned (though ABC did complain about the depiction of smoking back in the 1970s, until they realized that Naughty Number Nine was the villain and allowed it). This song was voted the 21st best song on the 30th anniversary edition.
10"The Good Eleven"Bob DoroughBob DoroughMarch 24, 1973
Winged angels take us through the multiplication of 11 while continuously bumping into the number 10. This song was voted #36 on the Anniversary DVD Top 46.
11"Little Twelvetoes"Bob DoroughBob DoroughMarch 31, 1973
A friendly alien (Little Twelvetoes) visits a country boy and teaches him about the multiplication of 12 and briefly discusses the still-uncommon duodecimal system. This song was voted #38 on the Anniversary DVD Top 46.

Grammar Rock

Ep No Title Sung by: Written by: Original air date
1"A Noun Is A Person, Place Or Thing"Lynn AhrensLynn AhrensSeptember 15, 1973
This was the first song that Lynn Ahrens did for the series. It teaches about nouns through the adventures of a young short-skirted girl. This song was voted #9 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
2"Verb: That's What's Happening"Zachary SandersBob DoroughSeptember 22, 1973
A song of the same topic was proposed by Dave Frishberg, but denied. The song, a parody of Shaft and other blaxploitation films and songs, features a young boy who learns about verbs from a movie starring his favorite superhero, Verb. This song was voted the 24th best song on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
3"Conjunction Junction"Terry Morel,
Jack Sheldon
Bob DoroughNovember 17, 1973
This song marked Jack Sheldon's debut in the series and was voted the #1 best song from the Top 33 on the 30th Anniversary DVD. In a railyard, a train conductor shows us how conjunctions work by hooking up boxcars with one of three conjunction boxcars: AND, BUT and OR.
4"Interjections!"Essra MohawkLynn AhrensFebruary 23, 1974
This song teaches about interjections through three stories: an ill child reacting to a shot of medication, a woman rejecting a suitor's advances, and a group of irate fans shouting non-obscene words in response to an interception at a football game. The songs chorus is sung in a style reminiscent of the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah. This song was voted #5 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
5"Unpack Your Adjectives"Blossom DearieGeorge NewallMarch 2, 1974
A young girl and her turtle friend go camping in the forest, using adjectives to describe people, places and things they encounter. This episode is best known for the scene where a tall girl stomps on a small boy because he wont stop laughing at how tall she grew. This song was voted the 14th best song on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
6"Lolly, Lolly, Lolly Get Your Adverbs Here"Bob DoroughBob DoroughApril 13, 1974
The use of adverbs is presented by the Lolly family, owners of a store that sells adverbs. Bob Dorough provides the voices of all three generations of Lollys at various speeds. This song was voted #3 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
7"Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla"Jack SheldonBob Dorough,
Kathy Mandry
April 24, 1976
Pronouns are stressed by a trio with long names: Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla, his sister Rafaela Gabriela Sarsaparilla and their friend (and narrator) Albert Andreas Armadillo, along with their pets consisting of a kangaroo, an aardvark and a rhinoceros. This song was voted #15 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
8"Busy Prepositions"Bob Dorough,
Jack Sheldon
Bob DoroughOctober 24, 1993
A horde of working ants called "The Busy P's" teach about prepositions while on the job. This song was voted #37 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
9"The Tale Of Mr. Morton"Jack SheldonLynn AhrensDecember, 1993

This song teaches about subjects and predicates, discussing the various activities of the titular character, who is courting his neighbor.

This song was voted #34 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.

America Rock

Ep No Title Sung by: Written by: Original air date
1"No More Kings"Lynn AhrensLynn AhrensSeptember 20, 1975
This song teaches about the pilgrims settling in America up to the Boston Tea Party (excluding the Boston Massacre). This song was voted #13 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 25.
2"Fireworks"Grady TateLynn AhrensJuly 3, 1976
This song teaches about The Declaration of Independence. This song was voted #27 on the Anniversary DVD Top 46.
3"The Shot Heard Round The World"Bob DoroughBob DoroughOctober 18, 1975
This song teaches about the American Revolution. This song was voted #10 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
4"The Preamble"Lynn AhrensLynn AhrensNovember 1, 1975
This song teaches about the opening to the United States Constitution, with its preamble set to music. When writing this song, they had to remove a small section of the preamble to make the song rhyme. This song was voted the 6th best song on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
5"Sufferin' Till Suffrage"Essra MohawkBob Dorough,
Tom Yohe
February 21, 1976
This song teaches about the steps women took to get their right to vote. This song was voted #25 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46
6"I'm Just A Bill"Jack Sheldon,
John Sheldon
Dave FrishbergMarch 27, 1976
This song teaches about the steps a bill takes to get made into a law, sung from the perspective of the bill itself, who sings a melancholy tune about being stuck in committee; the bill is signed into law at the end of the song. This song was voted #2 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
7"The Great American Melting Pot"Lori LiebermanLynn AhrensMay 1, 1976
This song teaches about Immigration in America. This song was voted #19 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
8"Elbow Room"Sue ManchesterLynn AhrensMay 22, 1976
This song teaches about Westward Expansion, or moving south and west from the 13 original colonies. This song was voted the 46th best song on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
9"Mother Necessity"Bob Dorough,
Blossom Dearie,
Essra Mohawk,
Jack Sheldon
Bob DoroughJuly 10, 1976
This song teaches about the great American inventions, all depicted as being created as a result of a need for the inventors' mothers. This song was voted #20 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
10"Three Ring Government"Lynn AhrensBob DoroughMarch 13, 1979
Debuted during season 4. This song teaches about the branches of the United States Government, using a three-ring circus as a model. This song was voted #29 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
11"I'm Gonna Send Your Vote To College"Jack Sheldon,
Bob Dorough
Bob Dorough,
George Newall
2002
This song teaches about electoral college.
12"Presidential Minute"Jack SheldonGeorge R. Newall,
Tom Yohe Jr.
2008
This song teaches about voting for president.

Science Rock

Ep No Title Sung by: Written by: Original air date
1"A Victim Of Gravity"The TokensLynn AhrensSeptember 16, 1978
This song teaches about the universal law of gravity and is performed by the Tokens in the style of 1950s doo-wop (an era made popular at the time by films such as Grease and TV series such as Happy Days). This song was voted #26 on the Anniversary DVD Top 46.
2"Interplanet Janet"Lynn AhrensLynn AhrensNovember 18, 1978
This song teaches about our solar system, as explored by the titular character, an extraterrestrial character with a rocket tail, wings and a humanoid head who explores the solar system, meant to represent a comet. Similar to the later Computer Rock series, Interplanet Janet has since become outdated, due to Pluto being included as the farthest planet from the sun, though its placement in the song could allow for it to be easily be edited out without any inconsistencies. (Pluto was closer to the sun than Neptune between 1979 and 1999; it was subsequently reclassified as a dwarf planet upon the discovery of similarly-sized Eris in 2006, long after the series left television; it should be noted that Pluto's reclassification was not universally accepted by the public.) This song was voted #8 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
3"The Body Machine"Bob Dorough,
Jack Sheldon
Lynn AhrensJanuary 13, 1979
This song teaches about our bodies' digestive process and nutritional needs. This song was voted #30 on the Anniversary DVD Top 46.
4"Do The Circulation"Oshie Armstead,
Mary Sue Barry,
Maeretha Stewart
Lynn AhrensMarch 10, 1979
This song teaches about our bodies' circulatory system. This song was voted #28 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
5"The Energy Blues"Jack SheldonGeorge NewallMarch 27, 1979
This song teaches about the history of energy production and consumption in the world, and raises concerns about the environment and future energy crises. It is sung from the perspective of an anthropomorphic Planet Earth itself. This song was voted #32 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
6"Them Not So Dry Bones"Jack SheldonGeorge NewallMay 5, 1979
This song teaches about the human skeleton; the song is based on the traditional song "Dem Bones." This song was voted the 23rd best song on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
7"Electricity, Electricity"Zachary SandersBob DoroughMay 19, 1979
This song teaches about the use of electricity and the concepts (such as voltage and current) behind it. This song was voted #4 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
8"Telegraph Line"Jaime Aff,
Christine Langner
Lynn AhrensJune 30, 1979
This song teaches about the human nervous system, portrayed as a deliverer of telegrams to people who either hurt themselves or, in one case, get stage fright. This song was voted the 22nd best song on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
9"The Weather Show"Bob KalibanLynn AhrensJuly 14, 1979
This song teaches about weather. This song ran into controversy with its original name The Greatest Show on Earth because that name was trademarked by the circus Ringling Bros – Barnum and Bailey, and as such, the show was pulled from rotation, not airing during the 1990s revival (although appearing on several VHS "Science Rock" editions) and being declared a "lost episode" on the DVD release.

Computer Rock

Ep No Title Sung by: Written by: Original air date
1"Introduction"Darrell Stern,
Bob Kaliban
Bob Dorough,
Lynn Ahrens,
Tom Yohe
1982
This song teaches about the computer, introducing the recurring characters Scooter Computer and Mr. Chips. (This episode was left off the DVD release, reportedly due to ABC losing the master tape. Darrell Stern preserved a copy on VHS and posted it to YouTube.)
2"Software & Hardware (Some People Assume)"Darrell Stern,
Bob Kaliban
Lynn Ahrens1982
This song teaches about your computer's software and hardware.
3"Think Computer"Darrell Stern,
Bob Kaliban
Dave Frishberg1983
This song teaches about thinking about computers.
4"Number Cruncher"Darrell Stern,
Bob Kaliban
Dave Frishberg1984
This song teaches about how a computer does math.

Money Rock

Ep No Title Sung by: Written by: Original air date
1"Dollars And Sense"Bob Dorough,
Val Hawk
Dave Frishberg1994
An aspiring country musician consults a banker on how to raise enough money to buy the equipment she needs to become a star; the banker introduces her to the banking system, suggesting a savings account that will earn interest, or a loan with a 10 percent interest rate. This song was voted #18 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
2"Tax Man Max"Patrick QuinnLynn Ahrens,
Stephen Flaherty
1995
This song teaches about taxes, explaining how they are collected and how the revenue from those taxes is used. It is performed at Broadway. This song was voted #39 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
3"$7.50 Once A Week"Dave FrishbergDave Frishberg1995
A kid with a $7.50 weekly allowance has spent all of it far quicker than he wanted to; the song explores the concept of budgeting, showing the various ways the kid could have spent less money over the course of his week. This song was voted #42 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
4"Where The Money Goes"Jack SheldonRich Mendoza1995
A father explains to his son the numerous expenses a family incurs. This song was voted #43 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
5"Tyrannosaurus Debt"Bob Dorough,
Bob Kaliban
Tom Yohe1996
The song is a discussion of the continuous increases in the United States national debt, which is portrayed as an ever-growing Tyrannosaurus rex. This song was voted #40 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
6"Walkin' On Wall Street"Dave FrishbergDave Frishberg1996
A pigeon, who lives on Wall Street, also happens to be a savvy investor in the stock market, introducing to the audience the basics of investing in stock. This song was voted #44 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
7"This For That"Bob DoroughGeorge Newall1996
This song teaches about the history of barter and trading as well as the evolution of the money supply throughout history. This song was voted #41 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.
8"The Check's In The Mail"Luther RixBob Dorough1996
This song teaches about the process a check goes through. This song was voted #45 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 46.

Earth Rock

Ep No Title Sung by: Written by: Original air date
1"Report from the North Pole"Bob Dorough,
Jack Sheldon,
Bob Kaliban,
Barry Carl
Bob Dorough,
George R. Newall
2009
This song teaches about global warming.
2"The Little Things We Do"Lynn Ahrens,
Jack Sheldon,
Bob Dorough,
Bob Kaliban,
Val Hawk,
Vicki Doney,
Nancy Reed
Lynn Ahrens2009
This song teaches about energy conservation.
3"The Trash Can Band"Lynn Ahrens,
Luther Rix,
Bob Dorough,
Eric Weissberg
Lynn Ahrens2009
This song teaches about recycling.
4"You Oughta Be Savin' Water"Barry Carl,
Sean Altman,
Elliott Kerman
Sean Altman,
Barry Carl,
George R. Newall
2009
This song is about water conservation.
5"The Rainforest"Tituss BurgessLynn Ahrens2009
This song is about rainforests.
6"Save the Ocean"Sean Altman,
Inna Dukach,
Jon Spurney,
Patti Rothberg,
Barry Carl,
Eric Booker
Sean Altman2009
This song is about oceans.
7"Fat Cat Blue: The Clean Rivers Song"Jack Sheldon,
Bob Kaliban,
Val Hawk,
Vicki Doney,
Nancy Reed
Andy Brick2009
This song is about marine debris.
8"A Tiny Urban Zoo"Barrett Foa,
Shoshana Bean,
George Stiles
Anthony Drewe,
George Stiles
2009
This song is about gardens.
9"Solar Power to the People"Lynn Ahrens,
Val Hawk,
Vicki Doney,
Nancy Reed
Lynn Ahrens2009
This song is about solar energy.
10"Windy and the Windmills"Bob Dorough,
Jack Sheldon,
Val Hawk,
Vicki Doney,
Nancy Reed
Bob Dorough,
George R. Newall
2009
This song is about wind power.
11"Don't Be a Carbon Sasquatch"Bob DoroughBob Dorough2009
This song is about the carbon footprint.

2002 30th Anniversary Countdown

To coincide with the 30th anniversary, Walt Disney released a VHS featuring the top 25 songs of the series. The countdown-which was succeeded by I'm Gonna Send Your Vote to College-ran as follows, in reverse order:

  1. Conjunction Junction
  2. I'm Just A Bill
  3. Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Get Your Adverbs Here
  4. Electricity, Electricity!
  5. Interjections!
  6. The Preamble
  7. Three Is A Magic Number
  8. Interplanet Janet
  9. A Noun Is A Person, Place, Or Thing
  10. The Shot Heard 'Round The World
  11. My Hero, Zero
  12. Figure Eight
  13. No More Kings
  14. Unpack Your Adjectives
  15. Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla
  16. Ready Or Not, Here I Come
  17. Elementary, My Dear
  18. Dollars and Sense
  19. The Great American Melting Pot
  20. Mother Necessity
  21. Naughty Number Nine
  22. Telegraph Line
  23. Them Not-So-Dry Bones
  24. Verb: That's What Happening
  25. Elbow Room

Notes

  1. "History of Schoolhouse Rock". School House Rock. 2008. Archived from the original on June 28, 2008. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
  2. Mackey, Dave (August 29, 2002). "Dave Mackey's Guide To Schoolhouse Rock". Dave Mackey Dot Com. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
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