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Monster in the Mirror
Cunard: creation with sources from here
"'''Monster in the Mirror'''" is a song performed by [[Grover]], a [[The Muppets|Muppet]] character from the [[PBS]] television series ''[[Sesame Street]]''. Copyrighted in 1989, the song was composed by [[Christopher Cerf (producer)|Christopher Cerf]] and [[Norman Stiles]].
In the song, Grover first sees a monster in the mirror before realizing the monster is himself. That theme is a repeat from the 1971 book ''[[The Monster at the End of This Book: Starring Lovable, Furry Old Grover]]'', in which Grover ultimately realizes he is that monster at the end of the book. A music video for the song premiered in 1991 in the television special ''[[Big Bird's Birthday Celebration]]''. The video featured 25 celebrities including [[Ray Charles]], [[Robin Williams]], [[Whoopi Goldberg]], [[Julia Roberts]], and ''[[The Simpsons]]'' characters.
==History==
"Monster in the Mirror" was composed by [[Christopher Cerf (producer)|Christopher Cerf]] and [[Norman Stiles]] and copyrighted in 1989.<ref name="Jackson1990">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref><ref name="Guensberg2015-03-27">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> [[Dulcy Singer]], the executive producer of ''[[Sesame Street]]'', said in a 1990 interview with [[United Press International]] that the song is about Grover's noticing a monster in the mirror before figuring out the monster is himself. The song revisits a theme in the 1971 book ''[[The Monster at the End of This Book: Starring Lovable, Furry Old Grover]]'', where Grover, saying "I'm so embarrassed!", realizes he is that monster at the end of the book.<ref name="Hanauer1990-11-12">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref>
Directed by Laura Di Trapani and produced by [[Jim Blashfield]],<ref name="1990-07-20">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> a music video accompanying the song premiered at a skating rink at [[New York City]]'s [[Central Park]] in March 1991 for the television special ''[[Big Bird's Birthday Celebration]]''.<ref name="1991-03-10">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> The music video featured 25 celebrities<ref name="1991-03-13">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> including [[Robin Williams]],<ref name="Solimine1996-11-15">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> [[Candice Bergen]],<ref name="Solimine1996-11-15"/> [[Whoopi Goldberg]],<ref name="Solimine1996-11-15"/> [[Julia Roberts]],<ref name="Solimine1996-11-15"/> ''[[The Simpsons]]'' characters,<ref name="Solimine1996-11-15"/> [[Ray Charles]],<ref name="Zurawik1996-11-17">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> [[Chubby Checker]],<ref name="Jackson1990"/> [[Tyne Daly]],<ref name="Jackson1990"/> [[Bo Jackson]],<ref name="Jackson1990"/> [[Glenn Close]],<ref name="1990-11-01">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> [[Lou Diamond Phillips]],<ref name="1990-11-01"/> [[Malcolm-Jamal Warner]],<ref name="1990-11-01"/> [[Jeff Goldblum]],<ref name="1990-11-01"/> [[Geena Davis]],<ref name="1990-11-01"/> [[Tracey Ullman]],<ref name="1990-11-01"/> [[Tim Robbins]],<ref name="1990-11-01"/> [[Kadeem Hardison]],<ref name="1990-11-01"/> [[Jeff Smith (chef)|Jeff Smith]],<ref name="1990-11-01"/> [[Robert MacNeil]],<ref name="1990-11-01"/> and [[Charlayne Hunter-Gault]].<ref name="1990-11-01"/>
The song appeared in the 1993 video ''[[Sesame Street: 25 Wonderful Years|Sesame Street's 25th Birthday: A Musical Celebration]]''.<ref name="Kid'sFirst1999"></ref> "Monster in the Mirror" was one of the songs in the 1995 album "Sesame Street: Platinum All-Time Favorites"<ref name="Guensberg2015-03-27"/> and the 2003 album ''Songs from the Street: 35 Years of Music''.<ref name="O'Hara2003-09-10"></ref>
One of the song's refrains is "Wubba Wubba Woo".<ref name="Zurawik1996-11-17"/> In September 2002, [[First Lady of the United States|First Lady]] [[Laura Bush]] appeared on ''[[Sesame Street]]'' and read a book called ''Wubba, Wubba, Woo!'' to [[Big Bird]], [[Elmo]], and several children to promote children's literacy.<ref name="Moore2002-09-20">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref><ref name="2009-11-07">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref><ref name=">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref>
==Analysis==
Maureen Turim in the 2000 book ''Psychoanalyses / Feminisms'' wrote that the song is about a baby happening upon a monster in the mirror. After a few of the song's verses, the monster's intense stare becomes less fierce. Turim said that the verses move from "the [[transliteration]] of [[babytalk]]" ("Wabba wabba wabba wabba woo woo woo") to "recognizable English [[phenome]]s" ("I will wabba you and you will wabba me"). She interpreted the latter verse as being babytalk for "I will love you if you will love me". She wrote that "Violence, proxemics, and touch are hinted at when the monster's 'wabba' seems to become meaningfully transitive and even aggressive, sounding like a threatening 'rubba'."<ref name="Turim2000">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref>
The music video accompanying the song features a collection of scenes from [[popular culture]] in television. The scenes are not only from PBS shows or children's shows but also from shows for older viewers. Turim said that one interpretation of this is that ''Sesame Street'' is telling viewers "This is you, your mirror, your culture, never first or last, but in one looping, eternally present surround. This is how you will learn to see, to speak, to move, and to love—watch and learn".<ref name="Turim2000"/>
In the 2008 book ''Monster Boss'', Patricia King wrote in a chapter titled "The Monster in Your Mirror: You're Scaring Your Employees" that Grover "croons about how he tamed the monster in the mirror with kindness". She said that [[manager]]s can sometimes be both "a monster boss's victim" and "some other victim's monster boss". King concluded that "Grover's song has a point. In good management practice, kindness is a good place to start."<ref name="King2008">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref>
Maria Bartholdi in [[Twin Cities PBS]]'s ''Rewire'' website called "Monster in the Mirror" one of the "Top 10 Greatest Sesame Street Musical Moments" and said "It is impossible not to dance to this catchy number!" She said the song has "the deeper message of being the change you'd like to see in the world".<ref name="Bartholdi2014-03-24">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> [[David Zurawik]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' called the "Monster in the Mirror" "unforgettable" because of the "Wubba, wubba, wubba, wubba, woo" chorus and the celebrity music video "the happiest two minutes of film that I've ever seen".<ref name="Zurawik1996-11-17"/> David Whitehouse of ''[[The Guardian]]'' said "Monster in the Mirror" gave viewers "the classic Ray Charles duet with the Cookie Monster".<ref name="Whitehouse2007-06-02">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref>
==References==
==External links==
* (1991 celebrity version)
* (2017 animated version)
[[Category:1989 songs]]
[[Category:Sesame Street songs]]
In the song, Grover first sees a monster in the mirror before realizing the monster is himself. That theme is a repeat from the 1971 book ''[[The Monster at the End of This Book: Starring Lovable, Furry Old Grover]]'', in which Grover ultimately realizes he is that monster at the end of the book. A music video for the song premiered in 1991 in the television special ''[[Big Bird's Birthday Celebration]]''. The video featured 25 celebrities including [[Ray Charles]], [[Robin Williams]], [[Whoopi Goldberg]], [[Julia Roberts]], and ''[[The Simpsons]]'' characters.
==History==
"Monster in the Mirror" was composed by [[Christopher Cerf (producer)|Christopher Cerf]] and [[Norman Stiles]] and copyrighted in 1989.<ref name="Jackson1990">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref><ref name="Guensberg2015-03-27">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> [[Dulcy Singer]], the executive producer of ''[[Sesame Street]]'', said in a 1990 interview with [[United Press International]] that the song is about Grover's noticing a monster in the mirror before figuring out the monster is himself. The song revisits a theme in the 1971 book ''[[The Monster at the End of This Book: Starring Lovable, Furry Old Grover]]'', where Grover, saying "I'm so embarrassed!", realizes he is that monster at the end of the book.<ref name="Hanauer1990-11-12">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref>
Directed by Laura Di Trapani and produced by [[Jim Blashfield]],<ref name="1990-07-20">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> a music video accompanying the song premiered at a skating rink at [[New York City]]'s [[Central Park]] in March 1991 for the television special ''[[Big Bird's Birthday Celebration]]''.<ref name="1991-03-10">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> The music video featured 25 celebrities<ref name="1991-03-13">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> including [[Robin Williams]],<ref name="Solimine1996-11-15">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> [[Candice Bergen]],<ref name="Solimine1996-11-15"/> [[Whoopi Goldberg]],<ref name="Solimine1996-11-15"/> [[Julia Roberts]],<ref name="Solimine1996-11-15"/> ''[[The Simpsons]]'' characters,<ref name="Solimine1996-11-15"/> [[Ray Charles]],<ref name="Zurawik1996-11-17">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> [[Chubby Checker]],<ref name="Jackson1990"/> [[Tyne Daly]],<ref name="Jackson1990"/> [[Bo Jackson]],<ref name="Jackson1990"/> [[Glenn Close]],<ref name="1990-11-01">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> [[Lou Diamond Phillips]],<ref name="1990-11-01"/> [[Malcolm-Jamal Warner]],<ref name="1990-11-01"/> [[Jeff Goldblum]],<ref name="1990-11-01"/> [[Geena Davis]],<ref name="1990-11-01"/> [[Tracey Ullman]],<ref name="1990-11-01"/> [[Tim Robbins]],<ref name="1990-11-01"/> [[Kadeem Hardison]],<ref name="1990-11-01"/> [[Jeff Smith (chef)|Jeff Smith]],<ref name="1990-11-01"/> [[Robert MacNeil]],<ref name="1990-11-01"/> and [[Charlayne Hunter-Gault]].<ref name="1990-11-01"/>
The song appeared in the 1993 video ''[[Sesame Street: 25 Wonderful Years|Sesame Street's 25th Birthday: A Musical Celebration]]''.<ref name="Kid'sFirst1999"></ref> "Monster in the Mirror" was one of the songs in the 1995 album "Sesame Street: Platinum All-Time Favorites"<ref name="Guensberg2015-03-27"/> and the 2003 album ''Songs from the Street: 35 Years of Music''.<ref name="O'Hara2003-09-10"></ref>
One of the song's refrains is "Wubba Wubba Woo".<ref name="Zurawik1996-11-17"/> In September 2002, [[First Lady of the United States|First Lady]] [[Laura Bush]] appeared on ''[[Sesame Street]]'' and read a book called ''Wubba, Wubba, Woo!'' to [[Big Bird]], [[Elmo]], and several children to promote children's literacy.<ref name="Moore2002-09-20">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref><ref name="2009-11-07">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref><ref name=">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref>
==Analysis==
Maureen Turim in the 2000 book ''Psychoanalyses / Feminisms'' wrote that the song is about a baby happening upon a monster in the mirror. After a few of the song's verses, the monster's intense stare becomes less fierce. Turim said that the verses move from "the [[transliteration]] of [[babytalk]]" ("Wabba wabba wabba wabba woo woo woo") to "recognizable English [[phenome]]s" ("I will wabba you and you will wabba me"). She interpreted the latter verse as being babytalk for "I will love you if you will love me". She wrote that "Violence, proxemics, and touch are hinted at when the monster's 'wabba' seems to become meaningfully transitive and even aggressive, sounding like a threatening 'rubba'."<ref name="Turim2000">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref>
The music video accompanying the song features a collection of scenes from [[popular culture]] in television. The scenes are not only from PBS shows or children's shows but also from shows for older viewers. Turim said that one interpretation of this is that ''Sesame Street'' is telling viewers "This is you, your mirror, your culture, never first or last, but in one looping, eternally present surround. This is how you will learn to see, to speak, to move, and to love—watch and learn".<ref name="Turim2000"/>
In the 2008 book ''Monster Boss'', Patricia King wrote in a chapter titled "The Monster in Your Mirror: You're Scaring Your Employees" that Grover "croons about how he tamed the monster in the mirror with kindness". She said that [[manager]]s can sometimes be both "a monster boss's victim" and "some other victim's monster boss". King concluded that "Grover's song has a point. In good management practice, kindness is a good place to start."<ref name="King2008">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref>
Maria Bartholdi in [[Twin Cities PBS]]'s ''Rewire'' website called "Monster in the Mirror" one of the "Top 10 Greatest Sesame Street Musical Moments" and said "It is impossible not to dance to this catchy number!" She said the song has "the deeper message of being the change you'd like to see in the world".<ref name="Bartholdi2014-03-24">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> [[David Zurawik]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' called the "Monster in the Mirror" "unforgettable" because of the "Wubba, wubba, wubba, wubba, woo" chorus and the celebrity music video "the happiest two minutes of film that I've ever seen".<ref name="Zurawik1996-11-17"/> David Whitehouse of ''[[The Guardian]]'' said "Monster in the Mirror" gave viewers "the classic Ray Charles duet with the Cookie Monster".<ref name="Whitehouse2007-06-02">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref>
==References==
==External links==
* (1991 celebrity version)
* (2017 animated version)
[[Category:1989 songs]]
[[Category:Sesame Street songs]]
December 30, 2018 at 07:17PM
