In Harmony (compilation albums)

For other uses, see In Harmony (disambiguation).
In Harmony: A Sesame Street Record
Compilation album by
Various Artists
ReleasedOctober 1980
GenreChildren's music
LabelWarner Bros.
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
In Harmony 2
Compilation album by
Various Artists
ReleasedNovember 1981[2]
GenreChildren's music
LabelColumbia

In Harmony: A Sesame Street Record and In Harmony 2 are two compilation albums of children's music performed by various artists, released in 1980 and 1981, respectively.

Of the two albums, only the first album charted, reaching No. 156 on the Billboard 200.[3] The Doobie Brothers' cover of "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod" was the only single release to chart, when it reached No. 76 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.[4] A second single, Al Jarreau's "One Good Turn", failed to chart. The first album was released on Sesame Street Records through Warner Bros. Records, and is the only album in the series with a direct connection to the popular children's series Sesame Street, as it includes a song performed by the characters Ernie and Cookie Monster. The second album was released on Columbia Records, and while no Muppet-related content appears on the album, the credits state that a "royalty is being donated to the Children's Television Workshop and various children's charities" from its proceeds. Each album won the Grammy Award for Best Recording for Children, at the 23rd Annual Grammy Awards and 25th Annual Grammy Awards, respectively. The Grammys were awarded to the producers, David Levine and Lucy Simon.[5]

Bruce Springsteen's performance of "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town", which appears on the second album, was recorded live at C. W. Post College in Brookville, New York on December 12, 1975. Springsteen's rendition of the song has received radio airplay perennially at Christmastime for years; it has appeared on Billboard magazine's Hot Singles Recurrents chart each year from 2002 to 2009 due to seasonal airplay. In Harmony 2 marks the first appearance of the recording on an album, although it was later released as the B-side of Springsteen's single "My Hometown" in 1985 and has since been released on several other compilations.

  1. ^ M. Haney, Shawn. "In Harmony". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2007.
  2. ^ "In Harmony 2". Billboard. November 21, 1981. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  3. ^ "Soundtrack Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  4. ^ "The Doobie Brothers Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  5. ^ "Lucy Simon". The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021.