Friday, March 19, 2010

90's Nick Song...





As someone who does not remember all that much of my childhood I tend to cling to the things that I do. I mean, I am guessing my subconscious has blocked out some of my family matters for good reason… but at least I remember a lot of my favourite toys and TV shows. I used to watch Nickelodeon religiously and am still a big fan of 90s nick shows. Are you afraid of the dark?, Invader Zim, Argh Real Monsters, Hey Arnold, Rockos Modern Life, The Secret Adventures of Alex Mac, Clarissa Explains it All, Kenan and Kel… the list could go on for days. I think some of them I simply enjoy for the nostalgia factor, but some of them definitely still makes me chuckle.


Anyways, there was an ad on Nickelodeon that had always stuck in my head. I have no idea why it stuck with me as I do not usually remember adverts all too well, but this one did. It intrigued me that I could remember something like this, and made me determined to find it. Only problem was I couldn’t find it anywhere since all I had to go on was a vague recollection of it being a cartoon, having a catchy song, and mentioning the sun, lights and the environment. I google my little heart out and even emailed the only 90s blogger guru I know "Children of the 90s" but still was at a loose end. Until…


This morning, on my way into work… suddenly the song came rushing right back into my brain! I was sitting with friends on the train who instantly noticed my concentration (which is rare so early in the morning). I had finally cracked the mystery… Knowing too well that I would probably forget it again I taped it into my phone and saved it for later.


“its shining above us all, and its here to stay. we know the sky is the limit…”


Now, this may seem trivial (which is totally is) but this was apparently all I needed. I typed this into trusty google and pleas were answered.




Having gotten my hopes up I was prepared to pore over every inch of this site, but luckily it didn’t take long at all. There it was… reading the lyrics was like a trip down memory lane.


The Light of the Sun

(Chorus)

Turn on the light, turn on the light, turn on the light , turn on the light

The light of the sun, solar powered light of the sun.

Isn't it obvious every day.

It's shining above us all and it's here to stay.

We know the sky is the limit.

We know the power in it.

It's time to begin it.

We're turning on the light.

The Light of the sun, The kight of the sun, solar powered light.

(Chorus)

Don't have to take a drill and hurt a tree

And it will never spill,. I

t's always clean and free.

We know the sun is the ticket

Hop on, let's go, let's get it.

(Chorus) The light of the sun ooo

Solar powered light of the sun

Solar powered light.

The Future will be so bright.

We've just got to change our minds and

Let the lovelight shine. oooooooo

We know the sky is the limit

With all the power in it.

It's time to begin it.

We're turning on the light.

The light of the sun oooo

The light of the sun

Solar powered light of the sun

The light of the sun, solar powered light

(You can do 2 parts with some only singing turn on the light, turn on the light)


I have continued to google to try and find a video or even a screen shot of the old cartoon, but have had no luck in that department. Apparently there was another environmental song on Nickelodeon in the 90’s called “Why does the sun shine?” by They Might Be Giants but this is the only one I could find a video for.


For those of you who have absolutely no idea what I am talking about I do apologize, but I simply had to do a post about this just in case there is someone else out there who racking there brain searching for the same song. If anybody who comes across this knows anything else about this advert please let me know!


UPDATE: One fine reader over in the USA has been kind enough to send me a link to whole clip! Seems the lyrics on this post jogged his memory and he's a better detective than I and he actually found it!

The folks over at RetroDaze have clips of lots of nostalgic goodness but you can find the actual clip here. Unfortunately I wasn't actually able to view it myself (likely due to country restrictions) but some of you may be able to? Ryan (aka better detective than I and all around awesome guy) sent me the clip in a drop box so once I download it I will work on getting it up so it can viewed in Aus or find another way around the 'access denied' problem.

But for the moment here are some screen shots to get the memories flooding back...


Oh and for those of you playing at home - the song is called "The Light of the Sun" and its by Richie Havens with Rockapella from the album Put On Your Green Shoes.

Also the advert only goes for 1 minute so the lyrics are slightly different - and there is a bit of a voice over it goes like so:

Turn on the light, turn on the light, turn on the light , turn on the light
Isn't it obvious every day.
It's shining above us all and it's here to stay.
We know the sky is the limit.
We all the power in it.
It's time to begin it.
We're turning on the light.
The Light of the sun, The light of the sun, the solar powered light. ohhhhh.
"the amount of solar energy reaching us in one day could supply our power needs for over a year. and we CAN harness that energy. "
Don't have to take a drill and hurt a tree
And it will never spill,. It's always clean and free.
The light of the sun - the solar powered light.
"turn on the light of new idea - to power your future"


28 comments:

  1. i dont know anything else about this advert, but im just a year older than you and your list of Nick shows is such a lovely walk dowm memory lane for me. Didnt Argh Real Monsters make living in the sewers look like so much fun??
    Another covert environmental kid's entertainment was Fern Gully. Did you notice? Whenever the lumber jacks would cut down trees, the villain, this black slimy thing (think greenhouse gases) would come out of the trees! And our fairies and protagonists would lose their homes!
    I'll follow ya, maybe you'll provide some more memory lane strolls :)

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  2. Argh Real Monster did make sewer life seem rather apealing :) I do miss Oblena, Crum and Ickus even though i have no idea what they were lol. And i am so with you on the Fern Gully thing, its great looking back and realising things like that. Thanks for following, im very new to this but i can tell you that there will probably be some more 90s memory lane strolls since i am on a constant hunt for 90s nick cartoons on dvd and old school sega games :) You would probably love the blog "Children of the 90s", i have added the link in the post above as i had forgotten to do it orginally. It will blow you away how much stuff is on there!

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  3. This is Carlton from Atlanta, Georgia. I've been singing this ad my entire life...its good to know theres someone else out there who remembers it :-) Was singing it on the way home from dinner and decided to google it to see if I could find a video...came across your blog. Much appreciated!

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  4. Hi Carlton, so glad I'm not the only one who sings this song lol. It has been stuck in my head since i can remember! I couldnt find a video anywhere, if you do be sure to drop by here and let me know :) So happy to find someone else who appreciates this...

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  5. Thank you so much. I have been searching for this song for ten years if only I could find the ad. :)

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  6. No worries BoukenPink! I was searching for a while before I came across it too. If you find the ad you MUST let me know :)

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  7. Wow it is so good to see some other people who remember this! I was such an environmentalist as a kid (and still am) and I think that's why I loved this ad so much. Plus, the song was actually really pretty! I really wish we could find a video. I will bookmark your page and will let you know if I ever find one. Thanks so much for writing the full lyrics as I had forgotten many of them.

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  8. Haha this is awesome. I've spent hours on youtube today trying to find it!

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  9. Wow, two more people that remember this... Considering making a FB fan page to see if anyone comes across a clip.

    Be sure to drop a comment here if you do happen to find one :)

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  10. I remember the song as well. I think Richie Havens sang the song. I seem to vaguely remember him singing the song to a bunch of unenthusiastic kids. It was a darn good song though and it got heavy rotation on Nickelodeon as a commercial.

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  11. Here we go: Richie Havens With Rockapella sang "The Light of the Sun" from the album Put On Your Green Shoes. It was published by Sony Kids’ Music in 1993.

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  12. ah! that is amazing! thanks gogogoldberg! ^_^
    I am going to have to youtube this when I get home (work has it blocked of course)...

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  13. I came across your page while looking for a clip of that song. When I was younger I had the tape with it on it, but I couldnt remember the name of the tape. Well, I found out it is from "Put on Your Green Shoes" sung by Rockapella featuring Richie Havens, but I have yet to find a clip of the song :-/

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  14. I seemed to have missed the comment above mine. I guess you already knew that :P

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  15. You people y=used to listen to radio Ahhz before it was pirated by disney in 1999...I remember being sad when it happened, a tenthe grader in high school, because i knew music would never be the same after the mid ninties...lets keep looking til we find a video of this awsome song...

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  16. I'v been going crazy looking for this too!

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  17. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7xi77-Oh9Q

    Here's the song, but not the commercial

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  18. Aw man, so happy people remember this. I don't feel so alone, anymore...

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  19. I have been singing this song in my head for 16 years. For some reason, I could always remember every word - even the bit when the song faded to instrumental and a girl's voice over said '...CO2 sends gas up to join the greenhouse blanket...'

    There is another Nickelodeon song I have been trying to track down. Anti-violence message. It began with a bunch of kids in a park. "Stop, look and listen. Think about what's going on. Count to ten, walk away. Release the peace and be strong."

    If anyone can find that song, I will buy them a car.

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    Replies
    1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Xj9XXfk148

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    2. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I was searching for this song and came across this thread in a Google search. This song is always in my head. :) I'm so glad it's on YouTube.

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    3. What was the song?!?!? I can't open the link and have been searching forever!!! Thanks 😂😂

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  20. This little blog entry helped me get a recording of the song 20 years after I heard it. I thought I'd never find it! It's in my iTunes now. :) Thank you!!

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  21. Commercial on Youtube for those interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84gAfkVo2b0

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  22. Hi. Omg I remember watching this as a kid. I am actually hunting down my own trip down memory lane while I found this. Is their any chance you remember a Nickelodeon global warming add with the words
    "The ozone layer has gotten too thick and is keeping in too much heat. Why is that bad... animals can't survive, farmers can't grow food and beaches shrink because oceans expand."
    I could really use some expert help finding it.

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  23. OMG. This song has been stuck in my head on and off for ages, and I just googled SO HARD trying to find the right one, and I was just starting to think I'd never find it and maybe had the words just slightly too incorrect in my memory to ever search the right thing -- but as soon as I started reading this post, I knew I had to be on the right track (we share the same era of Nickelodeon roots lol) and YEP! THIS IS IT! THIS IS THE THING! And the RetroDaze link to the clip is still good! I'm SO RELIEVED right now! Thank you, I'm so glad your site is up lol, you're doing god's work XD

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