"Ain't No Road Too Long" - A Musical Analysis

As a child, I loved Sesame Street and that love extended to a spinoff movie called Follow That Bird. The plot is actually pretty interesting for a children’s movie, as it involves a well-meaning but misguided bird social worker who determines that Big Bird should live with his ‘own kind’, rather than the caring patchwork-style family of monsters, humans and Snuffleupagus that loves him.

After Big Bird is rehomed with a family of feather-brained dodos, he makes the decision to leave in the dead of night to return to his home Sesame Street. But Big Bird is barely a kindergartener at just 6 years old and he’s trying to navigate the world on his own. Without the help of new friends he finds along the way, as well as his family looking for him when they learn he’s missing, he’d be completely lost!

The first new face he meets is a truck driver hauling turkeys, played by the country singer Waylon Jennings. Jennings recognizes him as ‘the bird on the run’ which makes me side eye him as an adult because shouldn’t he have driven him to the closest police station? He just identified a missing child that he saw on TV!

But alas, it’s the 80s so instead, Big Bird tells him that he figures he can make it back to Sesame Street on foot in about three hours. When Jennings responds by saying it will be more like three weeks, Big Bird starts to despair. Jennings encourages Big Bird to believe in himself and his ability to make his way home. At this point, he starts singing “Ain’t No Road Too Long”.

Lyrics

Songwriting credits are shared by Steve Pippen, Jeff Harrington and Jeff Pennig. The trio also wrote two other songs on the soundtrack, "Grouch Anthem" and "Easy Goin' Day" (another childhood banger!)

Ain't No Road Too Long is a song about how when life gets you down, it’s important not to dwell for too long on the tough times. Even when things feel overwhelming or insurmountable, you can often find a reason to keep going. I remember feeling so worried for Big Bird when he was out on his own and this song made me feel better because his friends were out there looking for him, even if he didn't know it. Seriously, I teared up when I watched the video while researching for this assignment because it meant so much to me as a child and the message endures as an adult.

What’s great about this song isn’t just the positive message. I also love how it weaves together humans and Muppets as they all make their way toward finding Big Bird. I’m a sucker for scenarios where humans just accept that Muppets are equals and this movie made a HUGE impression on me as a kid. I introduced my son to it when he was about 3 years old and loved the opportunity to share the story and songs with him. I hope you’ll enjoy this happy little ditty that has stuck with me for nearly 40 years!

Intervals

I'm still working on fine tuning my ear so I can better hear different musical components but this song maintains the same beat for almost the entirety of the song. You can hear the 'bomp-bomp, bomp-bomp' repeating in the background tho.

Melody

The song has an accompanied melody, as it utilizes singers and instruments. There are six different singers (3 human, 3 Muppet) and I can hear a piano, guitar, bass and drums as the instrumental backing.

Timbre

 

The timbre of the song changes throughout but when Waylon sings, the word I would use is earnest and almost fatherly. He’s trying to assure the insecure Big Bird that he will find his way home in time. It’s almost as if he’s trying to impart advice learned from a lifetime of challenging situations.

 

As the song goes on, Big Bird seems to grow in confidence. His voice seems hopeful and happy, very childlike and innocent. You can tell that he is comfortaed by Waylon’s message and he’s starting to feel more sure of himself.

 

When Gordon and Olivia (two human friends from Sesame Street) join in, Gordon’s voice is very focused. When he says, ‘Don’t look back, don’t you turn around’, the words paired with the deepness of his voice, convey the advice that you have to keep going when pursuing a goal or dream.

 

Olivia’s voice, by comparison, is very bright and cheerful, ‘Just keep your eye on where you’re bound’. If you just stay focused on your plan, you’ll get there in time. When they sing the next line together, ‘And you’re bound to get from here to there. ‘Cause a dream can take you anywhere’, you really share their belief that finding Big Bird is possible. 

What I also find interesting about this part of the song is that the person in the backseat of the car seems to understand what's being sung, despite being hearing impaired. Linda Bove was the first Deaf person I was ever exposed to as a child and from this very short clip, it almost seems like she understands the lyrics, though they are not being signed. Probably reading more into this than is necessary but... I've watching this video many times in working on this assignment! It's hard not to start making connections that might not be there. :)

Chords

You can even learn to play along. This song is written in the key of E and uses chords E, A, B and B.

Sources

“Remember When Waylon Jennings Sang With Big Bird?” American Songwriter. Americansongwriter.com, Jan 2023. Web. Houghton, Cillia. Follow That Bird Soundtrack. IMDB. imdb.com. Web. Waylon Jennings - Ain't No Road Too Long (Sesame Street) Chords. Chordify.net. July 2023. Web.