Try singing the alphabet song.
Now try singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
Did you notice that they have the exact same tune? That’s right! The alphabet song and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star have… the same tune!
Did you know this? Or are you wondering how you spent so many years of your life singing these 2 songs so many times without ever having a clue?
So is one of these legendary songs a rip-off? YES! It seems like, given the popularity of both songs, the alphabet song is arguably the biggest example of piracy in the history of music.
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star was initially composed by the great Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as a variation on a classic French nursery rhyme “Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman” in the mid-1780s. In 1835, American music publisher, Charles Bradlee adapted the tune to fit the alphabet, and the alphabet song was born.
Today, the tune is standard for alphabet songs, not only in English, but also French, German, Arabic, Mandarin and many more languages.
Now that you’re probably trying to get your head around this new revelation, here’s another shock for the system – try singing Baa Baa Black Sheep.
No? It just couldn’t be? But it is! Even this legendary nursery rhyme follows the exact same tune.
Enjoy reminiscing on the highly pirated contents of your childhood!
