Alan Menken

Alan Menken (b. 1949) is an Academy Award-winning composer famous for writing songs from Disney movies such as The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), and many more. He also wrote the music for the 1982 musical Little Shop of Horrors, which was adapted into a feature film directed by Frank Oz in 1986.
Menken began writing songs for Sesame Street as early as 1978, and toured with cast member Northern Calloway during this time.Burlington Free Press by Maggie Maurice, photos by Elaine Isaacson, December 9, 1979The Tennessean "" by Clara Hieronymus, photo by S.A. Tarkington, September 15, 1980 He continued working sporadically for the show through season 22. Of his work on the Street, Menken says, "It was pathetic money, but it still had some prestige to it. It was on the air and I was getting some royalties."Street Gang. Michael Davis. New York, Penguin Group. 2008. p. 269
Two of his Sesame Street songs, which went unused on the show, were written with frequent collaborator Howard Ashman. One later found life in an animated short called "Aria for a Cow." Another, "The Count's Lament,"Thread:299999 was written about Count von Count's inability to pronounce the "w" sound.Alan Menken on Seth Speaks on SiriusXM, May 4, 2018.
Another song is listed in Sesame Workshop's archives as "Up and Down" which is documented to have appeared in season 21 and specifies that it involves chickens.Personal communication via Scott Hanson and Sesame Workshop No such song is documented in Muppet Wiki's complete guide for season 21, but another Menken song called "Monster Up and Down" appeared a few seasons later.
Menken and Ashman also wrote the song "Wonderful Ways to Say No" for the 1990 animated TV special Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue. The song was performed by an all-star cast of characters, including Baby Kermit, Baby Piggy, and Baby Gonzo.
==Sesame Credits==
LPBlockPartyNew.jpg|"Here In My Neighborhood"(1978)
WinOrLose.jpg|"Win or Lose"(1978)
Six of One.jpg|"Six of One"(1979)
1539 04.jpg|"Plink-a-Plink-a-Plink"(1981)
1882 04.jpg|"I Wish I Could Tell When to Ring This Bell"(1981)
1616 04 Muscle Song.jpg|"The Muscle Song"(1981)
1899-Farm.jpg|"That Indiana Farm Where I Was Born"(1981)
Without People.jpg|"Without People"(1981)
1745 03.jpg|"Blow Like the Wind"(1982)
Finding Your Way Around.jpg|"Finding Your Way Around"(1983)
3164zc.jpg|"Martian Family (Yip Yip Song)"(1989)
UpDownMonsters.jpg|"Monster Up and Down"(1989)
2687n.jpg|"A Sibling"(1989)
2659 04.jpg|"Snuffle Friends"(1989)
File:2893h.jpg|"Surprise"(1989)
2737 01.jpg|"Thinking of You"(1989)
BarbaBarber.jpg|"Barbra the Barber"(1990)
2776 03a.jpg|"Grumble Grumble"(1990)
2776 05 Grouchelot.jpg|"Grouchelot"(1990)
3033c.jpg|"It's Gonna Get Dirty Again"(1990)
Song-purecleanwater.jpg|"Pond Full of Fish"(1990)
2759j.jpg|"Todos un Pueblo"(1990)
WhatIsFriendOriginalVersion.jpg|"What is Friend?"(1990)
==References==
* In the Dinosaurs episode "Honey, I Miss the Kids," Baby Sinclair watches "Little Underwater Girl" on TV. A trio of lobsters sing "Under the Water," a spoof of Ashman and Menken's song "Under the Sea."
==Sources==
==External links==
* Internet Broadway Database
* IMDb
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Category:Composers
Category:Lyricists
Category:Musical References