Johnny Cash Performs "Nasty Dan" To Oscar The Grouch

Jul 09, 2020 by apost team

Nasty Dan is a song that was performed by Johnny Cash during Season 5 of Sesame Street in 1973. He performed the song for Oscar the Grouch, who made occasional interjections. It's an unforgettable meeting of two entertainment legends.

In a 1973 appearance, Cash walks over to Oscar's trash can and bangs on it with his guitar. This wakes Oscar, who responds by calling the singer "Johnny Trash."

Cash immediately starts singing a song called Nasty Dan. The lyrics describe a nasty man named Dan, his equally nasty wife Pearl and his nasty children:

Nasty Dan was the meanest man I ever knew. He'd stop and scream and be real mean the whole day through.

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As he listens, Oscar interjects with comments like "Good for him," and "I like this guy."

By the end of the song, Oscar is bouncing with happiness. Cash wishes him a "rotten day" and walks off.

The appearance was Cash's first time on Sesame Street. It made Cash a star with a whole new generation of music lovers. Two years later, Cash released "Nasty Dan" as the lead track on the Johnny Cash Children's Album. In the album's liner notes, Cash's son John wrote that his father loved children and enjoyed singing to them.

Cash appeared on Sesame Street again a few years later. This time, he sang Five Feet High and Rising with Biff. A video of the duet shows Cash singing each stanza while Biff piles boxes to show how tall each level is. Like Oscar, he gets Cash's name wrong and calls him "Johnny Flash."

Sesame Street has long hosted celebrity guests. Famous musicians who have shown up to sing include Andrea Bocelli, B.B. King, R.E.M., John Legend, and Dave Matthews.

Are you surprised to see Johnny Cash singing a children's song? We think today's kids would like this timeless classic. Let us know if they do.