"I'm Just a Bill" is a 1976 ''
Schoolhouse Rock!
''Schoolhouse Rock!'' is an American interstitial programming series of animated musical educational short films (and later, videos) that aired during the Saturday morning children's programming block on the U.S. television network ABC. The theme ...
'' segment, featuring a song of the same title written by
Dave Frishberg
David Lee Frishberg (March 23, 1933 – November 17, 2021) was an American jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, and lyricist. His songs have been performed by Blossom Dearie, Rosemary Clooney, Shirley Horn, Anita O'Day, Michael Feinstein, Irene Kr ...
. The segment debuted as part of "America Rock," the third season of the ''Schoolhouse Rock!'' series.
Overview
The song is sung by
Jack Sheldon
Beryl Cyril Sheldon Jr. (November 30, 1931 – December 27, 2019), known professionally as Jack Sheldon, was an American singer, musician, and actor. He performed on ''The Merv Griffin Show'' and participated in episodes of the educational music ...
(the voice of the
Bill
Bill(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
* Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States)
* Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature
* Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer
* Bill, a bird or animal's beak
Plac ...
), with dialogue by Sheldon's son John as the boy learning the process. It is about how a bill becomes a
law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...
, how it must go through
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...
, and how it can be
veto
A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto ...
ed, etc.
The Bill is for the law that school buses must stop at railroad crossings, likely a reference to the
Gilchrest Road, New York crossing accident
The Gilchrest Road crossing accident was a grade crossing accident that occurred on March 24, 1972, in the town of Clarkstown, New York, between the hamlets of Valley Cottage and Congers, roughly northwest of New York City. Five students from ...
. In the song, the Bill becomes a law; in reality, such a bill has never been approved by the United States Congress, and indeed, such a bill would be of debatable
constitutionality
Constitutionality is said to be the condition of acting in accordance with an applicable constitution; "Webster On Line" the status of a law, a procedure, or an act's accordance with the laws or set forth in the applicable constitution. When l ...
. However, an equivalent regulation was codified by the
United States Department of Transportation
The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the President of the United States and ...
at .
The song was covered by
The Folk Implosion
The Folk Implosion is an American band founded in the early 1990s by Lou Barlow and John Davis. It was initially a side-project started by Barlow to explore different territory than that being canvassed with his primary band at the time, Sebadoh. ...
as "Deluxx Folk Implosion" for ''
Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks
''Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks'' is a tribute album based on the American animated TV series, ''Schoolhouse Rock!'' It was released by Atlantic/Lava Records in 1996 and contains 15 tracks, the original "Schoolhouse Rocky" theme and covers of 14 songs f ...
'' in 1996.
In popular culture
The rap group Groove B. Chill sings the tune with new lyrics "We're Groove B. Chill/and we're sitting here on top of the hill" in their song "Top of The Hill" from their 1990 album ''Starting From Zero''.
A few lines from
Deluxx Folk Implosion's cover of the song can be heard in the 2003 movie ''
Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde'' and is included on the film's official soundtrack.
In one of the commercials made by the now-defunct retail store
Mervyn's
Mervyn's was an American middle-scale department store chain based in Hayward, California, and founded by Mervin G. Morris (1920–2021). It carried national brands of clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, electronics, ...
as part of its renowned "Open, Open, Open" campaign, a woman and the Bill are waiting outside at one of the store's locations. An employee walks to the front to open the automatic door, but opens a smaller version of it for the Bill to enter, much to the woman's chagrin. At the close of this commercial, the woman wakes up as if it is a dream, while her child watches the "I'm Just a Bill" video on the TV screen.
The sketch was parodied in ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'' episode "
The Day the Violence Died
"The Day the Violence Died" is the eighteenth episode of the The Simpsons (season 7), seventh season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network in the United States ...
", in which
Krusty the Clown
Herschel Shmoikel Pinchas Yerucham Krustofsky (; ) better known by his stage name Krusty the Clown (sometimes spelled as Krusty the Klown), is a recurring character on the List of animated television series, animated television series ''The Si ...
presents "I'm an Amendment to Be", depicting a Constitutional amendment's attempt to ban
flag burning
Flag desecration is the desecration of a flag, violation of flag protocol, or various acts that intentionally destroy, damage, or mutilate a flag in public. In the case of a national flag, such action is often intended to make a political poin ...
. The sketch was later briefly parodied in another
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
produced animated series, ''
Family Guy
''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffin family, Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter Griff ...
''. In the episode, "
Mr. Griffin Goes to Washington
The third season of ''Family Guy'' first aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network in 22 episodes from July 11, 2001, to November 9, 2003, before being released as a DVD box set and in syndication. It premiered with the episode "The Thi ...
", an anthropomorphic legal bill sings on the steps of the U.S. Capitol Building until he is stabbed and stuffed into a garbage bag by a sanitation engineer. Jack Sheldon provided the voice of the amendment in both parodies.
The song was featured prominently in the Disney made-for-TV movie ''Mail to the Chief'' starring
Randy Quaid
Randy Randall Rudy Quaid (born October 1, 1950) is an American actor known for his roles in both serious drama and light comedy.
He was nominated for an Academy Award, BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award for his role in ''The Last Detail'' i ...
.
In the February 12, 2006 episode of ''
Inside the Actors Studio
''Inside the Actors Studio'' is an American talk show that airs on Ovation. The series premiered in 1994 on Bravo where it aired for 22 seasons and was hosted by James Lipton from its premiere until 2018. It is taped at the Michael Schimmel Cente ...
'', when
James Lipton
Louis James Lipton (September 19, 1926 – March 2, 2020) was an American writer, lyricist, actor, and Dean (education), dean emeritus of the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University in New York City. He was the executive producer, writer, ...
asked
Dave Chappelle
David Khari Webber Chappelle ( ; born August 24, 1973) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known for his satirical comedy sketch series ''Chappelle's Show'' (2003–2006), which he starred in until quitting in the middle of p ...
what he wanted to hear when he arrived in heaven, Chappelle answered, "Congratulations, Bill, you're a law."
A Season 1 episode of the ''
Knight Rider
''Knight Rider'' is an American entertainment franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The core of ''Knight Rider'' is its three television series: the original ''Knight Rider'' (1982–1986) and sequel series ''Team Knight Rider'' (1997–1998) ...
'' TV series, in which a senator requires protection after attempts on her life, is entitled ''Just My Bill''.
At the end of another ''
Schoolhouse Rock!
''Schoolhouse Rock!'' is an American interstitial programming series of animated musical educational short films (and later, videos) that aired during the Saturday morning children's programming block on the U.S. television network ABC. The theme ...
'' song, Tyrannosaurus Debt (''Money Rock''), the Bill runs off after the tour guide says, "Feeding time is ALL the time!" This made Bill one of the only characters to appear on more than one of the main ''Schoolhouse Rock!'' cartoons. Mr. Morton & Interplanet Janet appeared in 2 direct-to-video episodes.
The Board of Education character from the ''
Drawn Together
''Drawn Together'' is an American adult animation, adult animated sitcom created by Dave Jeser and Matt Silverstein and premiered on Comedy Central on October 27, 2004. The series is a parody of ''The Surreal Life'' and follows the misadventures ...
'' episode "Foxy vs. the Board of Education" is a parody of the Bill.
In the January 16, 2011 issue of the comic strip ''
Prickly City
''Prickly City'' is a daily comic strip originally drawn by Scott Stantis, the editorial cartoonist for the ''Chicago Tribune'', and distributed through United Features Syndicate. The cartoon follows the adventures of Carmen, a young girl of col ...
'', Winslow, who is a long-time fan, discovers that the bill (in this case an oversized piece of legislation) likes to smoke and drink, and proceeds to tell Winslow that if he wants to get an autograph that he'll need to pay 100 bucks and has to be bribed with laundering money through political action committees. When Winslow reminds him of what the bill represents in the song, the bill's response was "I'm Just a Bill! A thirsty bill. Who's a guy gotta bribe to get a drink freshened up around here?"
The song was parodied in the ''
Mad'' segment "GleeVR" where
Garfield
''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976, then in nationwide syndication from 1978 as ''Garfield'', it chronicles the life of the title character Garfield the cat, his human ...
sings "I'm Just a Cat" which sounds similar to the song.
The video was referenced in ''
Johnny Bravo
''Johnny Bravo'' is an American animated comedy television series created by Van Partible for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. It is the second of the network's Cartoon Cartoons, which aired from ...
'': when Johnny walks past the Congress Building, he sees a bill sitting on the steps, just like the video. However, when they announce that the bill will not make it to the White House, a man comes out and destroys the bill with a flamethrower.
Dee Bradley Baker
Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of Baker's work features vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', ''Codename: Kids Next Door'', ...
provided the voice of the bill.
The Bill appears in the ''
Robot Chicken
''Robot Chicken'' is an American adult animated stop motion sketch comedy television series, created and executive produced for Adult Swim by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. The writers, ...
'' episode "Robot Fight Accident", with a few other ''Schoolhouse Rock!'' characters (voiced by
Seth Green
Seth Benjamin Green ( ''né'' Gesshel-Green; born February 8, 1974) is an American actor, producer, and writer. Green's film debut came with a role in the comedy-drama film ''The Hotel New Hampshire'' (1984), and he went on to have supporting ...
).
The sketch was parodied in the opening sketch of ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'' on November 22, 2014. The bill, played by
Kenan Thompson
Kenan Thompson (; born May 10, 1978) is an American actor and comedian. He has been a cast member of the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' since 2003, making him the longest-tenured cast member in the show's history. He was also th ...
, is an immigration bill singing a slightly altered version of the song to the boy (
Kyle Mooney
Kyle James Kozub Mooney (born September 4, 1984) is an American actor, comedian, and writer, who was a cast member of ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2013 until 2022. Mooney co-wrote and starred in the film '' Brigsby Bear'', in addition to co-crea ...
). However, President Obama (
Jay Pharoah
Jared Antonio Farrow (born October 14, 1987), better known by his stage name Jay Pharoah, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and impressionist. Pharoah was a cast member on NBC's sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2010 to 201 ...
) pushes the bill down the Capitol Hill steps several times while explaining to the boy that it is far easier to utilize an
executive order
In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of th ...
(
Bobby Moynihan
Bobby Moynihan (born January 31, 1977) is an American actor, comedian and writer who was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2008 until 2017. He also voiced Louie Duck on Disney's ''DuckTales'' from 2017 to 2021, Panda in ''We Bare Be ...
), as a critique on Obama's frequent usage of executive orders during his term.
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program ''The Colbert Report'' from 2005 to ...
parodied the opening of the song in a segment on ''
The Late Show The Late Show may refer to:
Books
* ''The Late Show'' (book), a 2017 book by Michael Connelly
Film
* ''The Late Show'' (film), a 1977 film
* ''Late Show'', a 1999 German film by director Helmut Dietl
Music
* ''The Late Show'' (Eddie "Loc ...
'' on March 27, 2017 in response to the withdrawal of the
American Healthcare Act in the US House of Representatives the prior week.
The May 16, 2017 episode of ''
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, Los ...
'' featured an animated parody of the segment, titled "I'm Just a Lie", satirizing the
Trump Administration
Donald Trump's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 45th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Donald Trump, his inauguration on January 20, 2017, and ended on January 20, 2021. Trump, a Republican Party ...
's use of "
alternative facts
"Alternative facts" was a phrase used by U.S. Counselor to the President, Kellyanne Conway, during a ''Meet the Press'' interview on January 22, 2017, in which she defended White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer's false statement about the a ...
".
The fourth season premiere of ''
Black-ish
''Black-ish'' (stylized as black·''ish'', `black·''ish'', and black''ish'') is an American sitcom television series created by Kenya Barris. It aired on ABC from September 24, 2014, to April 19, 2022, running for eight seasons. ''Black-ish'' ...
'', ("
Juneteenth
Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Deriving its name from combining "June" and "nineteenth", it is celebrated on the anniversary of General Order No. 3, i ...
"), which aired on October 3, 2017, included an animated parody titled "I'm Just a Slave", with the music performed by
Aloe Blacc
Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III (born January 7, 1979), known professionally by his stage name Aloe Blacc (), is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. He is best known for his singles "I Need a Dollar", " The Man", which topped the charts in th ...
.
In January 2018, the character Bill was used in an editorial cartoon by syndicated cartoonist Greg Kearney dealing with the issue of the Kansas state legislature's use of anonymous introduction of legislation.
In October 2019, Homsar, a character in ''
Homestar Runner
''Homestar Runner'' is an American Flash animated comedy web series and website created by Mike and Matt Chapman, known collectively as The Brothers Chaps. The series centers on the adventures of a large and diverse cast of characters, headed by ...
'', dressed up as the bill in the series' annual
Halloween
Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...
special.
In the
''Animaniacs'' 2020 reboot, Dot Warner throws the Bill into a printing press while singing about the First Ladies, in this case Rosalynn Carter and Florence Harding.
In March 2021,
Southern Ohio Medical Center
Southern Ohio Medical Center (or SOMC) is a 222-bed 501(C)(3) not-for-profit hospital in Portsmouth, Ohio. It provides emergency and surgical care, as well as a wide range of other health care services. SOMC employs 2,600 full-time employees and p ...
parodied the song titled "Just a Vaccine", which traces the path of a vaccine from development to distribution. It highlights the extensive testing undergone by COVID vaccines to make sure they're safe and effective, as well as explaining how vaccines work.
2007 reference to the cartoon in the United States Senate
Criticizing a comprehensive immigration reform bill, Sen.
Jeff Sessions
Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III (born December 24, 1946) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 84th United States Attorney General from 2017 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as United State ...
(R-AL) critiqued the proposed legislation for three hours on May 21, 2007 in front of "a giant picture of a famous scene from Schoolhouse Rock's 'I'm just a bill' skit." The caption on the picture was "How a Senate Bill Becomes a Law".
Sessions pointed out how the reform bill had proceeded through the Senate in contrast with what educational material like the cartoon had laid out, saying "
rofessor_Hugh_Hewitt_has_written_that_this_is.html" ;"title="Hugh_Hewitt.html" ;"title="rofessor Hugh Hewitt">rofessor Hugh Hewitt has written that this is">Hugh_Hewitt.html" ;"title="rofessor Hugh Hewitt">rofessor Hugh Hewitt has written that this isNot what we were taught in grade school, I assure you, and I couldn’t agree more. This is not how the process is supposed to work. We should not be asked to trust our colleagues and vote to put a bill on the floor when we do not know that the bill text is even finalized, that the bill has not been drafted by legislative counsel, the bill has not been introduced or even given a bill number, the committee process was skipped and not followed, a Congressional Budget Office score may not have been requested."
References
External links
*
{{Schoolhouse Rock
1976 American television episodes
Schoolhouse Rock!