4

I noticed when my baby sisters are listening to a certain melody, I start singing Itsy Bitsy Spider or Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. This makes me wonder if they are the same melody with different lyrics.

Are they the same song?

Improve this question
3
  • 4
    I'd be interested to hear the piece of music that you're describing, because I cannot correlate the two melodies in my head. Among other differences, Itsy Bitsy Spider is a swing rhythm, wheras Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is straight. I cannot understand how they can be confused. Please link to the melody that made you think of both songs, if possible.
    – Doctor Jones
    Nov 7, 2018 at 11:46
  • 1
    Are you thinking of Twinkle and the Alphabet song? Because those are the same, and IIRC are actually a melody by Mozart.
    – Duston
    Jun 7, 2021 at 13:09
  • @Duston Mozart wrote a set of variations on that tune, but he did not write the tune. He knew the tune as Ah, vous dirais-je, maman, a French nursery song. There is a link in the comments below, which I will repeat here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ah!_vous_dirai-je,_maman
    – phoog
    Jun 9, 2021 at 1:13

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
11

No. They are both simple melodies, but they're different.

This is Twinkle - Twinkle Little Star:

enter image description here

This is The Itsy Bitsy Spider:

enter image description here

Improve this answer
5
  • This question reminded me of something, so I went on a hunt... the movie Heartburn, 1986 - Coming Around Again / Itsy Bitsy Spider - Carly Simon I'd forgotten just how good a song that was.
    – Tetsujin
    Nov 7, 2018 at 8:46
  • 4
    On a related note, "Twinkle twinkle, little star" is basically the same melody as "Baa baa, black sheep", both of which are based on an 18th century French song: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ah!_vous_dirai-je,_maman
    – Guy G
    Nov 7, 2018 at 10:43
  • 5
    @GuyG as well as the alphabet / "ABC" song, at least the version I've always heard here in the US.
    – sǝɯɐſ
    Nov 7, 2018 at 12:59
  • The melody is also often falsely attributed to Mozart. He did 12 variations on the French folk song Ah! Vouz dirai je maman (m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezvj-De6bxY) That said, it’s quite cool to listen to.
    – Nishka Arora
    Sep 27, 2019 at 15:28
  • Not quite the same as the "ABC" song, the way I learned it. 'S' and 'X' would both be half notes, rather than two quarter notes. Admittedly, that's an extremely minor change.
    – Donald.McLean ♦
    Sep 27, 2019 at 18:28

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.