David Axlerod (1937-2021) was a writer and song lyricist who co-wrote songs for Sesame Street, Sesame Street Live, and albums (including the radio jingles on The Count Counts). He worked most frequently with Sam Pottle and wrote lyrics for most of the Sesame Street pageants.
Axlerod worked with Pottle on the 1964 stage musical Money, co-writing book and lyrics with Tom Whedon. He contributed lyrics and/or dialogue material to various stage revues, including the 1973 National Lampoon production Lemmings (with Paul Jacobs, Henry Beard, and others). He was a comedy writer for The Dick Cavett Show and wrote for two Mary Tyler Moore variety series and the children's series Hot Hero Sandwich (sharing a Daytime Emmy Award with Joseph A. Bailey, Bruce and Carole Hart, and others).
Songs[]
- "Admiral Bird" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Ah, For the Joys of the Countryside" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Be Kind to Your Neighborhood Monsters" (with Sam Pottle)
- "A Beautiful Day" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Big Bird's Totally Amateur Show" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Body Parts #1 - Face" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Bus Stop" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Cheer Up" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Christmas Eve on Sesame Street" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Cookie's Rhyming Song" (with Sam Pottle and David Korr)
- "Count Up to Nine" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Counting Is Wonderful" (with Sam Pottle and Emily Kingsley)
- "Don't Be Afraid to Make Friends" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Everything Grows" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Feathers and Fur" (with Stephen Lawrence)
- "Feelin' Good/Feelin' Bad" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Five Monsters in My Family" (additional lyrics to "Five People in My Family")
- "Frazzle" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Fun to Wonder" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Fur" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Furry Blue Mommy of Mine" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Fuzzy and Blue (and Orange)" (with Stephen Lawrence)
- "Games Monsters Play" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Gimme Five" (with Sam Pottle and Judy Freudberg)
- "Goin' Home" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Have a Nice Day" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Help" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Hi, Pal" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Hooperburgers" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Hummingbird" (with Sam Pottle)
- "I Am Not Afraid" (with Sam Pottle and Tony Geiss)
- "I Can't Help It" (with Joseph A. Bailey and Sam Pottle)
- "I Didn't Spill That Stuff Today" (with Sam Pottle)
- "I Get a Nice Feeling" (with Sam Pottle)
- "I Hate Christmas" (with Sam Pottle)
- "I Really Like You" (with Sam Pottle and Emily Perl Kingsley)
- "I Refuse to Sing Along" (with Sam Pottle)
- "I'd Like to Know You Better" (with Sam Pottle)
- "If I Were" (with Stephen Lawrence)
- "It's a Yucchy Old Place" (with Sam Pottle and Emily Perl Kingsley)
- "It's Easy If You Pretend" (with Sam Pottle and Joseph A. Bailey)
- "Just a Little Baby" (with Sam Pottle and Ray Sipherd)
- "Just Around the Corner" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Keep Christmas with You (All Through the Year)" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Language Song" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Let Your Feelings Show" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Like/Dislike" (with Sam Pottle)
- "The Limerick Song (Come On and Sing Along With Me)" (with Sam Pottle, Sharon Lerner, and Jon Stone)
- "Listen to the Music" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Living Hand in Hand" (with Sam Pottle)
- "The Lovable Monsters of Sesame Street" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Me and You (Two Rhinos)" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Monster Lullaby" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Move" (with Sam Pottle)
- "My Imaginary Friend" (with Sam Pottle)
- "My Special Place" (with Sam Pottle and Joseph A. Bailey)
- "A New Day" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Nice People" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Numerical Correspondence Song" (with Sam Pottle and David Korr)
- "An Old-Fashioned Song" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Please Keep Off the Grass" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Pockets" (with Sam Pottle)
- "A Postcard from Amy" (with Sam Pottle)
- "President Bird" (with Sam Pottle and Emily Perl Kingsley)
- "Remember Me" (with Sam Pottle)
- "School Pageant" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Sign, You're a Friend of Mine" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Somebody Special" (with Sam Pottle)
- "A Song from Kermit" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Song of the Tools" (with Sam Pottle)
- "A Song Without a Reason" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Sign, You're a Friend of Mine" (with Sam Pottle and Norman Stiles)
- "The Sun Shines" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Swamp Mushy Muddy" (with Sam Pottle and Norman Stiles)
- "This Frog" (with Sam Pottle)
- "This Is My J" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Three is So Curvy" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Three Musketeers (with Sam Pottle)
- "Three Waltzing Chickens" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Toothy Takes a Partner" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Tugboat Song" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Two to Seesaw" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Walk Proud" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Water Cantata" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Wet Paint" (with Sam Pottle)
- "What Comes After Three?" (with Stephen Lawrence)
- "What's the Name of That Song?" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Whenever We Work Together" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Wiring Day Song" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Wonder Child" (with Sam Pottle)
- "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" (with Sam Pottle)
- "You Can Remember" (with Sam Pottle and Norman Stiles)