“Little Boxes” on the Hillside
In 11th grade I had a history teacher named Mr. LeClerc who was a self-proclaimed architecture buff. When he taught us about Levittown, he played this goofy folk song about ticky tacky boxes. It’s such a perfect theme song for Showtime’s Weeds. Since season two, different bands have submitted their own versions of the song to Weeds so that it changes every week (the original was recorded by Malvina Reynolds in 1962). Over at Showtime’s website, you can listen to a bunch of the versions - the musicians range from Elvis Costello to Death Cab for Cutie.
Season three will include versions from Linkin Park, the Silversun Pickups, Randy Newman, the Shins and even Billy Bob Thorton!
“Little Boxes” was a commentary on suburban sprawl. I wonder what today’s version of the lyrics would be, since they little boxes have been torn down and replaced by McMansions and Poltergeist neighborhoods.
Levittown photo from tigger.uic.eduÂ
