A-Tisket, A-Tasket

A Tisket, A Tasket is a nursery rhyme from the 19th century. In 1938 the rhyme was used as the basis for a song written by Al Feldman and Ella Fitzgerald. Ella's recording of this song in 1938 was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1986, which is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old, and that have "qualitative or historical significance." [ [http://www.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/Awards/Hall_Of_Fame/ Grammy Hall of Fame Database] ]

Fitzgerald also performed the song in "Ride 'Em Cowboy" (1942).

Trivia

This song appeared in the "Backyardigans" episode, Knights are Brave and Strong, with modified lyrics.

A-Tisket A-Tasket was the name of "Gilmore Girls" episode 34 in season 2, the annual Stars Hollow charity picnic basket lunch auction.

Modified lyrics appeared in Eleanor Estes's The Middle Moffat when Jane starts playing basketball. Her team chants "A-tisket, a-tasket/Who can throw a basket?/Peewee Moffat, Peewee Moffat!"

The jazz vocal group Manhattan Transfer has also recorded the song.

Regina Carter has recorded a version on her CD "I'll Be Seeing You: A Sentimental Journey."

Tiny Tim sang the song on "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In."

"A-tisket, a-tasket" is the first line of the third stanza on Eminem's "Without Me" (2002). It is also the first line of the third verse of Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Mary Had A Little Lamb."

In Nas' "Be A Nigger Too", he references this nursery rhyme in his line: "I'm a get you, I'm official; Not a-tisket or a-tasket; I'll put you in the casket; With the biscuit or the ratchet."

In Shaquille O'Neal's song "Shoot Pass Slam", which appears on his first album Shaq Diesel (1993), he references this nursery rhyme in his line "A-tisket, a tasket, I rip down the basket; 'Yo, Shaq can you rock the mic?' How can you ask it?"

Earlier the Jungle Brothers opened the rhyme in their "Belly Dancin' Dina" ( from the album Done By The Forces Of Nature (P)(C) 1989) with "A-tisket, a tasket, I wonder what's in that basket".

In Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey an evil Easter Bunny says "A-tisket, a-tasket, you stole Deacon's Easter basket."

A tisket, a tasket is the first line of A Tribe Called Quest's "Ham n' Eggs", also used in Kokane song "Don't Bite The Phunk"

Included in the medley of songs from the Tomorrowland attraction "America Sings" ('74-'88) at Disneyland.

Jamia Simone Nash Sings this song in a episode of 'Romeo'

Footnotes