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It's the nursery rhyme nightmares are literally made of, but what's the origin behind A Nightmare On Elm Street's Freddy Krueger nursery rhyme? While the franchise is iconic now, A Nightmare On Elm Street creator Wes Craven had a hard time getting the project a greenlight. Every major studio rejected it, feeling audiences wouldn't find dreams scary. New Line eventually picked up A Nightmare On Elm Street, which was shot for a low-budget.
The movie soon became a word-of-mouth smash with the franchise's razor-clawed villain Freddy becoming a horror icon. The series spawned numerous sequels, a TV series, a video game, and assorted merchandise. The series would eventually be rebooted with 2010's A Nightmare On Elm Street starring Jackie Earle Haley, but despite being a financial success, it received roundly negative reviews and a planned sequel didn't happen. One thing that has remained consistent in the original franchise and the rebooted movie is the nightmarish nursery rhyme.
Freddy's Song Explained
The Song Riffs On An Old Nursery Rhyme
One of the most recognizable elements of A Nightmare On Elm Street is the nursery rhyme that heralds Freddy Krueger's arrival. Craven wrote the lyrics to the song in the script, which was taken from another nursery rhyme called "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe", but it was star Heather Langenkamp's musician boyfriend who worked out the theme on a piano. A Nightmare On Elm Street's composer Charles Bernstein would later sprinkle this melody throughout his score as a unifying theme.
Freddy Nursery Rhyme Lyrics:
One, two, Freddy's coming for you.
Three, four, Better lock your door
Five, six, grab a crucifix.
Seven, eight, Gonna stay up late.
Nine, ten, Never sleep again...
The purpose of the rhyme itself is up for debate, though Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) told fellow dream survivor Kristen Parker (Patricia Arquette) in the third entry Dream Warriors it was a song used to ward away the bogeyman. It's since become an indelible piece of the A Nightmare On Elm Street franchise and fans know that when it's heard, bad things are about to happen.
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When & How Often Freddy's Song Plays
The Song Appears At Least Once In Each Movie
...it appears that the song is meant to imply that the town is still haunted by Freddy.
This rhyme is first heard in the first movie when Nancy and Tina (Amanda Wyss) are walking to school and again in the final shot of the film. The song is sung by a group of young girls playing jump rope, and while the franchise has never revealed who they are, it was initially commonly accepted that they're ghostly victims of Freddy.
In some cases, it appears that the song is meant to imply that the town is still haunted by Freddy. While some fans have believed that the initial image of children jumping rope while the song plays implies that the little girls are dead and ghosts of Freddy’s past, the remake showed those little girls were very much part of the land of the living. Some of the movies, however, have outright mentioned that the song is meant to keep Freddy away and is sung by his previous victims to warn the new ones.
It makes sense then that nearly every movie in the Elm Street franchise features someone singing the song, or at least a few lines from the song. In the second movie, it appears in one of the character’s dreams, sung by another character who is jumping rope and still alive.
In the third, it’s also sung by children in a dream while jumping rope. The difference here, however, is that the children are revealed to be some of Freddy’s victims from before his death. Kristen even sings the song to herself while trying to resist being put under sedation by the doctors around her.
Most of the movies in the franchise follow the same format of having children jumping rope in a dream sequence while the song is heard. Only one movie is different. In A Nightmare On Elm Street 5: The Dream Child the lyrics are changed to "Nine, ten, he's back again," and it once again reappeared in the 2010 remake. Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare depicts Springwood as a desolate, child-free ghost town where the remaining parents have been driven insane by the loss of their children. The lyrics are written in various places around the town.
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What Makes The Song Iconic
No Other Horror Movies Have As Iconic Of A Track
Many horror movies have featured children creepily singing songs, but no horror movie or franchise has come close to being as iconic as Freddy Krueger’s nursery rhyme. The song has become a part of pop culture, sung by partiers on Halloween, popping up in memes on social media, and being credited as part of the reason Freddy is such a creepy villain.
Its iconic status largely comes from the lyrics being attached to something that should be completely innocent. Singing a warning about a man revealed to torture and kill children to the tune of a nursery rhyme isn’t something people are going to easily forget.
The combination alone would be enough to keep people talking about the song, but the way it’s utilized in the movies adds to it.
Having the song played in dream sequences featuring his victims in the movies, and then, the lyrics being messages to keep him away as well, are all inspired uses of the song, adding to the lore of the movies.
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Freddy Kruger Raps In An Actual Song
The Fourth Movie Features A Freddy Kreuger Rap
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master sees Freddy Krueger resurrected, targeting the remaining Elm Street kids. Kristen, with her unique dream ability, passes it to Alice, who discovers Freddy’s plan to harness this power, drawing a new group of children into his nightmarish realm.
Director Renny Harlin
Release Date August 19, 1988
Writers Brian Helgeland , Jim Wheat
Runtime 94 minutes
Some fans might not have realized the song “Are You Ready For Freddy,” which is featured in A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master actually features the actor playing Freddy Kreuger, Robert Englund, rapping.
The song was recorded by hip-hop group The Fat Boys for their 1988 album Coming Back Hard Again and was used as the theme song for the fourth movie in the franchise. The music video tells the story of “Uncle Frederick” having died and the group meeting with his lawyer at a house that just happens to be the same one on Elm Street in the movies. The concept for the video includes the group having to spend the night in the house to inherit Uncle Frederick’s money, but they spend their night being chased by Freddy Krueger.
Tying in a music video to a Nightmare on Elm Street movie hasn’t been done since.
A Nightmare on Elm Street, released in 1984, explores the terror faced by a group of teenagers haunted in their dreams by Fred Krueger, a vengeful spirit. As they confront a series of mysterious deaths, Nancy Thompson uncovers the truth about Krueger's dark past and seeks to stop him.
Release Date November 9, 1984
Runtime 91 minutes
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