We all say things we will never do as parents, before we actually become parents. Only to realize later how incredibly naive we were. There's a funny post about it by Amy at "Rants from Mommyland", voicing her top 10 "Oh, now I get it" moments. Sean and I used to say we wouldn't be doing the whole "children's music" thing. We love music, and singing, and felt kids could enjoy adult music just as well. We couldn't see spending hours listening to endless renditions of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", "Hokey Pokey" and "Baby Beluga". And the myriad other songs that I now know every word to and usually am singing to myself as I'm going about my day.
There's no escaping it, kids like kids music. And parents like seeing their children smile, sing, and catch on to music. And it's just much easier for them to catch on with Twinkle Twinkle. So, we quickly and quietly surrendered to children's music, just like we surrendered to a house littered with toys and toast with no crusts and the use of our bodies as jungle gyms. It's not that bad, really. Singing is singing, it still lifts the spirit. And my sleep deprived brain can't remember lots of complex lyrics anymore, anyway.
Still, I want to share one of my happiest finds in children's music that adults can enjoy just as much. Elizabeth Mitchell. My friend gave me two of her CD's, "Catch the Moon" (with Lisa Loeb) and "You Are My Sunshine", when Boodge was a baby. Mitchell has a beautiful, smooth voice and a low-key delivery that makes all the children's songs she sings sound sophisticated and fun at the same time. She sings old standards like "Twinkle Twinkle" as well as more hip covers like "Three Little Birds" by Bob Marley--one of my favorite comfort songs. You can one of her versions here, though it is a bit different on the CD, titled "You Are My Little Bird". It's her daughter and husband singing with her. Beautiful.
We lost Catch the Moon in the move somehow, and just got reacquainted with it when Peanut was born. It has become the soundtrack to this time in my life, as Boodge likes to put it on at least once a day, and usually first thing. Two songs in particular have become a bit of a morning meditation for me, setting me right for the day. One is "So Glad I'm Here", which you can listen to on her site (there is a generous selection of music there to listen to, so stay a while). It is sort of gospelly and repeats the lines, "So glad I'm here, everyday" and "Love brought me here, everyday" with a nice clap-able rythm. Just what I need when I am grumpy from an early wake-up. Right--love. That's why the hell I'm up at 6am after a crappy night. And I'm glad to be a mum, truly. I just forgot for a minute. By the end of the song, I usually remember.
Another one that I love is a Dylan cover called "New Morning". I'm sure Dylan didn't write it for his kids (maybe?) but it perfectly expresses how I feel sometimes when I am able to just stop and enjoy the miracle of my children and the simple good fortune of each day I have with them, as they show me the world anew. "So happy just to see you smile, underneath the sky of blue."
I couldn't find an audio version, so here are all the lyrics. I recommend you get your hands on Michell's version, on Catch the Moon. And if you're looking for some music that you and your children can really enjoy together then don't be afraid to pick up a few of her CD's. She truly is a lovely voice.
New Morning
Can’t you hear that rooster crowin’?
Rabbit runnin’ down across the road
Underneath the bridge where the water flowed through
So happy just to see you smile
Underneath the sky of blue
On this new morning, new morning
On this new morning with you
Can’t you hear that motor turnin’?
Automobile comin’ into style
Comin’ down the road for a country mile or two
So happy just to see you smile
Underneath the sky of blue
On this new morning, new morning
On this new morning with you
The night passed away so quickly
It always does when you’re with me
Can’t you feel that sun a-shinin’?
Groundhog runnin’ by the country stream
This must be the day that all of my dreams come true
So happy just to be alive
Underneath the sky of blue
On this new morning, new morning
On this new morning with you
So happy just to be alive
Underneath the sky of blue
On this new morning, new morning
On this new morning with you
New morning . . .
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Sweet Mama Songs
Driving home from prenatal yoga today I found myself singing Sinead O'Connor's "Three Babies". I have probably not thought of that song since I became a mother, and prior to that I still loved it and related to it well. But today, I was choking up as I sang "Each of these, my three babies, I will carry with me. For myself, I ask no-one else will be mother to these three." How many times I have felt that since birthing the Boodge, a strong desire to live at any cost because I can't bear the thought of someone else raising him.
And then there's this part, "And it's cause you've thrilled me, silenced me, stilled me, proved things I never believed. The face on you, the smell of you, will always be with me." Sheesh, I'm choking up just typing it. It got me thinking about how grateful I am for those precious few songs out there written by amazing artist-mothers for their children. O'Connor has done several good ones, including another favorite, "My Darling Child". The Dixie Chicks also have a lovely song called "Lullaby", and also a strong, idealistic Mama appeal for a better world called "I Hope". ("Our children are watching us, they put their trust in us, they're gonna be like us.")
A lot of the love songs out there seem pretty obsessive and scary when sung to an actual lover (my favorite lyric like this is from an Amanda Marshall song, "I'd cut off my hands just to touch you." Ewwww. You really think anyone wants that??) but when I sing them to my babe, they seem perfectly fine. Like "You're Just Too Good to Be True," (Frankie Vallie) or "Ain't No Sunshine" (Bill Withers) or "Pride and Joy" (Stevie Ray Vaughn).
When you fall in love with your baby, lots of love songs will fit that love nicely. I personally feel more comfortable with the idea of singing "She's my sweet little thing, she's my pride and joy, she's my sweet little baby, and my little lover boy," to a child. Or, even more disturbing "I know I ought to leave a young thing alone, but there ain't no sunshine when she's gone." But nothing fits quite as nicely as those love songs written especially for a child, by a mother.
We love to sing around here--all three of us. Sean and I both have unrequited rock star dreams. Boo knows a few lines to a lot of songs now and sings them with unbelievable cuteness. We sang him to sleep multiple times a day for the first year of his life, and I'm always singing little songs to him during the day. I remember Sean, in one sweet Daddy moment, saying to his little newborn Boo, something along the lines of "It's like I've been waiting all my life to sing to you." I felt exactly the same way. Who needs to be a rock star when you can sing to your baby?
I want to preserve some of the songs that I sang to him as his special songs, and I'm also looking for more to sing to Peanut. So I'm putting it out there to all you thousands of readers! Share with me your favorite baby-songs, and your favorite lyrics from them. It doesn't have to be a Mama-song, but if you have more of those special variety, lay those on me too. I'm looking for some good tear-jerking, and I'm cleaning out my singing pipes for Peanut.
And then there's this part, "And it's cause you've thrilled me, silenced me, stilled me, proved things I never believed. The face on you, the smell of you, will always be with me." Sheesh, I'm choking up just typing it. It got me thinking about how grateful I am for those precious few songs out there written by amazing artist-mothers for their children. O'Connor has done several good ones, including another favorite, "My Darling Child". The Dixie Chicks also have a lovely song called "Lullaby", and also a strong, idealistic Mama appeal for a better world called "I Hope". ("Our children are watching us, they put their trust in us, they're gonna be like us.")
A lot of the love songs out there seem pretty obsessive and scary when sung to an actual lover (my favorite lyric like this is from an Amanda Marshall song, "I'd cut off my hands just to touch you." Ewwww. You really think anyone wants that??) but when I sing them to my babe, they seem perfectly fine. Like "You're Just Too Good to Be True," (Frankie Vallie) or "Ain't No Sunshine" (Bill Withers) or "Pride and Joy" (Stevie Ray Vaughn).
When you fall in love with your baby, lots of love songs will fit that love nicely. I personally feel more comfortable with the idea of singing "She's my sweet little thing, she's my pride and joy, she's my sweet little baby, and my little lover boy," to a child. Or, even more disturbing "I know I ought to leave a young thing alone, but there ain't no sunshine when she's gone." But nothing fits quite as nicely as those love songs written especially for a child, by a mother.
We love to sing around here--all three of us. Sean and I both have unrequited rock star dreams. Boo knows a few lines to a lot of songs now and sings them with unbelievable cuteness. We sang him to sleep multiple times a day for the first year of his life, and I'm always singing little songs to him during the day. I remember Sean, in one sweet Daddy moment, saying to his little newborn Boo, something along the lines of "It's like I've been waiting all my life to sing to you." I felt exactly the same way. Who needs to be a rock star when you can sing to your baby?
I want to preserve some of the songs that I sang to him as his special songs, and I'm also looking for more to sing to Peanut. So I'm putting it out there to all you thousands of readers! Share with me your favorite baby-songs, and your favorite lyrics from them. It doesn't have to be a Mama-song, but if you have more of those special variety, lay those on me too. I'm looking for some good tear-jerking, and I'm cleaning out my singing pipes for Peanut.
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