Just to be upfront about this, I hate reggae. There is some music that I just can’t listen to, besides reggae, there is anything The Beach Boys did before Pet Sounds, anything by The Doors or The Eagles, Layla by Eric Clapton. If any of those songs come on the radio and it is within my power to turn them off, I will. You can also include any song made popular by an American Idol and pretty much any song that is played in Starbucks.
I have recently learned a few things about parenthood and music that I was really hoping to delay if not to avoid entirely. First, your children will not necessarily like the music that you like. Second, you will listen to the music they like, because it makes them SO HAPPY.
Noah, as it happens, LOVES reggae. So does Sam. This makes Sam so happy. I really want to be unhappy that he likes this music, but when he is dancing and clapping and bopping his head, it is hard to be upset. Our baby is a Soul Man. He’s got moves. I made him a CD of all of his favorite songs (I know, so dated, but it is really easier than dealing with a ipod in the car). Here is the playlist from Noah’s CD:
Three Little Birds (Bob Marley)
The Lion Sleeps Tonight (The Tokens)
Day O (Harry Belafonte)
Little Red Caboose (Some children’s artist)
They All Ask’d for You (The Meters)
Don’t Worry, Be Happy (Bobby McFerrin)
Sympathy for the Devil (The Rolling Stones)
I swear, I tried The Beatles, They Might Be Giants, The Talking Heads, Pete Seeger, Belle and Sebastian, but he gave them all a pretty solid “Meh”. So this is what I listen to in the car now.
On Friday I created a Pandora station for him and so far it has been brilliant. Sam and I had a discussion about the moral dilemma of whether it is OK to give a song a thumbs down if we hate it but Noah seems really in to it, for example, say Jason Mraz comes on. I think we resolved the issue that if he REALLY loves it we give it a thumbs up. If he kind of likes it, but we hate it, it gets a thumbs down. I mean…we have a responsibility to protect him from some music right? I’m pretty sure he never needs to be exposed to the likes of John Mayer, but if that Over the Rainbow song by IZ that we heard on repeat EVERYWHERE when we were in Kauai, I’ll give it a thumbs up (by the way, what is the deal with kids and this song? Is there a kid out there that doesn’t like it?).
Here is the link to Noah’s station if you’re feeling irie:
http://www.pandora.com/?sc=sh215061008501407484
To tell you the truth…I might be starting to like it. shhhhh.
He does have a couple of grands that really like the IZ song too. I do expect to hear that on the Pandora next Tuesday. xoxo Gramma Kerry
I personally like the shuckin’ and jivin’ to Sam & Dave, . . . Crap-pa Jim