Kids Music You Can Stand Listening To

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Wed Apr 20, 2005 7:39 am

Any of the parents out there have suggestions for kids music that is actually bearable on a long weekend drive? We often spend summer weekends at my dad's place on the Connecticut shore, and if I have to listen to the Best of Madeline one more time my head's going to explode. Then there's the new CD that the kids got from my mother in law, with the nine minute long version of "Hokey Pokey" and "How Much Is That Doggie In The Window", which my son requests we play over and over again.

Is there such a thing as good children's music?

mood swung · Post by **mood swung** » Wed Apr 20, 2005 7:52 am

I'm a bad parent - I have never bought "children's music," whatever that may be, for my kids. I just play stuff I like. It still cracks me up to see Josephine in her booster seat singing 'All men, all men are liars...' The stuff that makes you tap your toes and sing along will probably do the same for them, making some allowances for tender minds and ears.

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Wed Apr 20, 2005 8:01 am

I'm a big fan of NO! by They Might Be Giants. The first song is kind of a dog but the rest is great--catchy, absurd, silly.

If you can take some hippie/bluegrass strains, I'd also recommend the NOT JUST FOR KIDS music by Jerry Garcia and David Grisham, as well as Raffi's BABY BELUGA, which is cloying but survivable due to really good musicianship.

Compilations of suitable grown-up music are the best, however, I would agree. Or how about the Beatles, large portions of which are kid friendly? Magical Mystery Tour is a great record for kids.

Boy With A Problem · Post by **Boy With A Problem** » Wed Apr 20, 2005 8:04 am

WSS -

Try this out -

http://danzanes.com/

I've heard good things about these records - Dan Zanes was in front of the wonderful Boston band the Del Fuegos - apparantly he had a similar problem to yours and he decided to take the bull buy the horns and he's now making kids records himself. I haven't heard these myself, but this is where I'd start if I had children.

Post by **spooky girlfriend** » Wed Apr 20, 2005 8:07 am

Well, my kids mostly listen to a lot of the same music I do now, especially Elvis, but when they were younger they really liked this:

The same songs from TV sung by various artists. My kids still hum most of them when studying history or english in school.

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Wed Apr 20, 2005 8:09 am

I second BWAP's suggestion-- a pal of mine raves about Dan Zanes, and she's another Elvis fan, so there ya go.

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Wed Apr 20, 2005 8:20 am

Bloodshot Records' The Bottle Let Me Down compilation would be one to check out.

lostdog · Post by **lostdog** » Wed Apr 20, 2005 8:29 am

My daughter's absolute fave song is Willie Nelson's version of If You've Got The Money I've Got The Time.

She's 4. I take my hat off to her.

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Wed Apr 20, 2005 8:39 am

Thanks all for your suggestions. Will check these out, especially the Dan Zanes stuff. Heard mixed things about the TMBG album (and my wife has TMBG phobia), so I'll have to tread lightly there.

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Wed Apr 20, 2005 8:59 am

Ordered one of the Dan Zanes CDs from Amazon. We'll see how it goes over.

Also picked up the Joy Division box set for me, so I can end it all in style when my kids insist we listen to that nine minute Hokey Pokey again.

miss buenos aires · Post by **miss buenos aires** » Wed Apr 20, 2005 9:06 am

Free to be You and Me! Okay, it might be a bit dated now, but boy, did I ever love that record when I was a wee one.

It's all right to cry
Crying takes the sad out of you
It's all right to cry
It might make you feel better

Truer words were never sung, at least not by a football player.

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Wed Apr 20, 2005 9:24 am

selfmademug wrote:Magical Mystery Tour is a great record for kids.

Well not all of it...my older sister used to play this all the time. I was given a serious case of the creeps by "Blue Jay Way" (and I didn't even know that the street mentioned in the song was just a few miles away from my house!)...and I was highly suspicious of just why the Magical Mystery Tour was wanting to take me away. Seemed like those proverbial strangers with candy.

The 3 Stooges of all people, made a record I loved as a kid that I guess is available (a guy at my office downloaded the whole thing). It has a lot of "classic" novelty tunes like "3 Little Fishies" and "Marzy Doats," as well as some Irving Berlin, I think ("Won't You Play a Simple Melody"). It will probably drive you crazy eventually, but perhaps not as quickly.

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Wed Apr 20, 2005 10:22 am

Please don't be long
Please don't you be very long
Please don't be long
Or I may be asleep...

I love that song, actually! It is a bit creepy, you're right. I was 6 when the record came out, I think, and my Dad played it a lot, and I was just old enough to start operating the record player by myself, so....

Tim(e) · Post by **Tim(e)** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 5:33 pm

There is a great collection of CDs called Mother Goose Rocks which has nursery rhyme songs sung to the tunes and voices (or likenesses thereof) of the likes of:

Blink 123 (Wink 123; If You're Happy and You Know It),
Madonna (Mad - Donna; Wheels on the Bus),
Dixie Chicks (Pixie Picks; Old King Cole),
Celine Dion (Serene Begone; Lullabye-Rock-a-bye Baby) and
Bare Naked Ladies (Fully Clothed Men; Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater)

among many many others.

My kids love them and I have to say that I have a great laugh everytime I hear them.

King of Confidence · Post by **King of Confidence** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 8:44 pm

Greg Brown, the Iowa folk guy -- Bathtub Blues.

Jim Gill is a local Chicago guy with four or five CDs out that combine music and play in a way that seems to really connect with kids I know. There is nothing in his stuff to appeal to adults per se, nothing "knowing" or arch, but there is nothing cloying or overly saccharine or annoyed-making either.

He only sells off his web site. http://www.jimgill.com. My fave is "Jim Gill Makes it Noisy in Boise" but they're all uniformly good.

noiseradio · Post by **noiseradio** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:05 pm

They might Be Giants' No! is excellent, as Mug suggests. They also just came out with a DVD and CD, both called Here Come the ABC's. And it's the best kids stuff I've seen and heard in years. The DVD is like Sesame Street and Electric Company in their prime. It's great stuff. If you only get one, get the DVD.

goodbyegirl · Post by **goodbyegirl** » Fri Apr 22, 2005 9:29 pm

I am going to try and find the They Might Be Giants CD and/or DVD tomorrow. I saw one of the videos on Nick at Night and it was pretty cool. Thanks for the suggestion!

I have a cool CD called "Toon Tunes". It is a compilation of cartoon theme songs all the way from Popeye to Rugrats. Remember The Flinstones, The Banana Splits, Speed Racer, The Jetsons, and Underdog? They don't make shows like that anymore. But I do love Spongebob Squarepants!
Boomerang tv network shows all these old cartoons, Unfortunately, I don't get it.

SoLikeCandy · Post by **SoLikeCandy** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 12:48 pm

Agreed about "Here Come the ABC's"--I bought it and i don't have kids. Their children's stuff is awesome.

A couple of weeks ago, a coworker of mine burned me a copy of a version of "Rainbow Connection" by....Willie Nelson. Sweetest song ever--I imagine kids would adore it.

noiseradio · Post by **noiseradio** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 3:40 pm

So Like Candy,

"F is for Fake Belieeeeeeeve"

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 4:16 pm

SoLikeCandy wrote: A couple of weeks ago, a coworker of mine burned me a copy of a version of "Rainbow Connection" by....Willie Nelson. Sweetest song ever--I imagine kids would adore it.

That is a sweet, sweet song and Willie does it so well. That whole album, also titled Rainbow Connection, is just so charming. I love his take on Playin Dominoes & Shootin' Dice and The 33rd Day of August.

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 8:35 pm

Is it okay to admit that I get choked up every time I hear that song? I mean like really...though not the Willie Nelson version. It's Kermit's song, fer chrissakes!

bambooneedle · Post by **bambooneedle** » Mon Apr 25, 2005 8:09 am

The Tigger Movie went on last week and I noticed the cool songs in it.