Think about a Lullaby

Tucked into yesterday's post you might have noticed a little announcement: the pgwp household is expanding. Starting in late January my listening hours are going to shift from krautrock to Kidz Bop.

So if you're keeping score at home, that means I need to finish writing a book (including, hopefully, a trip to Louisville), move into a new place, and otherwise prepare for a kid, all in the next six months or so (oh yeah, and work that pesky full-time job). Stressed? Me? Nah...

Well, seriously, okay, a little. But more so I'm just excited. Bearing in mind that my prior experience in handling infants is 100% theoretical (I did hold one once... once), I have a lot of visions of the days following baby pgwp's arrival. Nearly all of them involve me singing my favorite songs to it. (Optimistically, none of my visions feature tantrums or foul odors.)

Since learning of the impending event, I've had a little checkbox in the back of my mind every time a song comes on—could this work as a lullabye if I sang it softly enough? I mean, I can't drive myself crazy singing "Rock-a-bye Baby" to a tiny being who doesn't understand what I'm talking about anyway, right? The only question, it seems to me, is whether the melody has the right effect. Music-obsessive parents in the audience, feel free to share your wisdom on this front. What are/were some of your favorite non-nursery-rhyme lullabys? I'm forming an untenably long list in my head (and in an iTunes playlist, of course) of any and all contenders. Here's the tip of the iceberg:

• The Byrds: Mr. Tambourine Man
• Low: Peanut Butter Toast and American Bandstand
• The Lovin' Spoonful: Rain on the Roof
• Andrew Bird: Oh No
• The Kinks: Waterloo Sunset

Comments

[justin]

"pisco bandito" by moxy fruvous was a favorite of both my son and nephew. obscure these days, but the melody always worked for me.

on a slightly different note, if you find yourself playing recorded music for baby, playing frank zappa's nine-minute guitar solo "watermelon in easter hay" in a dark room was always guaranteed to put my baby to sleep.

another thing i did was start making up lyrics and verses to old lullabies; through trial and error i ended up with a seven-verse version of "row row row your boat".

congrats on your baby!

[Richard]

ah, yes, I noticed that little announcement, and wondered if I'd missed a previous one! Congratulations!

I have to confess that this has been an area of frustration for me. My memory of song lyrics always seems to fail me when I want to sing something. I end up singing the same verse of "Amazing Grace" all the time, plus the same two of "Swing Low Sweet Chariot"... my wife knows the words to lots of folk and protest songs, so she goes with those.

[scott pgwp]

Thanks!

Justin - not familiar with Moxy Fruvous but will seek it out. Richard - I do have that problem too... some of these songs I think I know better than I actually do. Take the recording away and I realize how many lyrics I flub when I try to sing along.

[jeremy]

Awesome! And congratulations.

Not a lullaby, but one of Elliot's favorite songs to sing with us, that we like too, is Malvina Reynolds' "Little Boxes" (made famous more recently as the theme song from Weeds). It's got words a toddler can remember, colors, and the hilarious phrase, "ticky-tacky." It's a perfect kids song on so many levels.

[sarah]

my darling by wilco is pretty much the perfect lullaby to sing to your future kid.

congratulations!

[BDR]

Congrats!

My daughter LOVED listening to Mazzy Star falling asleep from early on, lucky since I have to hate you to sing to you.

[Mr. Big]

Congratulations, you don't even know!!!

My sons are 4 & 2 and since it is on one of your life changing albums I wanted to let you know that I've sung them the beginning (sans the African part) of "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" since they were born. Nowadays we cannot say something is empty without all of us chiming in "empty as a pocket with nothing to lose".

Good luck and cherish every moment!

[matthew langley]

Kendra Smith and David Roback's band Opal had a few great songs - Lullaby, Strange Delight, and Northern line are all great songs.

Congratulations, by the way.