I have one of the worst memories of anybody I know. I can be with a group of friends who will be talking about a hilarious event that happened in high school or college, one that I may have played a vital role in, and I have absolutely no memory of it.
I want to remember it, because it sounds awesome, but for some reason I don’t. My husband refers to me as the guy from the movie “Memento.” You know, the one who has to tattoo notes on his arms because he has no short-term memory. That’s me, without the tattooing.
I have overcome this hurdle as a parent by keeping several calendars, writing notes to myself, and taking lots and lots of pictures. Blogging has also been good for me as it forces me to keep a journal of my experiences as a parent. The few memories I do have, especially from my childhood, tell me a lot about what has been important in my life.
One of those memories is opening up the present that my parents gave to me on my ninth birthday. It was 1985, and I was in the third grade. I don’t remember much about the third grade, but I do remember this present. I got a red Sony Boombox with black speakers…
I can still see it now – its rectangular shape with a square speaker on each end and a tape deck in the middle. I spent hours listening to my Stryper cassette. Remember them? I could probably sing every word of “Honestly” today, not that I’m proud of that.
I remember recording songs off of the radio and becoming upset when the DJ would speak through the beginning or the end of a song.
I remember when I recorded myself singing Whitney Houston’s “The Greatest Love of All”, and my brothers found it. They played it for my family during dinner as I cried and insisted that it wasn’t me on the tape.
Needless to say, I loved my Boombox and was entertained by it for years.
Music has been a very influential part of my life. The majority of my childhood memories, which are few and far between, are centered around music.
One of my earliest memories is listening to my Sesame Street eight-track of “C is for Cookie” over and over again. I thought Cookie Monster was inside of my parents’ stereo singing to me. He and the rest of the Sesame Street gang could have fit in there comfortably since their stereo was such a huge piece of furniture.
I remember my first live show at Giant’s Stadium. I was in the eighth grade, and I went to see the B-52’s and Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers. It was the first time that I smelt marijuana as it was passed all around me. My friends and I were terrified that we would get a “contact high”.
I remember playing piano in talent shows at my elementary and high schools. And, I remember my mother singing to me every night before bed. My love of music is deep and strong and because of that, it has been important for me to share this love with my children.
I have been on a crusade to find tolerable children’s music ever since my daughter was born five years ago. Whenever I would hear Barney singing, “I love you. You love me,” I did not feel the love.
No offense to all of the Barney fans out there! It just wasn’t for me. But in my quest, I have found some gems, and I’m happy to share them with all of the music loving moms out there. So here are my top 5:
- Rockabye Baby (www.rockabyebabymusic.com) – These are gentle, instrumental, lullaby versions of modern music. They have a great selection of artists, including The Beatles, Metallica, U2, Bob Marley, Journey, and my personal favorite, Radiohead.
- The Bottle Let Me Down: Songs for Bumpy Wagon Rides is a 26-track compilation album featuring the classics, “Rubber Ducky,” and “On Top of Spaghetti,” but with a twist. One is retro-inspired, while the other has a bluegrass country sound. This is a solid album, start to finish.
- They Might Be Giants (www.theymightbegiants.com) – I don’t know why this band began making children’s albums since their songs, “Particle Man” and “Whistling in the Dark,” could easily pass for children’s music, even though it was not written as such. Anyway, they now have a Grammy Award winning children’s album called Here Comes the 123s and a Grammy nominated album called Here Comes Science which are both educational and fun.
- Kidz Bop (www.kidzbop.com) – They make compilation albums of pop songs you hear on the radio, but children are singing the songs. The lyrics are edited to make the songs more appropriate for children, although they sometimes don’t do the best job at it. It ends up being a win-win situation for my daughter and me because we can listen to The Black Eyed Peas’ songs together.
- Imagination Movers (www.imaginationmovers.com) – My daughter became obsessed with this TV show on Playhouse Disney. As it turns out, they’re not a bad little band. They actually play some decent music and have some catchy songs. They are currently on tour and will be in our area in April. It will be my daughter’s first live concert and I’m seriously looking forward to it.
So, there you have it, my top 5 list. I hope it brings you as many great memories of dancing and singing with your children as it has to me.
And, please share your favorites – I’m always looking for some good tunes to fill my home with!
This is an original post for World Moms Blog by Kally Mocho of New Jersey, USA.
Photo of Stryper T-shirt credited to http://www.flickr.com/photos/fimoculous/8692319/. This photo has a creative commons attribution license.
We have recently discovered that our one year old loves music! He dances all the time – well, he can’t quite walk yet, so he dances on his knees, and lifts his hands in the air and turns around. If he is in his chair when a good tune comes on the radio (anything with a beat) he raises his hands in the air and moves from side to side. At the moment he is partial to the latest Take That CD (I blame his father) 🙂
Asta
Isn’t it the best when they first start bopping around to music?! It’s SO cute. Even if it’s to Take That. 😉 I didn’t know they were still around. My cousin, who lives in Spain, LOVED them when she was a kid (like 20 years ago!) Hey, you take what you can get. Thanks for reading!
Kally,
You rock! I’m intrigued with how your memory is stronger when it comes to music. I think it’s great that you are making good “musical” memories with and for your children, too. I didn’t know “They Might Be Giants” did children’s music!
Thanks for always telling it like it is!
Veronica Samuels 🙂
Hey Veronica,
Thanks for reading, and thanks for your effort on the picture. It’s greatly appreciated!
Kally
You are welcome. By the way, I’ve never heard of Stryper before!!
Veronica 🙂
Me neither – LOL!
Okay ladies. So Stryper is like Poison meets Jars of Clay. Believe it or not, they were actually a Christian glam rock band. Hilarious, right?
The Wiggles! Both of my boys love them! They were, in fact, the avenue through which my older son (with autism) discovered the joy of music.
I couldn’t tell you the title of my kids’ current favourite song or who sings it, but the lyrics include the phrase, “Put a banana in your ear…”
Kirsten
Any song with those lyrics sounds right up my ally! My kids never got into the Wiggles…don’t know why. Thanks for reading!
Great post! We love the tmbg stuff…and they have many more. Also, if you like jazz, you MUST get Medeski, Martin & Wood’s kid cd “Let’s Go Everywhere.” it’s fantastic in it’s own right, kid themes aside. And jack johnson’s curious George soundtrack and Barenaked Ladies “snacktime” round out our regular rotation. Lastly, Styper’s “Honestly” was my very 1st boyfriend’s and my “song” in 5th grade. Bring on the couples skate! 🙂
LOVE your list, Kally & I can so appreciate your love for music! I don’t have a single iota of musical talent, but I love singing along to…Well, most things really! My poor, poor family, right? We don’t listen to a lot of kids’ music anymore– I was a Raffi fan “back in the day” though. Today? We’re all about the Glee soundtracks. Don’t judge. 🙂 Great post!
OMG! You put such a smile on my face. I thought I was the only kid who loved that song.
My husband LOVES Medeski, Martin & Wood. We saw them at the San Sebastian Jazz Festival in Spain when I was pregnant with my daughter. We actually gave their children’s album to my brother when he had his daughter two years ago. I should get it back from him and download it to my iTunes! I also LOVE the Jack Johnson Curious George soundtrack. I don’t know the Barenaked Ladies’ song you referred to but I’m definitely going to look it up since clearly, we have similar taste in music.
Thanks for the suggestions. They were awesome.
Great post! I love the movie “Memento” and I have memory like yours too. I hate always being reminded of things that I did and I can’t recall them. I had a boombox just like the one you described AND I recorded myself singing. Not that I remember doing that but I still have the tapes somewhere!
It’s so nice to know that there’s somebody else out there who remembers nothing just like me! I wish I had my recordings somewhere. I would love to hear what my voice was like back then.
Kally – I loved your post – you brought back some memories! My boombax was a pastel purple color. I remember making mix tapes off the radio and would also get so mad when the DJ would interrupt the beginning or end of the song. I used tapes that were clear (so you could see the ribbon on the spools) and had “cool” graphics on them – Memorex cassettes perhaps?
I will definitely have to check out some of your music suggestions because it sounds like we have similar tastes. A couple of local kids artists that are pretty popular out here in Seattle are Johnny Bregar and Recess Monkey – you may want to check them out 🙂
Thanks for the suggestions! I can’t wait to iTunes them. Also, love the description of your boombox – pastel purple…that’s priceless. And I totally know the cassette tapes you’re taking about. I had them too!
Kally, you’re not alone, I can’t seem to remember where I park my car half the time (thank God for four year olds!) Anyway, if you haven’t heard of Trout Fishing in America, they are very worth a listen. Clever, talented and a slapstick funny (sort of modern TMBG). Also, Kids Radio on Pandora has introduced us to some fabulous new favorites (like Stinky Feet by Jim Cosgrove). Elizabeth Mitchel does some beautiful kids albums and some college radio stations host kids shows on weekends (up here in Boston, Emerson College’s 88.9 WERS has a three-hour Kids Playground every Sat & Sun from 5-8). Last but not least, there are some great kid music classes: Kinder Music, Music Together and Family Music Makers, to name a few, which are fun ways to make sharing and learning about music accessible even to the very young. Good luck!
Thanks for all of the suggestions! I have not heard of ANY of them, so I am looking forward to checking them out. Pandora is free, right? That’s a great idea. Thanks again!
We like Dan Zanes in our house! Great music, intelligent kid-friendly lyrics and folk songs. Great for dancing “all around the kitchen” to 🙂
We like Dan Zanes in our house! Great music, intelligent kid-friendly lyrics and folk songs. Great for dancing “all around the kitchen” to 🙂