Michael Rachap from
Readeez treats us to a guest post
Music and cars: They go together like love and marriage, or marriage and kids, or kids and sleep deprivation, or…well, they go together.
I got my first car shortly after I turned 16. It was a third-hand 1970 Chevy Nova, and it frequently lived up to its name (“no va” = Spanish for “doesn’t go”). But it had a kickin’ stereo, which to me was all that really mattered. I’d pop in one of my home-brewed cassettes (“mixtapes,” I believe the kids now call them) and sit in front of my folks’ house, blissfully ruining my hearing.
Fast-forward to 2001, when as a sleep-deprived dad of a 2-year-old I discovered this:
At the time, I knew what most people knew about Woody Guthrie—that he wrote “
This Land is Your Land” and a ton of other timeless folk songs. But learning that he also penned delightful kids’ songs (presumably for young
Arlo) was a welcome surprise.
Of course, one can’t listen exclusively to music for children. Or I can’t, anyway. So here’s a grownup car tune from Wilco:
A great song from a great album, 1995′s A.M. You should own it.
Oh, and there’s a connection between Wilco and Woody apart from their love of automobiles: Woody’s daughter, Nora, enlisted Chicago-based Wilco and Brit
Billy Bragg to finish and record some of her dad’s unreleased lyrics. The resulting
Mermaid Avenue and its sequel went on to garner beaucoup kudos, and deservedly so.
So there you have it: two of the more than two million songs about cars. Fun, fun,
fun!
Michael Rachap makes music and videos that teach useful life skills like reading, math and science. You can see his work at Readeez.com.
Photo via The People’s Music
Kindie
Beth Blenz-Clucas blogs about music for kids that grownups will love too
It’s Monday morning. Last night, you got the kids through the bedtime routine – bath, story, hugs, tuck-in – in record time, and now you’ll have to race to get them to the school bus on time. Trouble is, last evening’s damp hair has transmogrified overnight into a tangled mess, with strands bursting out in more directions than the L.A. freeway system.
All signs point to a mighty power-struggle between the hair brush and each kid. Or, perhaps it’s better to pour another cup of coffee, place a sprightly cap or ribbon onto those unruly locks, and head proudly out the door, singing a happy song.
The Jimmies, an NYC-based pop-rock band, created a hilarious video based on their song “Bedhead.” This Go-Go’s styled tune celebrates the wonders of the weird hairdo. Just sing along, “There’s nothing you can do” as you blithely deliver your wild-haired young’uns to the school house. Read more...
