California, Death & Grief, Friends, Music, Pregnancy Kristen California, Death & Grief, Friends, Music, Pregnancy Kristen

Lullaby Playlist

Anyone who's actually been to Graceland has to have Elvis on their baby's playlist, right? This is a close-up of the stained glass in Elvis' living room. My dad and I went to Graceland last summer--had a blast.

So my husband said the other day that he read somewhere that if you play music or sing songs to the baby before it's born, when it hears the same music after it's born it'll be soothed by it. 

"The baby can hear by Week 8," he said. "Maybe we should make a playlist," which has by now evolved into separate playlists because what he wants to play for/sing to the baby is different from me. (Although he's got some good ideas. "Journey, Don't Stop Believing," he says. I can respect that.)

This weekend, I made my lullaby playlist (which my husband says is too hippie chick, lol). I love making playlists. I tend to make one every three or four months, and listen to it pretty much exclusively. Then that music is so embedded in that particular time and place in my life...it's really interesting how music so quickly takes me back.

Anyway, I wanted to use music I already had (so no buying new songs). Below, the annotated list, in order of the year the original version of the song was released:

  • Over the Rainbow, Willie Nelson (1939)--this song so reminds me of my childhood
  • Young at Heart, Frank Sinatra (1953)--we listened to a lot of Frank Sinatra when I lived in Seattle right after college
  • Love Is Here to Stay, Ella Fitzgerald (1956)--from my brother Luke's music collection
  • (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear, Elvis Presley (1957)--Elvis reminds me of my grandpa. Love him. Miss him
  • Blackbird, The Beatles (1968)--God, I love the Beatles. I used to play this song on my guitar in the months after my brother died
  • Your Song, Elton John (1970)--I'm sure I heard Elton John growing up, but what his music really reminds me of is college
  • Rocky Mountain High, John Denver (1972)--my mom was a huge John Denver fan. I can sing entire albums start to finish. And every kid born in Colorado needs this on his/her playlist
  • The Rainbow Connection,The Carpenters (1979)--again, a song from my childhood
  • Old Pictures, The Judds (1987)--the Judds remind me of my dad for some reason, this song especially
  • If I had a Boat, Lyle Lovett (1987)--I've always thought of this as a cute song for kids
  • Take Me to a Place, Little Sister (1994)--a kind of obscure Austin, Texas band I saw live about a million times when I lived down there after Seattle. This might be my favorite song on the list
  • Wonder, Natalie Merchant (1995)--these next three songs remind me of living in San Francisco, putting music on the stereo and going for a drive
  • Heaven's Here on Earth, Tracy Chapman (1995)
  • Dance With the Angels, Lisa Loeb (1997)
  • Starfish, Sister Hazel (1997)--again, a song I've always thought of as a cute little kid's song
  • How Do You Fall in Love, Alabama (1998)--so the baby will know how much his Mommy and Daddy love each other
  • Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key, Billy Bragg and Wilco (1998)--this is such a great album...reminds me of driving to Burning Man with my lovely friend Chris the first year we both went
  • Life Uncommon, Jewel (1998)--more songs that remind me of San Francisco...mixed in with driving to Santa Barbara to surf with my brother Luke, and then moving down there to live with him...
  • The Lucky One, Alison Krauss (2001)
  • Godspeed (Sweet Dreams), Dixie Chicks (2002)
  • Nightingale, Norah Jones (2002)
  • Blessed to be a Witness, Ben Harper (2003)
  • Love Is Everywhere, Bob Schneider (2004)--another Austin musician I adore
  • Wildflower, Sheryl Crow (2005)--this was on my iPOD on a long bus ride in Chile, down with a girlfriend of mine a few months after my brother Luke died. I sat in the back corner of the bus and sobbed. What an amazing trip that was, but I was just a wreck at the time
  • Upside Down, Jack Johnson (2006)--A happy little Santa Barbara song...this reminds me so much of the 17-year-old who came to live with me after my brother died (long story for another time)
  • Come Alive, Foo Fighters (2007)--oh, how I love the Foo Fighters. Need to see if there's an acoustic version of this song...might work a little better for lullaby purposes
  • Umbrella, Rihanna (2007)--I wanted to have this be the song at our wedding (but we ended up having a really simple wedding where we didn't do that kind of thing). I love its message about standing together and helping each other through things
  • Stars 4-Ever, Robyn (2010)--my best friend recommended this album to me...it makes me think of her...
  • We Are Hot Dogs, Danielle Ate the Sandwich (2010)--again, a silly little kid's song is what I thought when I first heard this. And I love the refrain: "And I can't recall a feeling better than this."

 

Photo Credit: Growl Roar.

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