Great music for kids?

[taimatsu]

I am in the process of putting together a mix CD for my nine-year-old pseudo-step-sister. She currently loves High School Musical and so I'd like to find a variety of other cheerful, bouncy, age-appropriate music for her to see if she likes it. I'm going to include the lyrics (because I always used to hate not being sure what was being sung). But I want to avoid songs which have explicit lyrics, obviously, and less obviously, I want to steer clear of lyrics which are *all* about love/relationships. I'm actually including a few songs in other languages - there's 'Dragostea Din Tei' better known as the Numa Numa song (which, ok, is about a relationship!), and a Hisakawa Aya song called 'Onigiri'; in English, I've got 'MmmBop' by Hanson, plus a really fun remix of it, and a fantastic little pop ditty called 'Carry Me Away' by Amy Studt, and various others - but I want your ideas. I want to include really classic, not to mention cheesy, pop and rock numbers where possible - I'm currently debating whether the lyrics to 'Rock Me Amadeus' are across that fine line or not...

Thoughts?

Comments

[bibliogirl.livejournal.com]

Tragedy, the Steps version? Youngsters of my acquaintance LOVED that song, age nine. ;)

[borusa.livejournal.com]

Is "Rock Lobster" rude? "Shiny Happy People"?

[mistress-carrot.livejournal.com]

Ditto on Shiny Happy People.

[medland.livejournal.com]

How about some stuff from other musicals? Grease comes to mind - they are suitable for her age and they do ok as 'stand alone' songs if she hasn't seen the movie. I also think kids can handle music that is much more 'adult' than we think or give them credit for - my 7 year old goddaughter LOVES the soundtrack to 'Oh Brother Where Art Thou'. That has wonderful songs on it. Or just burn her some of your favourite stuff as long as it isn't all sweary. :)

[(Anonymous)]

The Cure - Love Cats or Friday In Love.
The lyrics don't look too suggestive, and they're fun silly songs.

Baldy

[medland.livejournal.com]

Lucy's parents might kill her for introducing that into their house lol.

[bibliogirl.livejournal.com]

*snicker* Isn't being a bad influence what being an older sister's all about? ;)

[arron-shutt.livejournal.com]

I bought the film soundtrack version of Godspell a couple of weeks back. Despite the obvious religious theme to it, it's really fun music to sing along in the car to. I particularly like "Day by Day" and "Light of the world". Always cheers me up.. :D

You can find extracts of the film on YouTube if you wanted to check it out.

[arron-shutt.livejournal.com]

I've managed to find a couple of standalone song samples:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCTx_s6bGq4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBBd-dMdYaA

[taimatsu]

*nod* I'm sure she could handle it, in a way - I am just very aware that she already gets all those 'romance' 'boys' 'sexy' messages from TV and other media, Bratz duvet sets, goodness knows what, and I don't want to be giving her yet more of that when she has quite enough of it already. Obviously there will be bits of it in there but I want to make sure it's not the focus. I'm not going for 'kids' music as such, though there might be some of it in there - I'm putting in things I enjoy listening to, which happen to be suitable for nine-year-olds too, and which additionally she might find appealing (I think if I give her Debussy, or too much of the Japanese stuff, she's just going to turn it off - there will be a bit of instrumental music in there too though, just in case!).

[hartleyhare.livejournal.com]

Seconded! Small Hare loves the Belle and Sebastian song ('Today The Monkeys are Breaking Out the Zoo').

[ar-gemlad.livejournal.com]

Adam and the Ants.
A-ha (Take on me)

[skibbley.livejournal.com]

They Might Be Giants have some fun and silly tracks.

Some suggestions

[j4.livejournal.com]

These may not all be 'bouncy' enough, but...

Kate Bush, "Wuthering Heights"
Queen, "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Abba - "Thank you for the music"
The Beatles - loads of the mad stuff would do ("Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", "Yellow Submarine", "Hey Bulldog" [one of my favourite Beatles songs ever])
Any 50s rock 'n' roll that isn't rude (how about Chuck Berry, "Rock 'n' roll music"; Richie Valens, "La Bamba" [okay that probably is about sex or drugs but it's in foreign so it doesn't matter])
Ace of Base, "Happy Nation"
Small Faces, "Itchycoo Park" okay that is probably about drugs but you'd totally never know unless you already knew, IYSWIM or "Lazy Sunday Afternoon"
Donovan, "Mellow Yellow" (what is that about?)
Joni Mitchell, "Big Yellow Taxi"

... and I will keep thinking!

[j4.livejournal.com]

Love Cats -- "we should have each other for dinner, we should have each other with cream" ... no-oooo, that's not suggestive or explicit at all (?!).

And "Friday I'm in Love" is totally about relationships in the way that I thought Lucy was trying to avoid.

I mean obviously they are both ace songs but, y'know, really. ^_^

[j4.livejournal.com]

Yes yes yes! Either "Istanbul" or "Birdhouse in your soul" would be excellent bounciness.

/~ earwormed ~/

[ashfae.livejournal.com]

Octopus' Garden by the Beatles!!

[kostika.livejournal.com]

Have a look at some of Pink's music. Especially the song Stupid Girls which is on the I'm Not Dead album, which also happens to be my favourite Pink album.

Also, I've added you to my Rav friends.