![Play that Funky Music, Baby [Oh, It’s Tuesday]](http://fierceandnerdy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/bettydancing.jpg)
Play that Funky Music, Baby [Oh, It’s Tuesday]
Lately, Betty has started really loving children’s music. She tries to sing along with YO GABBA GABBA, so tunelessly that we often have to check with each other that she’s actually singing. Sadly, singing ability doesn’t run in either of our families, and it doesn’t look like Betty’s going to break that tradition. However, there’s one thing Betty loves even more than children’s music and that’s funky R&B: Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind and Fire, pretty much any upbeat R&B pre-dating the 90s, she just loves it.
Both CH and I love the indie bands, 80s new wave, and quite a bit from the 90s. While she’s in the car with me, I usually listen to Top 40, plaintive indie electronic rock, or until she started repeating words, rap. ABut Betty doesn’t respond to any of my favorite stations. Give her Hot 92.3 Old School and R&B or give her silence. She also doesn’t care for the Beach Boys or Cyndi Lauper or any of the music I loved growing up. And though I can burn up a dancefloor to “When I Hear Music” myself, I have to admit that I find Betty’s preference somewhat bizarre, because it’s not a preference cultivated by us, like the way she’ll choose strawberries over cupcakes at birthday parties, but one decided seemingly on her own.
I’m sure her music taste will change over time — I mean we’ll have to talk disinheritance if she doesn’t get onboard the TV on the Radio train when she’s older — but I’m wondering if any of you have had similar experiences with your children. What were their original music preferences? And do you remember your own? Funnily enough, though my mother loved funky R&B herself, I much preferred rap, 70s rock, and Top 40 when I was a child. So maybe Betty will get a big musical preference surprise if and when she has children of her own.
Til then, I guess I’ll crank up the Michael Jackson, a music choice we both can agree on. And just in case you’re wondering, yes, she’s dancing to a cover of Earth, Wind, and Fire’s “Shining Star” in the featured image.
While I don’t have kids of my own, my niece loves the “O Brother, Where Art Thou” soundtrack that I introduced to her, driving my brother bonkers.
I know when I was a kid my favorite band was Franki Valli and the Four Seasons. Funny enough, I still love that music to this day. I’ve become rather eclectic with my musical tastes from indie rock to electro-trance.
Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons is a wonderful original fave! And I love that you turned your niece on to that soundtrack. I was actually thinking of downloading the TRUE GRIT one to write to, but then I realized it didn’t quite match my women’s fiction novel. Ah well.
My twins are so young that it’s hard to say they have true preferences, but here are some that one or the other seems to have particularly liked so far:
Elvis
Beatles
George Michael
Mozart
Meatloaf :(
But, ZERO interest in Michael Jackson. Every time I have put Off the Wall-era MJ on, or any other funk like Earth Wind and Fire, they’ve walked/crawled away.
Don’t hate on Meatloaf! I love your list. BT-dubs what is it with babies and Elvis? They all seem to like him. It’s like he’s a backwoods baby whisperer.
How could I have forgotten? The one that both of my twins agree on, and have both loved from infancy through toddlerhood: Lady Gaga.
That is interesting. Zora, our six month old, is too young to tell. But Sekou, my (four days shy of) three year old, LOVES music! He sings, dances and plays all manner of instruments. But none of it is contemporary music. It is all kids music from TV like the songs from the Fresh Beat Band, kids compilation CD’s that were gifts (because he LOVES music) like Dreamland by Putumayo Kids and the complication CD’s that they provide in his music and movement class.
I realize that we do not listen to any real contemporary music with our kids. When we are traveling we usually listen to his CD’s, NPR or other podcasts. I hate to say it but the only other thing we listen to is Christian Rock and he can care less. Wow, I just realized that we are really not providing him with musical diversity by any stretch of the imagination because we are really boring!
My mom was the most boring person music-wise and you can see how that turned out. I don’t think you have to worry too much about it. Sekou has big ears, he’ll seek out the music himself. And that will probably be more fun for him.