Isn't She Lovely vs Zombie Eaters
Posted by Fraser M on 28 October 2008 - 3:21pm.
My wife has given birth to a beautiful baby girl on Sunday evening, which is obviously wonderful for us, if sleep-sapping. With a two-year old already, there goes most of my free time for the next few months! Ah well; that's what you get if you have kids.
That's just my jumping off point. I have a serious poser for the Word Massive. Are there any songs about babies that aren't vomit-inducingly gushing or, alternatively, unpleasant, but are just genuinely good songs about a new arrival?
I'm rather of the inclination that there possibly aren't. Anyone care to argue?
Bookmark/Search this post with:
- More from Fraser M.
- Login or register to post comments
Pink Thing by XTC
It's also a double-entendre, but it was written about Mr & Mrs Partridge's baby, who they nicknamed "the pink thing".
Congratulations
Didn't the Violent Femmes have a rather creepy Baby song? I cannot remember it's name...
There was a previous thread about this...
Haven't got time to look it up, so I'll suggest:
My Smallest Friend - Virginia Astley
To A Child - Laura Nyro
Congrats
Congratulations old boy......
The French have no problem with sentiment at all. This one gets me every time.
I always formed the view that songwriters should stay away from writing songs about theirs kids. Till I had one that is. So I wrote one. But I'll spare you the experience!
Original Lyrics:
Mon enfant, nue sur les galets,
Le vent dans tes cheveux défaits,
Comme un printemps sur mon trajet,
Un diamant tombé d'un coffret.
Seule la lumière pourrait
Défaire nos repères secrets
Où mes doigts pris sur tes poignets,
Je t'aimais, je t'aime et je t'aimerai...
Quoi que tu fasses, l'amour est partout ou tu regardes
Dans les moindres recoins de l'espace,
Dans le moindre rêve ou tu t'attardes
L'amour, comme s'il en pleuvait,
Nu sur les galets...
Le ciel prétend qu'il te connait
Il est si beau c'est sûrement vrai.
Lui qui s'approche jamais
Je l'ai vu pris dans tes filets.
Le monde a tellement de regrets
Tellement de choses qu'on promet.
Une seule pour laquelle je suis fait
Je t'aimais, je t'aime et je t'aimerai...
Quoi que tu fasses, l'amour est partout ou tu regardes,
Dans les moindres recoins de l'espace,
Dans le moindre rêve ou tu t'attardes.
L'amour, comme s'il en pleuvait,
Nu sur les galets...
On s'envolera du même quai
Les yeux dans les mêmes reflets,
Pour cette vie et celle d'après
Tu seras mon unique projet.
Je m'en irai poser tes portraits
A tous les plafonds de tous les palais,
Sur tous les murs que je trouverai
Et juste en-dessous j'écrirai
Que seule la lumière pourrait...
Et mes doigts pris sur tes poignets,
Je t'aimais, je t'aime et je t'aimerai
Translated lyrics:
I loved you, I love you, and I will (always) love you
My child naked on the sea-washed pebbles
The wind in your ruffled hair
Like a new year in my life
A diamond fallen from its box
Only light could
uncover our secret caresses
where my fingers nestled on your wrists
I loved you, I love you, and I will (always) love you
And no matter what you do
Love is everywhere you look
In the most hidden recesses of space
In the smallest dream in which you linger
Love falling as gentle rain
naked on the sea-washed pebbles
The Sky pretends to know you
He is truly beautiful, that's for sure
He who never draws near
I saw Him trapped in your net
The world has so much remorse
So many promised things
But only one for which I was made:
I loved you, I love you, and I will (always) love you
And no matter what you do
Love is everywhere you look
In the most hidden recesses of space
In the smallest dream in which you linger
Love falling as gentle rain
naked on the sea-washed pebbles
We'll fly away from the same pier
The eyes within the same reflections
For in this life and the one after
you will be my sole purpose
I'll leave soon to hang your portraits
on all the ceilings of all the palaces,
on all the walls that I can find
And just below them, I will write
that only light could....
And my fingers nestled on your wrists
I loved you, I love you, and I will (always) love you
Wilhelmina by Peter Hammill
A classic case of projecting your fears and hopes onto the new arrival. Pessimistic but with a hint of tender optimism at the end.
Sleep Now - another Hammill song
Sleep now, another day in your young lives is done,
go to sleep now; tomorrow brave new worlds
will surely come, go to sleep;
you're such a wonder, such a mystery to me.
Somewhere your future friends are lying as you are
and your lovers right now are only crying babes in arms
oh, the world turns under our feet, our lives are passing by
in our sleep.
So soon you'll be gone to that wide world
the tunes of adulthood calling little girls.
Remember, whatever else in life you find to doubt,
do remember, although you hear him mostly in a shout,
your father loves you
as though he never knew the meaning of the words until just now.
So soon you'll be gone to that wide world
one tune of childhood I sing my little girls....
Sleep now, one day I'll tell you how my life has been.
Oh, so strange to think your eyes will fall on things
that mine have never seen, these eyes that gently flicker
in some lost childhood dream.
Sleep now, safe and warm in the haven of your bed,
go to sleep now.... although you won't remember what I've said,
your father loves you
as though he never knew the meaning of the words until just now,
as though he never knew the meaning of the words.
Phil Lynott...
... had two songs about his daughters. "Sarah" and "Kathleen" if I'm not mistaken, that were pleasant enough.
Dylan had two also: "Forever Young" and "Lord, Protect My Child".
Hahahahaha......
Fraser M said -
"With a two-year old already, there goes most of my free time for the next few months!"
......for the next 16 years more like!!
Congratulations!!
Oh, come on, be sentimental
Considering there won't be another time in the next thirty years you can look at your daughter without mixed feelings - one of which is unconditional love - I think you should make the most of this short period during which she's a perfect little angel.
So, "Isn't She Lovely" it is.
I am currently extremely sentimental
for precisely the reasons you say.
My problem with baby songs is trying to buy into *someone else's* sentimentality.
Edit: Oh, and my whole reason for asking is with a view to making up a CD for my wife.
if it's for Mrs M
then it has to be Stevie Wonder all the way.
if it's for Mrs M
then it has to be Stevie Wonder all the way.
Warning:
Steer clear of "The End of the Rainbow" by Richard Thompson.
Whereas Bowie's "Kooks" has always worked for me.
That's all. Congratulations!
Congratulations!
I'll second Kooks!
Dylan's Forever Young
is the one for me. Used to think it was saccharine nonsense. Now I'm a dad it gets me every time. Just wonderful.
Congratulations by the way...
It has to be Forever Young
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung,
May you stay forever young
You have to be a dad to get it
Congrats - your life will never be the same .....
Soft lad. Congrats to all
Song from Barclay James Harvest CD Turn Of The Tide
- sorry, I have something in my eye...
How do you feel now
We've got a reason to go on
Newly born
Seems like I've waited for a lifetime
But honey I believed in you
When I saw her face I had to cry
I don't know why
Is she real?
Seems like I've waited for a lifetime
But honey I believed in you
To make my dreams all come true
We've got a child
I tried and tried to talk it over
Seemed like we'd waited a million years
Then you conceived our child was born
And we were one
Picked her up put her by your side
Saw a smile that you couldn't hide
I tried and tried to talk it over
Seemed like we'd waited a million years
Then you conceived our child was born
And we were one
Picked her up put her by your side
Saw a smile that you couldn't hide
How do you feel now
We've got a reason to go on
Newly born
Seems like I've waited for a lifetime
But honey I believed in you
To make my dreams all come true
We've got a child
Sign On The Window
Congratulations!
There's Forever Young of course but here's another little Dylan gem really hit home after we had our girl...
------------------
Sign on the window says "Lonely,"
Sign on the door said "No Company Allowed,"
Sign on the street says "Y' Don't Own Me,"
Sign on the porch says "Three's A Crowd,"
Sign on the porch says "Three's A Crowd."
Her and her boyfriend went to California,
Her and her boyfriend done changed their tune.
My best friend said, "Now didn' I warn ya,
Brighton girls are like the moon,
Brighton girls are like the moon."
Looks like a-nothing but rain . . .
Sure gonna be wet tonight on Main Street . . .
Hope that it don't sleet.
Build me a cabin in Utah,
Marry me a wife, catch rainbow trout,
Have a bunch of kids who call me "Pa,"
That must be what it's all about,
That must be what it's all about.
Has your new daughter
subscribed to The Word yet? Just asking...
She considers my own face
enough beard action to be getting on with.
Joel by The Boo Radleys
The Boo Radleys, totally non sentimental if I remember correctly...Must go and dig out Wake Up and double check.
I had Your Hand in Mine by Explosions in The Sky (Second mention today. I'm not on commission; honest guv!) on repeat the night my darling daughter was born. No lyrics = no sentimentality.
More importantly ...huge congrats to you all
Roy Bailey's your man
Congratulations.
Roy Bailey did a whole album called "Why does it have to be me?" of kids songs, many written by Leon Rosselson.
Here's the track list:
1. Welcome to the World & It's Your Birthday
2. Kangaroos Like to Hop
3. Irritating Poem
4. Skin
5. Song of the Clock
6. Free to Roam
7. People
8. Rock a Little Baby
9. Questions
10. Why Does It Have To Be Me
11. Vitamin Dance
12. Nasty Spider
13. Being Small
14. Flying High Flying Free
15. Everything's Possible
My favourite is
"Everything's possible"
We've cleared off the table, leftovers saved
Washed the dishes and put them away
I've told you a story, tucked you in tight
At the end of your knock-a-bout day
When the moon sets a sail to carry you to sleep
Over the midnight sea
I will sing you a song no one sang to me
May it keep you good company
Chorus
Oh you can be anybody you want to be
You can love whomever you will
You can travel any country that your heart leads
And know that I will love you still
You can live by yourself, you can gather friends around
You can choose one special one
But the only measure of your words and your deeds
Will be the love you leave behind when you're done
Verse 2
There are girls who grow up strong and bold
There are boys quiet and kind
Some race on ahead, some follow behind
Some go in their own way and time
Some women love women, some men love men
Some raise children, some never do
You can dream all the days, never reaching the end
Of everything possible for you
Chorus
Don't be rattled by names, by taunts, by games
But seek out spirits true
If you give your friends the best part of yourself
They will give the same back to you
Chorus:
…Yes the only measure of your words and your deeds
Will be the love you leave behind when you're done
How about
Loudon's "Be Careful There's A Baby In The House" for a more clear eyed view of a new arrival.
and Lennon's "Beautiful Boy" for the more fuzzy warm sentimental view.
Beginning
of a Great Adventure by Lou Reed from New York does a decent job of covering some of the mixed emotions to come.
Naughty lady
I did a similar cd when my daughter was born but errs either on the sentimental side, however would recommend the "Naughty Lady from Shady Lane"
The naughty lady of Shady Lane
Has hit the town like a bomb
The back-fence gossip ain't been this good
Since Mabel ran off with Tom
Our town was peaceful and quiet
Before she came on the scene
The lady has started a riot
Disturbin' the suburban routine
CHORUS
The naughty lady of Shady Lane has the town in a whirl
The naughty lady of Shady Lane
Me-oh, my-oh, what a girl
You should see how she carries on
With her admirers galore
She must be givin' them quite a thrill
The way they flock to her door
She throws those come-hither glances
At every Tom, Dick, and Joe
When offered some liquid refreshment
The lady never never says "no"
CHORUS
The things they're trying to pin on her
Won't hold much water, for sure
Beneath the powder and fancy lace
There beats a heart sweet and pure
She just needs someone to change her
And she'll be nice as can be
If you're in the neighborhood, stranger
You're welcome to drop in and see
The naughty lady of Shady Lane
So delightful to hold
The naughty lady of Shady Lane
So delectable
Quite respectable
And she's only NINE DAYS OLD
Paul Simon
Father and Daughter
I'm gonna watch you shine
Gonna watch you grow
Gonna paint a sign
So you'll always know
As long as one and one is two
There could never be a father
Who loved his daughter more than I love you
I second the Paul Simon
I second the Paul Simon track - also how about "Gracie" by Ben Folds. I suppose "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" by the Smiths also counts but there's something slightly creepy about the lyrics, if you stop to think about them. On the subject of Loudon W, there's always "Rufus is a tit man"
I don't know Gracie
but since she's called Grace, that seems like a good candidate for a winner!
Off to check the lyrics.
Yes to "Gracie"
It's a wonderful song (and my toddler's called Grace!).
Congrats! (Hey, we have matching kids, I have a two year old and a newborn too, hence I'm not posting quite as much recently...)
Has anyone mentioned "This Womans Work"?
kate Bush. possibly/probably not even about childbirth etc, but irrevocably linked, in my mind, with a film wher eit was used as a young pre-silicone (woops, pre gym training) Demi Moore gave birth to it as background music. As a then young Dad, I wept like a fountain, and still can, even thinking of the tune, let alone playing it.
.
(Of course theres a happy ending!!)
Congrats!!...
I have a one month old boy, and I've always been partial to Bowie's 'Kooks' as well! And on the subject of beards, he's not too happy when I don't shave for a few days!!
My one-man Don McClean campaign goes on
Give Wonderful Baby a go round. Nice tune, unsentimental lyric, great production. Mrs M will love it. And you a little bit more, Fraser.
Stay Up Late
I always thought Stay Up Late by Talking Heads captures perfectly the sheer joy of playing with the wee nippers – crawling around on the floor with them, playing hide’n’seek and peek-a-boo – and having so much fun you don’t ever want bed time to come.
“And we’re having fun! With no money!” Take that, entertainment industry.
Divine Comedy's Charmed Life
Lovely tune from a few years back
"When I hold you in my arms,
I know that this is a charmed life
A charmed life"
Never knew what the Boos' Joel was about before, and I only listened to it about a million times over the years
From another angle
Congratulations Fraser, I have two boys now 15 and 11 (and a girl aged 3 - free bar at a Christmas party!), and when the second was born this Bernie Taupin lyric sung by her Eltoness just got me:
Peering out of tiny eyes
The grubby hands that gripped the rail
Wiped the window clean of frost
As the morning air laid on the latch
A whistle awakened someone there
Next door to the nursery just down the hall
A strange new sound you never heard before
A strange new sound that makes boys explore
Tread neat so small those little feet
Amid the morning his small heart beats
So much excitement yesterday
That must be rewarded must be displayed
Large hands lift him through the air
Excited eyes contain him there
The eyes of those he loves and knows
But what's this extra bed just here
His puzzled head tipped to one side
Amazement swims in those bright green eyes
Glancing down upon this thing
That make strange sounds, strange sounds that sing
In those silent happy seconds
That surround the sound of this event
A parent smile is made in moments
They have made for you a friend
And all you ever learned from them
Until you grew much older
Did not compare with when they said
This is your brand new brother
This is your brand new brother
This is your brand new brother
Finley Quaye's
Finley Quaye's 'Spiritualized' is a great song. Rather then being about a baby it's about the Dad's feelings prior to the birth so maybe worth putting as track 1 on your CD compilation.
Here's the lyrics...
I see you now
As I never have before
Take it further honey
Open all the doors
When you found me
Washed up on the shore
You stopped the bleeding
Now I love you more
Yeah my baby 's coming soon
Yeah my baby's number one
He loves the moon and loves the sea
She loves life and loves her son
Every time I look in to your eyes
I have become spiritualized
Every day she grows
I have become spiritualized
Fix your feet to the ground
Karma always comes around
Paint the walls with ultrasound
Paint the walls and fix the plugs
Gonna fill this place
With Persian rugs
Stop the drinking
And stop the drugs
Love
Singing songs
Whilst cutting deals
Looking for a buggy
With three wheels
I see you now as I never have before
Taking it further honey opening all the doors
If I find you washed up on the shore
I'll stop the bleeding
Now I love you more
As I have become spiritualized
I have become spiritualized
I have become spiritualized
I become spiritualized
Congratulations by the way!
Gracie - Ben Folds
Very sweet. It's our daughters middle name as well which may help us love it.
You can't fool me, I saw you when you came out
You got your momma's taste but you got my mouth
And you will always have a part of me
Nobody else is ever going to see
Gracie girl
With your cards to your chest walking on your toes
What you got in the box only Gracie knows
And I would never try to make you be
Anything you didn't really want to be
Gracie girl
Life flies by in seconds
You're not a baby Gracie, you're my friend
You'll be a lady soon but until then
You gotta do what I say
You nodded off in my arms watching TV
I won't move you an inch even thought my arm's asleep
One day you're gonna want to go
I hope we taught you everything you need to know
Gracie girl
And there will always be a part of me
Nobody else is ever gonna see but you and me
My little girl
My Gracie girl
Fatherhood has the knack of...
...making one lose one's self conciousness. My first daughter's 'theme tune' was Isn't She Lovely - I was aware of how mawkish this might seem, but it fits so what the heck. So much so that I had no qualms about calling her from the O2 during Stevie's rendition of same earlier this month. She's 16 now but still happy to hear it (or so she tells me!)
FYI - daughter #2's tune was/is Seven Years (the Eva Cassidy version), and the boy's was/is Surfer Girl (I don't know why).
I must stop posting after I've come back from the pub. I seem to have something in my eye...
Georgia Rae
"lucky for you child,you look like your momma" says John Hiatt as this joyous song fades out.
Also check out "Dylan" on Throwing Muses "The Real Ramona" as Kristin Hersch wordlessly but effectively conveys the emotion evoked by her son.Oh,and "Already One" by Neil Young though on second thought this is probably more about divorce/seperation than babies primarily.Still gets me every time though.
Don't make the mistake of...
....choosing Newborn by Elbow. I recall it mentions corpses in the bath in line one and is more about spiritual rebirth.
My pet favourite would be an obscurity by the late John B Spencer called Cry Baby Cry
"I found my Promised Land
The first time I held your sweet little hand
And you can cry baby cry
I'll love you till your river runs dry"
Rebecca by Ashley Cleveland
Pasted from her website at http://www.ashleycleveland.com/cgi-bin/lyrics/display.pl?db=db1&tp=tp2&s... - I've always loved the 'Tell me who gave who the gift of life' line:
"Rebecca"
By Ashley Cleveland
Album: Big Town
Label: Atlantic
Year: 1991
Track number: 12
Hey welcome to the world
Oh, your mama's been waiting for you
We did the whole nine yards
You nearly dropped in by the seat of your pants
You're my little girl
And I have a name for you
A heartbeat honed in heaven
There ain't no seed that's simply thrown out to chance
Chorus:
Rebecca, you are the laughter in your mama's eyes
The stars are bright, but not like the shine I've taken to you
I've taken to you now
And tell me who gave who the gift of life?
We call it a toss-up, but the changes in me tell the real truth
I'm grateful for you
I bought a camera, I'd like to keep each memory intact
I've got the eagle eye, I've got it trained on you
No, I don't deserve you
There's so many qualities I lack
Every privilege has its price tag
I see a consequence in all that I do
Chorus
I look for my future and I feel a peace about my past
Surprised by joy, I've seen my Father's mercy in you
You make a fine tutor and my vocation is clear at last
I can't wait to hear you call me something, and see the world as you do
Chorus
© 1990 Warner Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI)