Songs For Pirates

In honor of International Talk Like A Pirate Day, here are some songs for pirates from the kids music tradition, which you can listen to while pondering how pirates say "Arrrrgggghhhh, mateys" in non-English langauges.

First off, the obvious:
-- All albums by >Captain Bogg & Salty (search on 'em here to find reviews -- some are more appropriate only for slightly older kids).
-- Sam's Rot'n Pot'n Pan Band's self-titled debut, which isn't entirely piratical, but fun nonetheless.
-- Mike Mennard's Pirates... Do the Darnedest Things, which definitely is on the jokier side of things.
-- Sea Music from Dan Zanes isn't really pirate songs, but definitely puts you in a seafaring mood. (And Dan Zanes does a pretty good version of "Drunken Sailor" on one of the Old Town School disks.)

And now songs:
-- "Blackbeard, Bluebeard, and Redbeard," Eric Herman
-- "Drunken Sailor," many sources, including a rambunctious version from Astrograss and a spoof version ("What Can You Do With a Baby Brother?") from Ralph's World.
-- "I'm A Pirate," Uncle Rock
-- "A Pirate's Song," Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer
-- "Pirates," Milkshake
-- "Pirate Ship," traditional -- Little Miss Ann does a nice version
-- "Pirate Girls Nine," They Might Be Giants
-- "The Ballad of Dirty Joe," Bill Harley

I have little doubt I'm overlooking some... care to help?

Songs For Dads (Further Updated)

Father's Day is hardly a holiday that inspires much in the way of music (it probably ranks just above Arbor Day and below Flag Day in that regard), but at least the kids music genre has a few entries if you're looking to put together a kid-friendly list.

You can read last year's list, but there's always new stuff to add. (Along with stuff I've forgotten, overlooked, or cruelly dismissed. You'll let me know, I'm sure, what falls in those categories in the comments.)

The list, after the jump:

-- "Daddy-O," off Frances England's Fascinating Creatures
-- "My Dad!," off Alex and the Kaleidoscope Band's Kaleidoscope Songs, Vol 1
-- "Cat's in the Cradle," Harry Chapin (just kidding!)
-- "I'm So Glad To Be A Dad," off Dennis Caraher's Bow Wow Baby
-- "My Daddy Is Scratchy," off Jamie Broza's My Daddy Is Scratchy
-- "My Daddy (Flies a Ship in the Sky)," off the Daddy-O! Daddy Woody Guthrie tribute
-- "Courtship of Eddie's Father"
-- "Dad" by Father Goose
-- "Thank You, Daddy"
-- "The Coffee Song," by Ralph's World, off At The Bottom of the Sea. (Yeah, I used it for the mom's list, but it mentions D...A...D.D.Y.)
-- "Father and Daughter," by Paul Simon (off a number of CDs, but including The Wild Thornberrys soundtrack)
-- "Don't Wipe Your Face On Your Shirt," by the Cornell Hurd Band, off the fabulous The Bottle Let Me Down comp.
-- "Me and My Dad," by David Weinstone, from his Music for Aardvarks and Other Mammals #7.
-- "Stay-At-Home Dad," by Justin Roberts (off Pop Fly).
-- "My Father Was An Accountant," by Peter Himmelman (from My Green Kite)
-- "Things," by Barenaked Ladies (from Snacktime) -- I suppose this is gender-free, but considering it's being sung by an all-guy band, I took it as a Dad-centric song
-- "Have You Looked?" and "Swingin' in Daddyland," from Lewis Franco off his Swingin' in Daddyland CD)
-- "Dad Threw the TV Out the Window," from Bill Harley (on Play It Again, among other places) -- more about TV, but still...
-- "In Belgian Rain" from the upcoming Hot Peas N Butter CD Vol. 4: The Pod Squad (it's a lullaby written by one of the guys' dad)
-- "My Dad," by Rick Charette, off of a cd titled Kids Tunes
-- "My Dad Caught Stars" by Justin Roberts (off Not Naptime)

A reader also recommended Daddies Sing GoodNight: A Fathers' Collection of Sleepytime Songs, which isn't really a collection of songs about dads, but close enough...

And, a few for the adults (from commenters and e-mailers)...

-- "My Dad (My Pa)" by Nancy Sinatra
-- "Bein' a Dad" by Loudon Wainwright III
-- "The Kids Are Alright" by The Who
-- "Slow Turnin," "Your Dad Did," and "Stolen Moments" - John Hiatt
-- "Still Fighting It," Ben Folds ("You're so much like me / I'm sorry.")
-- "My Old Man" by the Smothers Brothers. ("It's a touch blue, but it was recorded in 1963 so it's pretty harmless - funny if you're "in the know". My favorite Dad song!")

Songs For Mom (Updated, Again)

It's that time of the year once more, when I pull out my list of songs for Mother's Day so you can burn an iTunes playlist and send it to your mom (because who burns CDs anymore?) I've pulled out last year's list and given it a tweak or two...

Here's a list of songs for mothers or songs about mothers, in no particular order. I've avoided lullabies (songs by moms, typically), as well as songs about general parentual units, or songs about moms and dads. (If you're looking for songs about moms and moms, might I recommend AudraRox's excellent "Moms & Dads," which, song title notwithstanding, is about all sorts of families.)

If a song isn't on the list, it's because of one of the three "O"s: Oversight (I knew about the song and just forgot), Omission (I knew about the song and chose to exclude it), or Obtuseness (I didn't know about the song at all). I expect the third category to be fairly large -- it is every year -- so feel free to add your suggestions in the comments section. List after the jump...

"Mama Don't Allow" -- numerous versions; try Brady Rymer's version off of Every Day Is a Birthday
"Mama Hug" -- Brady Rymer, Every Day Is a Birthday
"Mama Is Sad" -- Justin Roberts, Yellow Bus (it's a song about divorce, so I'm guessing it's not gonna go on too many mix tapes)
"Five Little Ducks" -- try version on the Old Town School of Folk Music's Songs For Wiggleworms
"Thank You Mommy" -- The RTTs, Turn It Up Mommy!
"The Coffee Song" -- Ralph's World, At the Bottom of the Sea (not really about moms specifically, but it was the first song that came to my wife's mind when I mentioned the topic of the post)
"Hush Little Baby" -- try version on the Old Town School of Folk Music's Wiggleworms Love You, though it's just as often that Dad is the person buying baby that billy goat
"Mother and I" -- Bill Thomas (and a Circle of Friends), Time Can Be So Magic
"Hope My Mama Says YES!" -- AudraRox, I Can Do It By Myself (more about the kid than the mom, but that's what Mother's Day sometimes ends up being, no?)
"Mommy She Loves Me" -- Ginger Hendrix, Macaroni Boy Eats at Chez Shooby Doo
"Nerves" -- Terri Hendrix, Celebrate the Difference (not really celebratory, but the recipient mom will nod her head in understanding, then ask you to get her a beer)
"A Dozen Roses" and "I Made It For You" -- Peter Himmelman, both off My Green Kite
"From Scratch" -- Justin Roberts, from Pop Fly
"Sleepyhead Mommy" -- Frances England, from the forthcoming Family Tree

Baseball Songs (Again)

I'm traditionalist in not too many things, but the idea that baseball's opening day should be, well, in the day, and, well, in North America (as long as all the teams are, you know, based here) is something I firmly believe in.

So for once I am timely with this updated list of baseball songs. (Read last year's list here.) Enjoy, and may all your teams have a great season. (Yes, I realize that's a statistical impossibility. Doesn't matter -- it's the first day of baseball...)

*********

There are very few sports-related children's songs that come to mind. I can understand why, as sports like football and hockey require a lot of equipment and are typically for older kids (this is especially the case for football). Basketball and baseball are easier to play, perhaps -- less equipment, introduced at an earlier age. Since the major sports typically become mostly a spectator sport as we grow up, perhaps it's good that there isn't much children's music about sports since a song about watching other people do something is kinda depressing as a kids' song. (It does make me think that the genre of children's soccer songs is a niche waiting to be filled.)

Here goes:

-- "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" (well, duh) -- try Wiggleworms Love You, from the Old Town School of Folk Music (nicely bipartisan, cheering for both the Cubs and White Sox), or also the Hold Steady's version.
-- "Baseball Dreams" -- off At the Bottom of the Sea, by Ralph's World (Cubs all the way in this one)
-- "I'm Gonna Catch You" -- off Under a Shady Tree, by Laurie Berkner (it has one relevant line -- "So I jumped into Saturday / And I had a baseball batter-day" -- yeah, I'm really reachin' here)
-- "Pop Fly" -- off Justin Roberts' forthcoming album by the same name, about a daydreaming boy playing the outfield...
-- "Centerfield" -- off Centerfield, by John Fogerty (not kids' music, but a great song anyway). See also Visqueen's rendition on the forthcoming Desoto Records kidscomp Play!
-- "Talkin' Baseball -- off countless albums by Steve Cashman, who just re-records and updates his song -- baseball history lesson in 3 minutes
-- "Big Train" -- off the RTT's Turn It Up Mommy!. About Walter "Big Train" Johnson. I'd probably disagree that he's the best pitcher ever, but that's another blog. Good song.
-- "Right Field" -- Peter, Paul and Mary.
-- "Cryin' in the Dugout" -- off Daddy-A-Go-Go's upcoming Eat Every Bean and Pea on Your Plate album. A humorous song -- "Baseball Dreams" played for laughs instead of nostalgia.
-- "The Greatest" -- Kenny Rogers.
-- "Roll Around" -- Peter Himmelman, off of his My Lemonade Stand CD. A fun, rollicking song about a baseball who retires, then comes back to his calling.
-- "Baseball Tips with Professor Buckley -- Peter Himmelman, My Green Kite, an amusing little spoken-word piece.
-- "Baseball" -- Milkshake, off Play!. Guest-starring Cal Ripkin, Jr.
-- "The Challenger Baseball Song" -- Ben Rudnick and Friends. All about the Challenger Division of Little League, for kids with mental and physical disabilities.
-- "Baseball, Baseball" -- Stephen Cohen, off Here Comes the Band.
-- "Hey! Batter!" -- Hank Cooper, from Playground Fortune Teller -- all about the language of baseball...

And finally, an artist reviewed here on this very site wrote me a while back to suggest four more songs, including at least one I'm miffed I forgot... the comments in quotes are the artist's, not mine.
-- "Catfish" -- off Bob Dylan's Bootleg Series. I am unfamiliar with this one. But it's Dylan.
-- "Joe DiMaggio’s Done it Again" -– Wilco and Billy Bragg, from their Mermaid Ave Vol. 2
-- "A Dying Cubs Fan’s Last Request" –- Steve Goodman – "Classic, and very funny." See "Talkin' Baseball," above.
-- "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" -- Brave Combo - "two very cool versions... wacky and fun." It's Brave Combo, how could it not be fun?

If any of you have more suggestions, leave me a comment.

Songs About Dinosaurs

No, not songs by dinosaurs -- you know me better than that -- songs about dinosaurs.

My latest article for Education.com, Crazy for Dinosaurs? 13 Songs to Try Now, is up.

Note: this was written a long time ago, otherwise I might have added song #14.