Little Ears

There's a lot of music in our house, always has been. It isn't played as often or as loudly as it once was - kids nap - but it's still a sensory component in all of our lives. Although the boy had more than his share of melodies in the womb, hidden behind the white noise background of whooshing and gurgles, I never noticed a musical interest early on. He might dance a little on his hands and knees but there was nothing more distinct than that.

When he was about 14 months old, as I sat beside him on the sofa, reading and listening to VH1 Classic in the background, something changed. U2's, I Will Follow, popped up. The formerly quiet and disinterested little boy suddenly got perky. He began to throw himself backwards against couch in time with the music, an enormous grin betraying absolute delight. He continued for the entire song to the point of panting, sweat plastering his short hair to his head. When the song ended, transitioning to another oldie, he stopped and pulled himself together. He returned to disinterest. As an experiment I rewound to the U2 video and sure enough, he began anew. I hit the record button and saved that half hour of programming. When my wife came home I showed her the little mad man in all his glory, delighting in Bono's mullet. We would for a month or so, when we were bored, just turn it on and watch the kid go. He loved it. Nothing else got his interest.

He has since moved past U2. His taste is more varied and not driven by the visual aspect of videos, but he still likes a good beat.

There are many songs he dislikes, but I won't embarass the artists, as he can be quite scathing in his reviews. One example: "That song like the diaper. Yuch!"

Today we present the Boy's latest top 12; the songs that are piquing his interest, with his commentary (such as it is). They're not new songs except, in most cases, to him. Although the video links are offered to you, he made his reviews by listening only.

12) Street Fighting Man - The Rolling Stones - Sparks immediate stomping and head tossing. Enjoys the ringing room sound of the recording. "It about clocks - lots of clocks."

11) Us V Them - LCD Soundsystem - Frantic dancing and then, even more inspired dancing. Strangely led to an attempt to harmonize. "This song about cameras. Cameras go click." Cowbell was a big hit. The song's more than 8:00 minute length exhausted our reviewer, but when it ended he demanded to know where the camera song went.

10) O Superman - Laurie Anderson - Happily calming. I believe he actually got it. Led to sitting cross-legged on the floor nodding in time. "This song like a leaf falling from a tree, floating."

9) The Revolution Will Not Be Televised - Gil Scott Heron - Reviewer usually cocks his head but likes it. Becomes distracted but always complains when it ends. "That man is mad."

8) Greener Pastures - Little Barrie - Immediately led to Grateful Dead dance moves. Liked the guitar accents a lot. "This song about so many monkeys that get into everything and make a mess."

7) New Girl - The Long Winters - It went straight to the reviewer's unashamedly pure pop heart. He dances with delight singing along to the best of his abilities and with loads of volume. "There turtles in that song and turtles are good."

6) Love and Happines - Al Green - "Who that?!" Inspires smooth as silk dancing interrupted by serious reflection. "This song about being happy. It make me happy."

5) Blue Train - John Coltrane - "This great! Play more like that." Had a hard time moving on from this. (ed note: there was a great deal of Coltrane prenatally. But for his mother's damned objections the kid would have been named Coltrane. Hey it beats Rusty. Ever notice how there's no chinese guys named Rusty? But I digress...)

4) I Know, I Know, I Know - Tegan and Sara - More pure pop takes him to the zone. When I asked why he looked so concerned he said, "Why she so sad? She soooo sad and that make me sad for her."

3) Ooh La - The Kooks - The Boy lives for pop and I thought he was going to hurt himself with this one. He danced with such a lack of self-preservation he had to be calmed. When asked what the song was about he responded, "Who cares!"

2) It Beats 4 U - My Morning Jacket - This almost made it to number 1. Much swaying and demands for repeat plays. "That the prettiest song I ever hear about dinosaurs."

And the number one song, still sitting in this spot after several months...

1) Punk Rocker -Teddybears (featuring Iggy Pop) - From the opening synth note he is spastic. This may be the greatest song in his world and the only one where he plays air guitar, which is strange since the guitar is only used for rhythmic accent. "Don't ever stop this song, daddy."

Addendum: The Boy, after reviewing this list wanted to know where the shoes were. I was blank, but he was insistent. After much back and forth I realized what he was talking about. So here is an addition to his list. Consider it number 13.

13) One More Time - Joe Jackson - What can I say - more pure pop. He digs Jackson's shoes. Actually screamed in delight when it started. "Play it so loud it hurt, daddy!"

THE LAST ADDENDUM: He demanded this one as well. Call it number 14.

14) I Bet It Stung - Tegan and Sara - As raucous as the Boy gets. The only chorus he knows entirely. "How they do that?!" (ed note: Not a bad call on his part.)