Top Children Songs of All Time - Right Here

-

On the lighter side, I present to you... my top five favourite children's songs. I am not talking about old time classics like Twinkle Twinkle, but the type of children's music that you would haul out the old record player to listen to. Think Raffi, Fred Penner, and the like. You will notice that there is no Duck Song, or Baby Shark. I'm talking real music. Here we go:


5) Puff the Magic Dragon - Peter, Paul, and Mary

 *Sniff* Those lyrics. I'm not crying. You're crying.

"But, but... it's about DRUUUUGS!!" you say?

No, it's not. Get your mind out of the gutter and stop thinking about drugs. Druggie.



4) Hey Dum Diddley Dum - Performed by Sharon, Lois, and Bram

 Fun. Catchy. And to be honest, I needed to have Sharon, Lois, and Bram on the list at least once. 



3) The Cat Came Back - Fred Penner

I could put Fred Penner songs for all five if need be. Sandwiches. Collections. So many others. But, The Cat Came Back is simply legendary.



2) Spaghetti  - Joe Wise

Huh? That's right, Spaghetti by Joe Wise. This is the Bohemian Rhapsody of children's music. Except it's better than Bohemian Rhapsody. I sometimes insist we make spaghetti at home, just so I can listen to this song. And sometimes I listen to it even when I'm making burgers, or pizza, or toast. So there.

Of course, I grew up loving this song. Then one day, to our shock, we opened up a hymnal at Mass and realized one of the sappy hymns was written by Joe Wise. I guess he ruined churches with his happy hippy songs once upon a time. Wise should've stuck with children's music.



1) Hippopotamus Rock - Rosenshontz 

What's this? A curveball for the number one hit? It shouldn't be a curveball if you know your stuff. Hippos have long dominated children's music. Think I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas, or Otto the Hippo (he put the "hip" in hippopotamus). 

Hippopotamus Rock has beat, energy, drive, and is a metaphor for life. The repetitive nature of the "Hippo hippo hippo hippopotamus rock, well, hippo hippo...." signifies the attempt to break through life's banality and experience who we really are as existential beings that... Ok. I'm making this up. But the song rocks. Like big time. It hippopotamus rocks!



As a bonus, I offer two honourable mentions.

Honourable Mention 1: Pirate Song - Dan Millette

Woah!!!! Wait a minute! I made the list! I'm honoured. Shameless self-promotion, I know. But it's my list and I just so happen to really like myself. Like a lot. I wrote this for my littlest sister many years ago. Enjoy!



Honourable Mention 2: Garden Song - David Mallet

It's just a nice song, ok? I'm not really a sappy person. But can't a guy like to sing about planting gardens and being one with nature?



That's all. I hope you agree 100% with my choices. You should. Now if you'll excuse me... 

Puff the magic dragon lived by the sea...


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Some Concerns with the Exodus 90 Program

-
Image
An update of my thoughts on Exodus 90 can be found HERE . Exodus 90 is underway for many Catholic men. It is an intense 90 day program based on prayer, asceticism, and fraternity. For 90 days these men will take cold showers, abstain from alcohol and most media, fast twice per week, give up snacks and desserts, along with various other spiritual tasks. I applaud such a penitential spirit. The inevitable…. HOWEVER… However, I do have two concerns about Exodus 90 which could use some explaining. 1: Sundays The Church already has a wise, if not perfect, system of fasting and feasting. Catholics are encouraged to do penance on Wednesdays and Fridays (some add in Saturdays as well). In addition, there are specific periods of penance (Lent, Advent, Ember Days). Feasting occurs on Sundays as well as on major Feast Days and Solemnities (e.g. the Assumption of Mary). There is a built in balance to life. My problem with Exodus 90 is that, from what I hear, Sundays and F
Read more

Why I Will Not Be Doing Exodus 90 Anytime Soon

-
Image
  There is always a certain amount of fear and trembling when I begin writing a piece on a somewhat unfamiliar subject. Perhaps all that will be demonstrated here is my ignorance and incompetence. To which I suppose my wife would reply: “You’d think you’d be used to that by now.” But I write this piece simply for the fact that Catholic trends, even good ones, need sober reflection and refinement. I  refer to the Exodus 90 program. [i] Earlier in 2020 – simpler times to be sure - I listened with interest to a podcast on Exodus 90. In it I heard that this program, which was founded in 2013, is an intense 90 day program based on prayer, asceticism, and fraternity. For 90 days men take cold showers, abstain from alcohol and most media, fast twice per week, give up snacks and desserts, meet weekly with a small group of participants, exercise regularly, all the while following a regimented prayer schedule. I applaud such a penitential spirit (though it seems that cold showers in the de
Read more

On Wimpy Catholicism and a Return to Manly Fasting

-
Image
The following is a talk I recently gave at a Catholic men's group: Let’s begin by examining the secular “wokeness” on fasting. Gone are the days of weight loss programs like Weight Watchers… where you simply eat less each meal! Sounds simple, right? Fewer calories means you lose weight. The problem is that it never worked that well. The reduced number of calories per meal also reduced one’s energy as well, dipped into muscle storage, and offered frugal results. Science now shows that full out fasting is the perfect method for proper health. The secular world’s latest trend is intermittent fasting . One builds up how long a person can go in between meals. The ideal is to eat one meal a day. The meal could consist of almost your regular day’s intake (say 75%). What happens is that your body, when full out fasting, actually dips into fat storage for energy. You maintain your energy, lose weight, and it’s perfectly healthy, if not natural. Science shows that intermittent
Read more

Free Printables for Disconnected: The Broken Path

-
Image
  “ This story came as a wonderful surprise—I was expecting a children's story (which I got), but the truths it touches on brought me to tears several times. The ending was special and beautiful.” - From a review of Disconnected: The Broken Path To purchase Disconnected: Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1778052509 USA: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1778052509
Read more

My First SSPX Mass

-
Image
I do not write to stir up the SSPX/FSSP debate. Nor do I write to raise allegations and threats concerning being  in communion ,  schismatic , or  a   loyal son of the Church . I find doing so tiresome. If a person cannot recognize the Church is in a crisis; if a person thinks it spiritually superior to attend a polka Mass (they still exist, I assure you) over an SSPX Mass; if the mention of Archbishop Lefebvre angers a person more than the deeds of  James Martin  or the writings of  Cardinal Fernandez ; heaven help this person. Lord knows I can’t. If one “gets” what I’m saying, read on. If not, I suggest  this book  instead. It happened this past summer. My wife and I were planning our usual family pilgrimage to the Canadian Rockies. Climbing mountains while carrying a kid or two, eating rehydrated chili and peanut butter wraps, all while living like dirtbags in a tent, is the closest experience to heaven I know. Moments to live for. All except for one minor detail. “So,” my wif
Read more

Breaking Bread 2021 Hymnal - A Review

-
Image
951 Songs/Psalms/Commentaries $17.09 USD Oregon Catholic Press Every now and then a book comes along which is rich in wisdom and beauty, and profoundly enlightening to all who encounter it. The latest Breaking Bread 2021 hymnal is not one of those books. Tiresome, inane, fluffy, fruity, and worthless are all words that come to mind when I consider the latest liturgical offering from our bishops. 2020 was a rough year. 2021 is already off to a mortifyingly awful start.  Enough with the suspense. Let's dive into it. Behold a few examples of what to expect at a church near you in 2021: At first I misread this title and thought it was Guns & Roses with Knocking on Heaven's Door. And then I thought of Paul McCartney singing "Someone's knocking at the door...." Sadly, it is neither. I love the juxtaposition though. "Somebody's knock-in' at your door," versus the Stabat Mater . I can just see the choir director, "Hmm... shall we meditate on t
Read more