When it comes to childhood songs, I had four favorites:
1 – The Wheels On The Bus ( I can still remember sitting in the assembly room in Oakland’s Infants school singing that with the rest of the kids; I loved “the children on the bus go wriggle, wriggle, wriggle, the fathers on the bus go shush, shush, shush, and the mothers on the bus go natter, natter, natter .” However, I did not like “the babies on the bus go wah, wah, wah”. I didnt like screaming babies even then!)
2 – Hokey Pokey
3 – One finger, One Thumb (Keep Moving)
4 – Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
I think that one of the reasons that I liked these songs was because, for me , they represented party time and something I still pray for often, a break from the nor. In the ’70’s these songs seemed to be brought out come children’s parties and at school when it was raining so hard even the most hardened teacher couldn’t throw us outside to play.
But one thing I’ve noticed is it’s not just children songs it’s also songs that children like. When my uncle was very young apparently he was notorious for doing a very good send off of Elvis Presley’s “Blue Suede Shoe”! When I was three I sang along to (back to the Eurovision song contest!) “Kisses For Me’ by the Brotherhood Of Man and did the actions, if you can call them that. I can remember dancing round and round (and round and round) the little black table in the sitting room to “Love Hurts” by Cliff Richard.
My niece loves “Upside Down” by Paloma Faith, “Candy” ‘ by Robbie Williams, “C ’Est La Vie” by B*witched and when she was not yet three she sang, as best as she was able, on the top of her lungs to “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!” by Shaina Twain! Hahah, it was funny , whilst frankly also being a little concerning, seeing this little girl warbling along and dancing in a way I’m sure she shouldn’t with about the only intelligible word being ‘lady’, in all seriousness.
But that’s sort of the point maybe isn’t it. Between the ‘dumbing down/humoring the children’ children songs we have for them nowadays and the over-sexed songs and videos that go with them, there must be a happy medium where the children can just enjoy the songs again and be kids once more, not over placated yet not too exposed to the adult world too fast. Wriggle, wriggle, wriggle.
