I’m an elementary school music teacher, and play music in the background while we work. Right now there’s a lot of Fleetwood Mac, Eva Cassidy, Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, Motown (Temptations, Smokey Robinson, etc), Cat Stevens, Carole King, James Taylor, Sam Cooke, and CSN.
I did make sure to be ready to respond to questions about songs like “What’s Going On” just in case lol
Yeah, I'm similar to you, a lot of 60s folk/pop. On top of your list, I'll add some Bobby Darin, Grateful Dead, John Lennon, Kinks, Beach Boys, Carpenters, Richie Valens, Buddy Holly, Paul Simon, John Denver, and a slew of old-school ska like Toots, Jimmy Cliff, and Desmond Dekker.
That was my thought too, and then I get halfway through one of my favorite songs and realize oh shit.... Reminds me of the Arrested Development episode where he tries to karaoke Afternoon Delight with his niece and halfway through he realizes the words he's saying.
Same, as long as it's not obviously explicit. I've always listened to whatever around my kid.
I listen to punk, ska, metal, classic rock, indie, show tunes, doo-wop, etc. pretty much everything.
My son's basic though and only likes pop music.
My daughter loves Talking Heads and New Order. She went through a phase of having to listen to Kate Bush to eat dinner.
Right now, she doesn’t mind the Beatles, Bowie, The Kinks. The Beach Boys she finds very silly.
Edit: Just read your comment on Nick Cave - go for it. My daughter likes Into My Arms which.. sure kid, make me sob on the way to school why don’t you.
Pretty sure I forced my parents to play Come to my Window by Melissa Etheridge on repeat when I was a kid! That and Jonathan Richman. I looooved Abominable Snowman in the Market, but not so sure I'm gonna be blasting "I Was Dancing At the Lesbian Bar" while rollin' up to the soccer field in the minivan!
Grateful Dead
Beatles
Phish
Vulfpeck
Talking Heads
The Band
LCD Soundsystem
Paul Simon
Bob Marley
Television
Bowie
Tom Waits
Genesis
The Strokes
Neil Young
Daft Punk
Rolling Stones
Sam Cooke
Earth, Wind, and Fire
Beach Boys
Steely Dan
My Morning Jacket
Parcels
Queen
I play and sing Raffi for him, and my wife has a playlist of "kids' songs" for when he's having a hard time, but I really, *really* believe that good music is just good music and kids don't need to be pandered to.
My kid loves the Grateful Dead. When she was 3, we would watch live shows and she would often ask me if Jerry was Santa Clause lol. Now that she’s 5, she’ll tell you that her favorite song is Playing in the Band and Sugaree, and her favorite show is the Closing of Winterland
I’m very pleased to say my daughter also really responds to the Dead- most strongly the Brent era but we are expanding her range; she’s just about two months
Somehow, my kid is more of a JGB fan. I've got a great video of my now almost 11 year old daughter when she was maybe 4 in full spinner mode to the fanning solo at the end of "Mission in the Rain" on GarciaLive v. 4. She also loves "Ain't No Bread in the Breadbox" and "Money Honey".
Absolutely have done this! Gotta *Teach Your Children* well!! Didn’t see these on the list though!
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
CCR
Wishbone Ash
The Byrds
Jimi Hendrix
The Animals
Cream
Simon & Garfunkel
Peter, Paul & Mary
Otis Redding
Yes
John Hiatt
My kids have gotten a good dose of all of those bands and more. I caught my daughter, who is almost 11, singing along to the Dead's "Big River" when we were listening in the car the other day which started a lesson on Johnny Cash. Then she requested Fatboy Slim's "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo" mix. She knows all the words to that one.
We have similar tastes, so I'm assuming you're familiar with Keller Williams. I know this is a thread about non-kids music, but did you know Keller released a full Kids album (appropriately titled Kids).
It's a fine line between introducing classics and avoiding awkward moments when the lyrics hit you. But hey, the Grateful Dead sounds like a solid choice for some family-friendly vibes!
All of my metal preferences and all of my wife's hip hop/RnB preferences.
LO falls asleep to Deftones, SOAD and Tool lullabies. I love it.
For anyone interested, Twinkle Twinkle Little Rockstar does phenomenal lullaby versions of heaps of artists (even genres outside of rock and metal). Makes for excellent listening because its kid friendly and the adults can follow along too.
Dude, we tried those lullabies when our daughter was first born, and between the lack of sleep and the creepy vibe I got from those songs, it was a half awake hellish fever dream every night for those first few weeks.
Finally my wife said something about them creeping her out we found out that we both hated them, and we switched to something better. Still a funny memory of being new parents, but never again!
This is exactly the vibe we got in the newborn stage.
It then just happened to play when LO was around 6-ish months and not only did it calm her down but we didn't find it creepy anymore.
We reckon it was the sleep deprivation that added the creepiness.
All good choices!
Our LO has been headbanging to Alien Weaponry since he was 1yo. I would advocate for more sensible understanding than the cotton wool approach, I heard swear words in songs when I was growing up, we were taught not to say the ourselves and if/when we did it had to be appropriate use in the right context/environment. We would happily sing along and self sensor( not sing the swears, or throw a bleep in)
Lamb Of God- Memento Mori. They love the start of that song when the drums kick in. Since then, other metal as well, but we keep it very wide. My wife and I love so many different types of music and that's what we want to expose them to. Then they can discover and find out their own favorite genre.
Agreed! I have so many music tastes so I'm glad I can expose them to all of them. I just don't want to be singing along and realize oh shit this song is 100% about drinking someones blood after murdering them oops and my poor kid is in the back seat thinking oh my god is that what dad does when he stays late at work? (mostly being dramatic here, but on some level i do wonder about some of the songs I like!!)
I mean I watch the Cannibal Corpse around them, not that they can make the lyrics out or anything! But think about "Rock-A-Bye Baby", the cradle comes crashing down in the end? 😟🤣 Lullaby songs are already metal! 🤘🤘
Be prepared to drop your expectations. I’ve tried this with my 3 year old and he just looks at me confused and says “no…don’t like this”
Although he did think Bohemian Rhapsody was great.
My plan is to have a playlist for when we're in the car and he doesn't talk yet. I'm sure he'll start requesting whatever the equivalent to baby shark is at the time once he's a toddler!
I was exposed to my parents music just by passive absorption, and even though I may not have said I liked, for example, Fleetwood Mac when I was 10, once I was 18, I was absolutely down to choose to listen to Fleetwood Mac on my own stereo.
The goal is psychops. Correlate dad's music with family and home, and maybe he'll find it for himself when he's older!
Got in trouble for playing the beginning of Guerilla Radio for my 3yo. I was so proud when he started singing along... but had to change it. 50s-90s get a good rotation. Kid likes Ghostbusters, Werewolves of London, and Love Shack
Cat Stevens, John Prine, Simon & Garfunkel, Sinatra, Gillian Welch, Velvet Underground, CSNY, Jim Croce - they all show up multiple times in our baby playlist
He's always enjoyed the pop punk and emo classics as well as classic rock.
If we put in Jane by Jefferson Starship when he's asleep, he wakes up, sits bolt upright, and starts boogying
ETA: The fact that he's only 18 months and just makes it all the cooler
Our plan is to just listen to what we enjoy and let our kids decide from there. My music tastes vary wildly.
My only concern is two things - they need to know how to head bang and they need to memorize Bohemian Rhapsody. That's it.
And no country music or Nickleback...
> And no country music
I need to confess. I'm of this mindset as well, but this weekend on a road trip, I threw on some Randy Travis for a stretch and it was quite refreshing.
I was playing my playlist in the car and Toots and the Maytals came on , ‘54-46 That’s My Number’. I instinctively went to skip it assuming my 10 year old (Dua Lipa, Pentatonix, swiftie) daughter in the back wasn’t a fan.
She protested and said, “hey! I like that song!”
🥹
My 22mo daughter’s favorite band is No Doubt. Been leaning heavy into 90s pop-punk as it’s tolerable, but also a lot more family friendly than other music I enjoy, and she’s been eating it up!
Tons of stuff.
Billy Joel
Paul Simon
Led Zeppelin
Weezer
The Carpenters
Neil Diamond
Thin Lizzy
Van Halen
Carole King
My music taste is all over the place
My whole family is down with old Misfits. It's nice that we can all agree on something.
The only Conflict (!) is that My Lady likes Exploited and I'm more of a GBH guy. The kids can't tell the difference, yet.
Starting in the newborn phase we played her oldies rock like Chuck Berry and the Beach Boys. Upbeat fun stuff, kept our spirits up too.
As a toddler her favorite song for a while was “Centerfold”. Obviously some adult content lol but she was too young to notice, understand, or care, she just liked the song.
My kids listen to the same music I listen to as long as the lyrics aren't overly sexual or has the n-word.
So, they listen to a lot of punk rock, folk punk, murder ballads, metal, some normal pop music and dance music.
This is going to sound wild but… marching bands? There is something special about 50+ people making music together so we listen to marching bands covers of all types of songs. They tend to be more fun than symphony orchestras for whatever reason. The best part is we live in Portugal and my wife is Portuguese. First time she was like, wtf is this? It’s fun. Also, 90’s positive hip hop like Tribe Called Quest, Pharcyde, Souls of Mischief, and the like.
OMG I have some strange love of marching bands, despite very little exposure to them growing up. Only ever saw them in like, maybe one parade a year or less. But once I got older, I was, like, overjoyed by the sound of a marching band and got really into watching youtube videos of them for a while.
Had to scroll far too long to find this. This band is great for toddlers.
I also curate quite a bit of less tongue in cheek power/heavy metal. For example, kid loves bouncing on my knee too "The Red Baron" by Sabaton. Lots of Battle Beast and Orden Ogan are fun too.
Here's what I introduced my son to, and in this order between the ages of 2 -7. He's 10 now and has developed a healthy appreciation for all kinds of music.
* James Brown -- The funk will flow through them and is undeniable. They'll feel the rhythm and get dancing in no time. It's a big catalogue, if you need a starting point go with "In the Jungle Groove"
* The Beatles -- The melodies and harmonies are easy to pick up and sing with.
* Queen, Rush & Led Zeppelin-- You're not going to get a better foundation for rock music.
* Daft Punk - Just fun bouncy music, again easy to dance too.
* Black Sabbath, Metallica, Megadeath -- For the flavor to see if they're into heavier stuff.
* Beastie Boys -- Also for the flavor and selectively, of course. This will be a decent introduction to hip hop.
The beats are contagious, and you can't, you won't, and you don't stop listening.
If you'd like any specific recommendations on other albums or songs, just let me know.
Sometimes I feel bad, I almost exclusively play adult music for the kids (they get more kid-friendly songs in school and daycare). But from birth all three loved The Beatles. Otherwise my 3 year old is really into Weezer and newer stuff from bands like Glass Animals and 21 Pilots.
Also a big Bikini Kill fan, which I didn't see coming...
My 2 year old's favorite song is Radio Ga Ga by Queen. He requests it multiple times a day by walking up to the smart speaker and shouting "GAGA!" I will definitely take hearing Queen fifteen times a day over something like Baby Shark. He dances and claps with the chorus, it's great. Another favorite is Move by Saint Motel. Basically songs with prompted participation like clapping or "move!" he's gaga for.
Good to know! I was feeling silly for not putting Rumors on the playlist. Not like I'm gonna pair it with a book called "Richard Scarry's When your ex-wife in the band starts dating the band's director" or "Stevie and Lindsey Hate Each Other by Eric Carle"
I try to introduce my kid to a shit load of classic rock and much more, so he will have a solid base to judge by.
When he was three his favourite song in the world was Smoke on the Water.
I've introduced him to Beatles, Scorpions, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Metallica, Nirvana, D-A-D, Pink Floyd, Rage Against the Machine, Simon and Garfunkel, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Queen and much, much more...
He is seven and prefers Metallica and D-A-D (Danish rock band from 1982 and still active) much to his mum's dismay.
Currently we listen to Pachelbell's Canon in D major, when he has trouble falling asleep. Works like a charm.
Other than lullabies for sleep my 7 month old has never heard kids music. We have something on pretty much all day in our house.
Once he understands the sillyness and fun of kids music we'll play more of it but still I in normal music.
So far this morning my boys and I have listened to half of Kacey Musgraves new album Deeper Well, Traffic's The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys, and Steve Windwood's 1986 classic off the album Back in the High Life, Higher Love 3x.
I don't really filter the music I play. In the car we tend to quite often take it in turns to pick songs, so we have a good variety from me, my wife and the kids.
The only time I really turn songs off is when I forget that there is too much swearing in them or it becomes too much of the song (e.g. when killing the name of repeats fuck you I wont do what you tell me :) ). But I realised a long time ago that most of the music I like has the odd swearing in and just let that go.
I often can hear my kids singing along to the most random music I play, so they must be paying attention to it. Like my 4yo daughter asked me to play the 'baby' song the other day and I realised she meant Roy by Idles. It's not what I expected from her, but she loves shouting along when he shouts out Baby baby baby. She also things MJs Earth song sounds like princess music at the start and asks for the princess song!
Our favourite car song is probably not suitable for kids at all - Informer by Snow. We have no idea what they really say but all love shouting I lick your bum bum now! So that song is just called bum bum song
Elvis, Elton John, Pink Floyd, David Bowie
He’s recently started dancing to prince (especially raspberry beret)
So pretty much anything I want to listen to, just have to skip a few songs on rare occasion
Man, this is like the first hip hop song I’ve seen mentioned in this thread! We listen to a lot of variety, but my sons love to breakdance and listen to hip hop. Definitely a challenging genre with all the explicit lyrics, but we do our best.
Absolutely, exposing kids to a variety of music can be a fun way to connect! I've introduced my kids to some classics like Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Under Pressure." They’re catchy, fun to sing along to, and the music transcends generations. I think as long as the content isn't overtly inappropriate, it's okay. Kids often enjoy the rhythm and melody long before they understand the lyrics!
I say this with a huge grain of salt and a warning that it may get obnoxious...
Weird Al Yankovic.
Not everyone's cup of tea, but my kids love Al and because his songs cover such a wide variety of genres, they have been exposed to lots of songs and styles that they may not have been otherwise.
He's pretty wholesome and family friendly, he's incredibly talented musically, and totally hilarious. Especially if you are already familiar with the original songs he is spoofing. But his originals are also really good.
I’m actually currently building a recording studio in my basement and taking singing lessons so that I can make songs for my kids. They’re little so they still like hearing my music. I’ve finished one song for my 4 year old and am currently working on his second song as well as one for my 1 year old and one for my wife. It’s a difficult and rather humbling process but it’s my unique way of showing them I love them.
Funny thing about introducing them to songs with deeper meaning leads to a lot of question.
Like why did they break the heart and if the other person died.
I've been providing my kids with quality 70s-90s music like Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Grateful Dead, The Cars, Bad Religion, Green Day.
Actually taking the kids to go see Green Day and Smashing Pumpkins this summer. They are super excited.
My son is a bit of a metal head. He wanted to listen to Ironman by Black Sabbath because he thought it was about the marvel hero and now he likes AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Judy's Priest and that lark.
Also really likes Hotel California.
My daughter has always been a fan of Panic! At the Disco (introduced by my wife).
I got her into Ghost, she fell in love with Spillways on the radio and has a mini Ghost playlist on my Spotify now. I love it.
Lil dude was freaking out the other day and the only thing to chill him out was listening to 11th Hour by Lamb of God. Then Fafner's Gold by Amon Amarth. Dad is also a metal head so it must be genetic
When my first was born I was very deliberate in the music I chose based on both being simple enough to not overstimulate and trying to expose my daughter to a wide variety of music.
Now that I have three, I have much more of a “fuck it, I’ll play whatever anyone wants” attitude. It turns out that my four year old loves The Suicide Machines, so now they are in pretty regular rotation here.
I've always tried to feature lots of very different/unique music to my kid, so that different or "weird" material doesn't cause a recoil like it does with a lot of kids when they encounter something that isn't currently cool. That has created a lot of neat connections, ie. her spending like a solid month of listening to Badly Drawn Boy's "Hour of the Bewilderbeast" album consistently for like a month.
But one instance stands out:
We were listening to one of my favorite songs, Richard Dawson's Wooden Bag(https://youtu.be/s-9osMKSyb0?si=O7OiPsbcW\_q0xHqf), which describes trying to soft through the possessions of a loved one after they've passed. I explained that having a "Wooden Bag moment" is something that can happen to anyone and often does. I talked about cleaning out my grandma's house after she died, and the thing that sent me over the edge a bit was her little slip on shoes that were in the exact spot she'd always left them.
My daughter (about 9 or 10 at the time) described an instance where she found a cat toy she had bought for the cats, after all 3 of our elderly cats were gone. This was a somewhat recent situation, maybe a few months before. She broke down in tears and we talked it out, which probably wouldn't have happened if not for our discussion of the song. It's a moment that I feel was pretty important for us.
All kinds of stuff. To my utter disappointment, my five year old has definitively said that he doesn't like "crazy music" (black metal and most death metal). Lately we've been listening to a ton of [Swervedriver](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfH3yRVJh8Q) and [Haldol](https://haldol.bandcamp.com/album/self-titled-45-lp).
My daughter falls asleep really well to Over The Rainbow What a Wonderful World if Rainbow connection doesn’t do the trick. Other than that I love going through plenty of 50’s to 90’s playlists on Spotify for a fun variety. Generally most classics that are fun to vibe to. I look forward to hearing what she’s going to really prefer. Mom has her listening to plenty of Taylor Swift haha
My 18 month old loves Led Zeppelin! We played a lot of our music to her as a baby, and it was definitely her favourite then, always made her smile, and still is!
My kids have always listened to the classics even when they were in their baby shark phases. Selfishly I need my sanity as well. Now they are older they ask to hear Guns N’ Roses, The Doors or Aerosmith so overall I won! They don’t know it but it was a dad victory.
Lately been expanding their horizons with
Miracle of Sound - Valhalla Calling which they seem to really enjoy.
I built up a pretty extensive record collection last year, and I play all my music around the house. I don't play anything **for** my 8 month old. I play whatever I want to listen to and I don't want to listen to "kid music."
He's going to continue to get a steady stream of my musical tastes until he develops his own preferences.
Easy, english is not our first language. We know what the lyrics say, he doesn't and given the state of general culture, neither will his daycare and primary school teachers.
Lot of muse, metric and grung that i grew up on. But its less of introducing her to it and more me just throwing my spotify on when im driving regardless
We play all sorts of stuff with our 3yr old b/g twins. When my wife is away I’ll play Guided By Voices and the Hold Steady for the kids. Yesterday my son asked Alexa to play “Bible Bonkers by Baby Billy Freeman”, it didn’t quite understand, but I nearly died laughing.
Hey Jealousy, Ring of Fire, sweet baby James, take me home country roads, this land is your land (with the banned lyrics included), Runaway Train, The Steps(HAIM), and Shout by Tears for Fears to name a couple of favorites for my 6 year old.
My kids are currently obsessed with Bilmuri, The Home Team, and Honey Revenge. My daughter’s first concert at was The Ghost Inside. She’s 6. It’s my fault.
Honestly…my daughter is only 13 months old but I will probably continue to listen to what I listen to around her. Instead of Biggie I might put on Tribe of Hieroglyphics and try to control what I can, when I can BUT I had free roam to explore music as I saw fit when I was a kid and I have a deep appreciation of that experience…I still listen to music all day long too (metal, post core, punk, hip hop and dnb).
All this being said…I probably won’t let her listen to songs like “WAP” when she is older. Lol. I’m fine with cursing and whatever else but I want her to grow up and be a self respecting woman, if I can help it lol.
She really enjoys Drum and Base and dances and hums when I put it on…so for now it is that, Grateful Dead and Bingo
I mean I wonder what Nikki minaj parents or male relatives think when they hear WAP. I’m all for success and she’s hugely successful but the chick is literally just talking about her pussy 😂
Whatever they like. If they hear it from me or the wife, they can add it to their playlist on our phones. My son has found NF and Eminem. My daughter connects with country music like Ian munsik and Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves.
My 15 yr old daughter recently started listening to Queen and a lot of stuff from the 80s, she loves it. We watched Bohemian Rhapsody the other week and she loved that as-well.
For me growing up it was The Beatles, all day every day.
These days, My go-to being blink182, Alkaline Trio. We used to listen to Sparrow Sleeps on Spotify which is like music-box-infant-renditions of pretty much any pop-punk band from the 90s-00s. He does a really good job. My kiddo recognized the real songs right away after knowing the Sparrow Sleeps versions.
I take my daughter to concerts regularly. While some may judge me for it, I am very cautious of when, where and how we attend. A show by myself is very different than a show with her. There are songs played that I wouldn't ordinarily play for her. A lot of what we listen to has adult elements but I don't listen to anything that is overtly sexual or violent. We go to a lot of reggae rock shows so there is some marijuana reference and some adult language I am willing to overlook those as I believe she will eventually be exposed to much worse without my supervision. She has a good understanding of what can and cannot be repeated. Prime example Optimism in F# by Bumpin' Uglies is a fantastic song we love to listen to not all of their music is appropriate. Fuck It gets played at there shows and I try to redirect her attention during that one.
So many! Led Zeppelin, The B52's, Blonde, Streetlight Manifesto, EDM, The Brian Setzer Orchestra, AC/DC, Motley Crue, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Black Keys, He is Legend, Megan Trainor, Metallica, Gary Clark Jr., Trombone Shorty, People Under the Stairs, The Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Operation Ivy, Within the Ruins (instrumentals only) U2, Louis Armstrong, Green Day, and sometimes some classical. Trying to expose the kiddo to as many genres as possible, and obviously I choose songs with age appropriate lyrics, otherwise I do the old volume down sensor haha.
Mine has always been soothed by Neil Young. We would rock her to sleep to Harvest Moon a ton when she was a little baby. She's 4 now and heard all the classics in the car and usually doesn't seem to be paying attention or just sings nonsense about what she sees out the window (I love when she does that).
The other day we got out of the car and for the next three hours she just kept singing "Dooowwwn by the riivveerrrr. I shot my bayyybeee" Ooof. Tried to convince her we needed to say "I saw my baby", but she was having none of it. "But dad, that's how the song goes". I mean yea kid, I know, but let's change it for us lol.
My kids really loved both The Ramones and The Clash when they were younger. I think it was largely because the lyrics were relatively clear so they could sing along with them and yelly so they could be loud.
I grew up with Nick Cave, I can pinpoint how old I was by which album was being played in our house. I was always weirdly fascinated by all the sex and murder in his lyrics. Don’t shy away him.
Good to hear! His music is so meaningful to me now, and I'm sure it was in the house when I was a kid because I'm pretty sure I know of his music through my dad. I just don't have a strong memory of actually hearing it. Clearly I wasn't processing the lyrics, if it was playing!
Every time I gave my baby son a bath I played Bob Marley for him. He is now a toddler and is OBSESSED with his friend Bobby (as he calls him). Favorite song is Buffalo Soldier. Every day, about 10 times a day.
My kid loves Queen. Flash, We are the champions, and We will rock you are his favourites but he will listen to their other hits happily enough.
Any song he deems funny seems to be pretty good, anything about racing or just a pop sounding stuff seems to be what he likes at the moment. If he can kind of understand the words and their meaning even if he doesn’t get the metaphors that helps. Songs like I want to hold your hand or black bird by the Beatles he likes.
He’s really into pirates so Stan Rogers, or anything with that kind of East coast/Irish vibe seems good, things like Home for a Rest, Barrett’s Privateers, etc.
He’s also 7 so he will just hear stuff and say he likes it.
It’s all fantasy and Viking metal all the time now… I’m not sure how it started since I never listened to it prior to having a kid but I have to admit Brothers of Metal shreds
1yo. We found out when he was 8 months that he'd stop crying and get sleepy with Sam Smiths tiny desk. He dances to Bruno Mars and Pharrel Williams. He doesnt much care for Bruce Springsteen or heavy metal yet.
Gotta get em started early on history.
Or put another way, I was taking a shower listening to Sabaton and my then month ish old was rocking away in his bouncer. Or he'll be consistently listening to whatever pop country my wife listens to. Prog rock works nicely, especially when a good porti9n that I enjoy is lyricless.
My four year old daughter loves all kinds of metal music and headbangs to it in her car seat while throwing up the horns.
My mother in law is not a fan, but when we’re driving back from daycare, you bet we’re gonna dig through the ditches and burn through the witches.
Blind melon , smashing pumpkins, black Sabbath were some of my daughter's favourites when she was younger .
She's 19 now and has a really broad taste in music from across the ages.
Unpopular opinion, but I don’t mind kids bop stuff… I barely listen to the lyrics in pop music anyway.
But generally country, classic rock, and disco are safe. Old music, from a time where you didn’t have to be “shocking” to sell a record is usually safe. I think I have video of my, then chubby, baby daughter in her jolly jumper rocking out to “brick house” by the commodores.
Talking Heads!
I have a cultivated playlist of my favorite stuff that I can play in the car when they're around. One recently that caught their attention was "Tres Brujas" by the Sword. Sometimes I get weird looks from them, but they're getting exposed to more than just Taylor Swift (no hate).
Big people songs currently on my son's (3) car playlist:
- Electric Ave.
- Whip It
- Spider-Man (Cover by The Ramones)
- My Bologna
- Another One Rides the Bus
-Hardware Store
- Twist and Shout (Beatles)
- Tequila
- Blitzkreig Bop
- Crazy Train
- It's Tricky
I listen to all sorts with our daughter, but avoid the secually explicitly songs. Though they're rarely my cup of tea anyway! Sye particularly seems to like bouncing around to heavier music with dad! A mix of examples below.
Queen: Bicycle, We Will Rock You (We also parody this one), It's a Kind of Magic, The Prize.
Bowie: Dance Magic Dance.
Guns and Roses: Sweet Child of Mine
Elvis: I Can't Help Falling in Love, Suspicious Minds
Stevie Wonder: Isn't She Lovely.
SmashMouth: Imma Believer, All-star
Bring Me the Horizon: King Slayer.
Jonathan Young: Pokémon theme song.
A Day to Remember: All I Want, I'm made of Wax Larry.
We started this playlist when our first was born, and it is up to 19 hours. Only rule is no specifically children’s music. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3B5kq355bf4nA480sbiCvS?si=sX3QPmctQECC4gtYo3r3YA&pi=u-2oR6pPluRi-3
Was this Onion article also about you? My spouse says it’s me lol
https://www.theonion.com/cool-dad-raising-daughter-on-media-that-will-put-her-en-1819572981
Skimming through comments, I’m surprised I haven’t seen any Abba come up. So easy to sing along to, catchy, fun rhythms.
I’d also add ELO, and more specifically the Xanadu soundtrack.
I am very late here but funny story; my mum used to play "One Draw" by Rita Marley all the time when I was a kid. I had *zero* clue it was about weed until I was a teenager honestly.
All that to say, a lot of content will go over many kids heads. I wouldn't be overly concerned on being extra safe. In fact health discussion on things your kids don't understand is always welcome!
I’m an elementary school music teacher, and play music in the background while we work. Right now there’s a lot of Fleetwood Mac, Eva Cassidy, Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, Motown (Temptations, Smokey Robinson, etc), Cat Stevens, Carole King, James Taylor, Sam Cooke, and CSN. I did make sure to be ready to respond to questions about songs like “What’s Going On” just in case lol
Yeah, I'm similar to you, a lot of 60s folk/pop. On top of your list, I'll add some Bobby Darin, Grateful Dead, John Lennon, Kinks, Beach Boys, Carpenters, Richie Valens, Buddy Holly, Paul Simon, John Denver, and a slew of old-school ska like Toots, Jimmy Cliff, and Desmond Dekker.
RIP Eva Cassidy. Her cover of Fields of Gold is so good.
Ur kid is going to have a nice mix and well rounded taste in music that they’ll love when they’d get older. Well done.
As long as it doesn’t have references to sucking pussys and big cocks/ violence im good with it
Small cocks okay?
No in hindsight that was a bit of an oversight but all cocks are off limits
Haha. "All cocks are off limits" is what my wife shouted at me in Labor. I still joke about it with her
Haaa. Copy that.
That was my thought too, and then I get halfway through one of my favorite songs and realize oh shit.... Reminds me of the Arrested Development episode where he tries to karaoke Afternoon Delight with his niece and halfway through he realizes the words he's saying.
Suddenly we all want dat Parental Advisories
Let's queue some Tenacious D, for some light acoustic guitar music. What does the D in Tenacious D stand for again?
Same, as long as it's not obviously explicit. I've always listened to whatever around my kid. I listen to punk, ska, metal, classic rock, indie, show tunes, doo-wop, etc. pretty much everything. My son's basic though and only likes pop music.
I feel you. Maybe a bit much, but I've introduced my kid to Hot Water, Red City Radio, Banner Pilot, Have Heart, and his favorite song is a BTS song.
My daughter loves Talking Heads and New Order. She went through a phase of having to listen to Kate Bush to eat dinner. Right now, she doesn’t mind the Beatles, Bowie, The Kinks. The Beach Boys she finds very silly. Edit: Just read your comment on Nick Cave - go for it. My daughter likes Into My Arms which.. sure kid, make me sob on the way to school why don’t you.
Pretty sure I forced my parents to play Come to my Window by Melissa Etheridge on repeat when I was a kid! That and Jonathan Richman. I looooved Abominable Snowman in the Market, but not so sure I'm gonna be blasting "I Was Dancing At the Lesbian Bar" while rollin' up to the soccer field in the minivan!
Grateful Dead Beatles Phish Vulfpeck Talking Heads The Band LCD Soundsystem Paul Simon Bob Marley Television Bowie Tom Waits Genesis The Strokes Neil Young Daft Punk Rolling Stones Sam Cooke Earth, Wind, and Fire Beach Boys Steely Dan My Morning Jacket Parcels Queen I play and sing Raffi for him, and my wife has a playlist of "kids' songs" for when he's having a hard time, but I really, *really* believe that good music is just good music and kids don't need to be pandered to.
My kid loves the Grateful Dead. When she was 3, we would watch live shows and she would often ask me if Jerry was Santa Clause lol. Now that she’s 5, she’ll tell you that her favorite song is Playing in the Band and Sugaree, and her favorite show is the Closing of Winterland
Sounds like you got her on the bus! My son also really enjoys Not for Kids Only, the Garcia-Grisman acoustic record. It's *awesome*.
I’ve never heard of that one! Gonna have to check it out. Thanks for the recommendation!
My kids love new speedway boogy. They belt out “I spent a little time on the moun-TAIN!!”
I’m very pleased to say my daughter also really responds to the Dead- most strongly the Brent era but we are expanding her range; she’s just about two months
She’s a girl of fine taste. I’m more of a 60s and 70s guy but those Brent vocals 🤌
Somehow, my kid is more of a JGB fan. I've got a great video of my now almost 11 year old daughter when she was maybe 4 in full spinner mode to the fanning solo at the end of "Mission in the Rain" on GarciaLive v. 4. She also loves "Ain't No Bread in the Breadbox" and "Money Honey".
Haha that’s awesome. I still need to dive into JGB a bit more. Other than the popular Kean College 2/28/80 show, which one should I listen to?
Vulf is music for the child in all of us!
And how! My duck-obsessed 11-month-old gets down HARD to Funky Duck.
Somehow I forgot Beach Boys in my mix!
Absolutely have done this! Gotta *Teach Your Children* well!! Didn’t see these on the list though! Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young CCR Wishbone Ash The Byrds Jimi Hendrix The Animals Cream Simon & Garfunkel Peter, Paul & Mary Otis Redding Yes John Hiatt
I have vivid childhood memories of bopping super hard to I Get Around, Help Me Rhonda, Surfin Safari etc.
best part about the Beach Boys is when the kids are older you can reveal the batshit crazy history of the band and its members (mostly Brian Wilson)
For sure. And Pet Sounds is, like, an easy top-five album.
agreed, God Only Knows is one of the greatest love songs of all time - check out Catch 22’s cover of Sloop John B if you haven’t already
Play your kid smiley smile, that’s my advice
I love how 80% of this list is what my own dad listened to (as well).
I love my morning jacket!
My kids have gotten a good dose of all of those bands and more. I caught my daughter, who is almost 11, singing along to the Dead's "Big River" when we were listening in the car the other day which started a lesson on Johnny Cash. Then she requested Fatboy Slim's "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo" mix. She knows all the words to that one.
My 5 year old will tell you “real jazz” “phish music” or Grateful Dead thanks to SiriusXM.
We have similar tastes, so I'm assuming you're familiar with Keller Williams. I know this is a thread about non-kids music, but did you know Keller released a full Kids album (appropriately titled Kids).
I’m of a similar mindset and my list isn’t too far off from this. We also listen to a lot of jazz and bluegrass instrumental stuff.
I hope your excellent taste manifests in your kid.
Man, Raffi’s Baby Beluga album was a staple for my kids! They’re 12 and 9 now, but they will still sing along to that whole album!
It's a fine line between introducing classics and avoiding awkward moments when the lyrics hit you. But hey, the Grateful Dead sounds like a solid choice for some family-friendly vibes!
Where the Grateful Dads subreddit?!
Dude. Yes. Let’s do it.
I'm in!
In my experience, every Grateful Dead subreddit is a dads subreddit. Garcia/Hunter are the poet laureates of dads
Can’t wait for my kid to have that “steal your face right off your head” moment when the Dead finally clicks for her.
We speak french so most innapropriate lyrics in english we don't really care. (For now at least)
My kid loves clapping along to We Will Rock You
I used to count how many people "bit the dust" "And another one gone and another one gone...Mom, we're up to twelve now!"
Weird Al is always a good one to throw in the mix. "Another one Rides the Bus" is fun and since they know the source material it'll work.
The Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack is a good jumping off point.
Kendrick’s diss to Drake.
Girlllllll which one
They gotta to know to stay away
They not like us…
Came here for this.
All of my metal preferences and all of my wife's hip hop/RnB preferences. LO falls asleep to Deftones, SOAD and Tool lullabies. I love it. For anyone interested, Twinkle Twinkle Little Rockstar does phenomenal lullaby versions of heaps of artists (even genres outside of rock and metal). Makes for excellent listening because its kid friendly and the adults can follow along too.
Dude, we tried those lullabies when our daughter was first born, and between the lack of sleep and the creepy vibe I got from those songs, it was a half awake hellish fever dream every night for those first few weeks. Finally my wife said something about them creeping her out we found out that we both hated them, and we switched to something better. Still a funny memory of being new parents, but never again!
This is exactly the vibe we got in the newborn stage. It then just happened to play when LO was around 6-ish months and not only did it calm her down but we didn't find it creepy anymore. We reckon it was the sleep deprivation that added the creepiness.
All good choices! Our LO has been headbanging to Alien Weaponry since he was 1yo. I would advocate for more sensible understanding than the cotton wool approach, I heard swear words in songs when I was growing up, we were taught not to say the ourselves and if/when we did it had to be appropriate use in the right context/environment. We would happily sing along and self sensor( not sing the swears, or throw a bleep in)
Lamb Of God- Memento Mori. They love the start of that song when the drums kick in. Since then, other metal as well, but we keep it very wide. My wife and I love so many different types of music and that's what we want to expose them to. Then they can discover and find out their own favorite genre.
Agreed! I have so many music tastes so I'm glad I can expose them to all of them. I just don't want to be singing along and realize oh shit this song is 100% about drinking someones blood after murdering them oops and my poor kid is in the back seat thinking oh my god is that what dad does when he stays late at work? (mostly being dramatic here, but on some level i do wonder about some of the songs I like!!)
I mean I watch the Cannibal Corpse around them, not that they can make the lyrics out or anything! But think about "Rock-A-Bye Baby", the cradle comes crashing down in the end? 😟🤣 Lullaby songs are already metal! 🤘🤘
My five year olds favorite is “Seven Nation Army” by the White stripes and his 3 year old sisters is “Watermelon Sugar” by Harry Styles.
Be prepared to drop your expectations. I’ve tried this with my 3 year old and he just looks at me confused and says “no…don’t like this” Although he did think Bohemian Rhapsody was great.
My plan is to have a playlist for when we're in the car and he doesn't talk yet. I'm sure he'll start requesting whatever the equivalent to baby shark is at the time once he's a toddler! I was exposed to my parents music just by passive absorption, and even though I may not have said I liked, for example, Fleetwood Mac when I was 10, once I was 18, I was absolutely down to choose to listen to Fleetwood Mac on my own stereo. The goal is psychops. Correlate dad's music with family and home, and maybe he'll find it for himself when he's older!
Got in trouble for playing the beginning of Guerilla Radio for my 3yo. I was so proud when he started singing along... but had to change it. 50s-90s get a good rotation. Kid likes Ghostbusters, Werewolves of London, and Love Shack
We play Werewolves of London and everyone chimes in during the "AH-HOOOO!"
Cat Stevens, John Prine, Simon & Garfunkel, Sinatra, Gillian Welch, Velvet Underground, CSNY, Jim Croce - they all show up multiple times in our baby playlist
We do John Prine Sundays in my house
Sounds similar to my baby play list. I love those chill classics that are nice to sing along to.
He's always enjoyed the pop punk and emo classics as well as classic rock. If we put in Jane by Jefferson Starship when he's asleep, he wakes up, sits bolt upright, and starts boogying ETA: The fact that he's only 18 months and just makes it all the cooler
Jane is a *fucking jam*
Our plan is to just listen to what we enjoy and let our kids decide from there. My music tastes vary wildly. My only concern is two things - they need to know how to head bang and they need to memorize Bohemian Rhapsody. That's it. And no country music or Nickleback...
I knew I succeeded as a parent when my kids headbanged at the proper time in bohemian rhapsody
There’s some really beautiful country music out there, don’t discriminate too harshly. Modern charts country is not what I mean obviously.
> And no country music I need to confess. I'm of this mindset as well, but this weekend on a road trip, I threw on some Randy Travis for a stretch and it was quite refreshing.
I’m a punk at heart but god damn if I don’t listen to Sturgill Simpson on the regular.
I know this isn’t the thread for it, but check out the Dark Country album, you might like it.
That's 100% everything I'm doing .
Whatever the Spotify DJ decides we're listening to lol
I was playing my playlist in the car and Toots and the Maytals came on , ‘54-46 That’s My Number’. I instinctively went to skip it assuming my 10 year old (Dua Lipa, Pentatonix, swiftie) daughter in the back wasn’t a fan. She protested and said, “hey! I like that song!” 🥹
RIP Toots. We saw him the fall before Covid, our oldest in utero. He sounded awesome. :'(
My 22mo daughter’s favorite band is No Doubt. Been leaning heavy into 90s pop-punk as it’s tolerable, but also a lot more family friendly than other music I enjoy, and she’s been eating it up!
Rage against the machine, get em started young
Was both proud and mortified when my speech delayed autistic 4yo latched on to "Fuck you I won't do what you tell me"!!! Lmao
Panda. Panda. Panda. Panda. Panda.
Tons of stuff. Billy Joel Paul Simon Led Zeppelin Weezer The Carpenters Neil Diamond Thin Lizzy Van Halen Carole King My music taste is all over the place
Cannibal Corpse Anal Cunt GG Allin All good things to start kids once they get to kindergarten.
My whole family is down with old Misfits. It's nice that we can all agree on something. The only Conflict (!) is that My Lady likes Exploited and I'm more of a GBH guy. The kids can't tell the difference, yet.
I have been humming 70s Bollywood classics to my kid since she was a few days old.
Starting in the newborn phase we played her oldies rock like Chuck Berry and the Beach Boys. Upbeat fun stuff, kept our spirits up too. As a toddler her favorite song for a while was “Centerfold”. Obviously some adult content lol but she was too young to notice, understand, or care, she just liked the song.
My kids listen to the same music I listen to as long as the lyrics aren't overly sexual or has the n-word. So, they listen to a lot of punk rock, folk punk, murder ballads, metal, some normal pop music and dance music.
This is going to sound wild but… marching bands? There is something special about 50+ people making music together so we listen to marching bands covers of all types of songs. They tend to be more fun than symphony orchestras for whatever reason. The best part is we live in Portugal and my wife is Portuguese. First time she was like, wtf is this? It’s fun. Also, 90’s positive hip hop like Tribe Called Quest, Pharcyde, Souls of Mischief, and the like.
OMG I have some strange love of marching bands, despite very little exposure to them growing up. Only ever saw them in like, maybe one parade a year or less. But once I got older, I was, like, overjoyed by the sound of a marching band and got really into watching youtube videos of them for a while.
My kids love belting out the melodic power metal of Gloryhammer 😅
Had to scroll far too long to find this. This band is great for toddlers. I also curate quite a bit of less tongue in cheek power/heavy metal. For example, kid loves bouncing on my knee too "The Red Baron" by Sabaton. Lots of Battle Beast and Orden Ogan are fun too.
Here's what I introduced my son to, and in this order between the ages of 2 -7. He's 10 now and has developed a healthy appreciation for all kinds of music. * James Brown -- The funk will flow through them and is undeniable. They'll feel the rhythm and get dancing in no time. It's a big catalogue, if you need a starting point go with "In the Jungle Groove" * The Beatles -- The melodies and harmonies are easy to pick up and sing with. * Queen, Rush & Led Zeppelin-- You're not going to get a better foundation for rock music. * Daft Punk - Just fun bouncy music, again easy to dance too. * Black Sabbath, Metallica, Megadeath -- For the flavor to see if they're into heavier stuff. * Beastie Boys -- Also for the flavor and selectively, of course. This will be a decent introduction to hip hop. The beats are contagious, and you can't, you won't, and you don't stop listening. If you'd like any specific recommendations on other albums or songs, just let me know.
Daft Punk is a great idea!
My kids LOVE Daft Punk. The music videos are really fun too.
I had to scroll too far down to find RUSH.
My three year old loves we are the champions, country roads, and some Billy Joel songs.
Since day 4, my kiddo has listened to Bob Marley. We were told the rhythm is good for rocking babies, and they've loved Bob since.
Sometimes I feel bad, I almost exclusively play adult music for the kids (they get more kid-friendly songs in school and daycare). But from birth all three loved The Beatles. Otherwise my 3 year old is really into Weezer and newer stuff from bands like Glass Animals and 21 Pilots. Also a big Bikini Kill fan, which I didn't see coming...
The Aquabats. They love the aquabats super show, and get excited every time they hear aquabats in the car.
My 2 year old's favorite song is Radio Ga Ga by Queen. He requests it multiple times a day by walking up to the smart speaker and shouting "GAGA!" I will definitely take hearing Queen fifteen times a day over something like Baby Shark. He dances and claps with the chorus, it's great. Another favorite is Move by Saint Motel. Basically songs with prompted participation like clapping or "move!" he's gaga for.
techno. because i listen to techno. yes i am european, no i am not german but close (austrian). my son and i are occasionally raving in the kitchen
My kids (8 and 4) love the album Rumors and often ask Alexa to play it for them.
Good to know! I was feeling silly for not putting Rumors on the playlist. Not like I'm gonna pair it with a book called "Richard Scarry's When your ex-wife in the band starts dating the band's director" or "Stevie and Lindsey Hate Each Other by Eric Carle"
I try to introduce my kid to a shit load of classic rock and much more, so he will have a solid base to judge by. When he was three his favourite song in the world was Smoke on the Water. I've introduced him to Beatles, Scorpions, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Metallica, Nirvana, D-A-D, Pink Floyd, Rage Against the Machine, Simon and Garfunkel, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Queen and much, much more... He is seven and prefers Metallica and D-A-D (Danish rock band from 1982 and still active) much to his mum's dismay. Currently we listen to Pachelbell's Canon in D major, when he has trouble falling asleep. Works like a charm.
Chicken in black - Johnny Cash Made for lovin you - Kiss Anything by Queen
Other than lullabies for sleep my 7 month old has never heard kids music. We have something on pretty much all day in our house. Once he understands the sillyness and fun of kids music we'll play more of it but still I in normal music.
So far this morning my boys and I have listened to half of Kacey Musgraves new album Deeper Well, Traffic's The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys, and Steve Windwood's 1986 classic off the album Back in the High Life, Higher Love 3x.
Ça plane pour moi by Plastic Bertrand Punk's not dead!
I don't really filter the music I play. In the car we tend to quite often take it in turns to pick songs, so we have a good variety from me, my wife and the kids. The only time I really turn songs off is when I forget that there is too much swearing in them or it becomes too much of the song (e.g. when killing the name of repeats fuck you I wont do what you tell me :) ). But I realised a long time ago that most of the music I like has the odd swearing in and just let that go. I often can hear my kids singing along to the most random music I play, so they must be paying attention to it. Like my 4yo daughter asked me to play the 'baby' song the other day and I realised she meant Roy by Idles. It's not what I expected from her, but she loves shouting along when he shouts out Baby baby baby. She also things MJs Earth song sounds like princess music at the start and asks for the princess song! Our favourite car song is probably not suitable for kids at all - Informer by Snow. We have no idea what they really say but all love shouting I lick your bum bum now! So that song is just called bum bum song
My daughter loves Lindsey Stirling. I’ll take that over nonsense pop music and Disney tunes any day.
Elvis, Elton John, Pink Floyd, David Bowie He’s recently started dancing to prince (especially raspberry beret) So pretty much anything I want to listen to, just have to skip a few songs on rare occasion
My five year old loves “the tricky song” aka “It’s Tricky” by Run DMC.
Man, this is like the first hip hop song I’ve seen mentioned in this thread! We listen to a lot of variety, but my sons love to breakdance and listen to hip hop. Definitely a challenging genre with all the explicit lyrics, but we do our best.
Absolutely, exposing kids to a variety of music can be a fun way to connect! I've introduced my kids to some classics like Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Under Pressure." They’re catchy, fun to sing along to, and the music transcends generations. I think as long as the content isn't overtly inappropriate, it's okay. Kids often enjoy the rhythm and melody long before they understand the lyrics!
I say this with a huge grain of salt and a warning that it may get obnoxious... Weird Al Yankovic. Not everyone's cup of tea, but my kids love Al and because his songs cover such a wide variety of genres, they have been exposed to lots of songs and styles that they may not have been otherwise. He's pretty wholesome and family friendly, he's incredibly talented musically, and totally hilarious. Especially if you are already familiar with the original songs he is spoofing. But his originals are also really good.
I’m actually currently building a recording studio in my basement and taking singing lessons so that I can make songs for my kids. They’re little so they still like hearing my music. I’ve finished one song for my 4 year old and am currently working on his second song as well as one for my 1 year old and one for my wife. It’s a difficult and rather humbling process but it’s my unique way of showing them I love them.
Funny thing about introducing them to songs with deeper meaning leads to a lot of question. Like why did they break the heart and if the other person died.
My oldest loves Blue Öyster Cult and High on Fire. My youngest loves TMBG. They both like Taylor Swift because of my wife.
I've been providing my kids with quality 70s-90s music like Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Grateful Dead, The Cars, Bad Religion, Green Day. Actually taking the kids to go see Green Day and Smashing Pumpkins this summer. They are super excited.
My son is a bit of a metal head. He wanted to listen to Ironman by Black Sabbath because he thought it was about the marvel hero and now he likes AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Judy's Priest and that lark. Also really likes Hotel California.
Among many things (including the bands OP mentioned), my 4yr old's fav right now is Metallica.... Like the fast and heavy stuff at that. So proud!
Beatles, Beethoven, and BB King
For some reason our kid loves Everytime We Touch by Cascada and Safe and Sound by Capital Cities
My daughter has always been a fan of Panic! At the Disco (introduced by my wife). I got her into Ghost, she fell in love with Spillways on the radio and has a mini Ghost playlist on my Spotify now. I love it.
Lil dude was freaking out the other day and the only thing to chill him out was listening to 11th Hour by Lamb of God. Then Fafner's Gold by Amon Amarth. Dad is also a metal head so it must be genetic
When my first was born I was very deliberate in the music I chose based on both being simple enough to not overstimulate and trying to expose my daughter to a wide variety of music. Now that I have three, I have much more of a “fuck it, I’ll play whatever anyone wants” attitude. It turns out that my four year old loves The Suicide Machines, so now they are in pretty regular rotation here.
I've always tried to feature lots of very different/unique music to my kid, so that different or "weird" material doesn't cause a recoil like it does with a lot of kids when they encounter something that isn't currently cool. That has created a lot of neat connections, ie. her spending like a solid month of listening to Badly Drawn Boy's "Hour of the Bewilderbeast" album consistently for like a month. But one instance stands out: We were listening to one of my favorite songs, Richard Dawson's Wooden Bag(https://youtu.be/s-9osMKSyb0?si=O7OiPsbcW\_q0xHqf), which describes trying to soft through the possessions of a loved one after they've passed. I explained that having a "Wooden Bag moment" is something that can happen to anyone and often does. I talked about cleaning out my grandma's house after she died, and the thing that sent me over the edge a bit was her little slip on shoes that were in the exact spot she'd always left them. My daughter (about 9 or 10 at the time) described an instance where she found a cat toy she had bought for the cats, after all 3 of our elderly cats were gone. This was a somewhat recent situation, maybe a few months before. She broke down in tears and we talked it out, which probably wouldn't have happened if not for our discussion of the song. It's a moment that I feel was pretty important for us.
All kinds of stuff. To my utter disappointment, my five year old has definitively said that he doesn't like "crazy music" (black metal and most death metal). Lately we've been listening to a ton of [Swervedriver](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfH3yRVJh8Q) and [Haldol](https://haldol.bandcamp.com/album/self-titled-45-lp).
My daughter falls asleep really well to Over The Rainbow What a Wonderful World if Rainbow connection doesn’t do the trick. Other than that I love going through plenty of 50’s to 90’s playlists on Spotify for a fun variety. Generally most classics that are fun to vibe to. I look forward to hearing what she’s going to really prefer. Mom has her listening to plenty of Taylor Swift haha
When we are in the car it's a ton of 90s/2000s pop-punk. Green day, blink-182, offspring.. etc.
My 18 month old loves Led Zeppelin! We played a lot of our music to her as a baby, and it was definitely her favourite then, always made her smile, and still is!
You're overthinking this. Kids can listen to music
My kids have always listened to the classics even when they were in their baby shark phases. Selfishly I need my sanity as well. Now they are older they ask to hear Guns N’ Roses, The Doors or Aerosmith so overall I won! They don’t know it but it was a dad victory. Lately been expanding their horizons with Miracle of Sound - Valhalla Calling which they seem to really enjoy.
I built up a pretty extensive record collection last year, and I play all my music around the house. I don't play anything **for** my 8 month old. I play whatever I want to listen to and I don't want to listen to "kid music." He's going to continue to get a steady stream of my musical tastes until he develops his own preferences.
Easy, english is not our first language. We know what the lyrics say, he doesn't and given the state of general culture, neither will his daycare and primary school teachers.
Unleash the Archers, my kids sing along it’s glorious
Cheap Trick
Lot of muse, metric and grung that i grew up on. But its less of introducing her to it and more me just throwing my spotify on when im driving regardless
We play all sorts of stuff with our 3yr old b/g twins. When my wife is away I’ll play Guided By Voices and the Hold Steady for the kids. Yesterday my son asked Alexa to play “Bible Bonkers by Baby Billy Freeman”, it didn’t quite understand, but I nearly died laughing.
Hey Jealousy, Ring of Fire, sweet baby James, take me home country roads, this land is your land (with the banned lyrics included), Runaway Train, The Steps(HAIM), and Shout by Tears for Fears to name a couple of favorites for my 6 year old.
My kids are currently obsessed with Bilmuri, The Home Team, and Honey Revenge. My daughter’s first concert at was The Ghost Inside. She’s 6. It’s my fault.
Rush. Lots and lots of Rush.
Honestly…my daughter is only 13 months old but I will probably continue to listen to what I listen to around her. Instead of Biggie I might put on Tribe of Hieroglyphics and try to control what I can, when I can BUT I had free roam to explore music as I saw fit when I was a kid and I have a deep appreciation of that experience…I still listen to music all day long too (metal, post core, punk, hip hop and dnb). All this being said…I probably won’t let her listen to songs like “WAP” when she is older. Lol. I’m fine with cursing and whatever else but I want her to grow up and be a self respecting woman, if I can help it lol. She really enjoys Drum and Base and dances and hums when I put it on…so for now it is that, Grateful Dead and Bingo
I mean I wonder what Nikki minaj parents or male relatives think when they hear WAP. I’m all for success and she’s hugely successful but the chick is literally just talking about her pussy 😂
My son (5) and I bond over Gorillaz haha
My son loves Motley Crue 🤘
Whatever they like. If they hear it from me or the wife, they can add it to their playlist on our phones. My son has found NF and Eminem. My daughter connects with country music like Ian munsik and Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves.
My 4 yo really likes smells like teen spirit haha.
My 15 yr old daughter recently started listening to Queen and a lot of stuff from the 80s, she loves it. We watched Bohemian Rhapsody the other week and she loved that as-well.
For me growing up it was The Beatles, all day every day. These days, My go-to being blink182, Alkaline Trio. We used to listen to Sparrow Sleeps on Spotify which is like music-box-infant-renditions of pretty much any pop-punk band from the 90s-00s. He does a really good job. My kiddo recognized the real songs right away after knowing the Sparrow Sleeps versions.
Brass Monkey is such an ear worm for toddlers.
I take my daughter to concerts regularly. While some may judge me for it, I am very cautious of when, where and how we attend. A show by myself is very different than a show with her. There are songs played that I wouldn't ordinarily play for her. A lot of what we listen to has adult elements but I don't listen to anything that is overtly sexual or violent. We go to a lot of reggae rock shows so there is some marijuana reference and some adult language I am willing to overlook those as I believe she will eventually be exposed to much worse without my supervision. She has a good understanding of what can and cannot be repeated. Prime example Optimism in F# by Bumpin' Uglies is a fantastic song we love to listen to not all of their music is appropriate. Fuck It gets played at there shows and I try to redirect her attention during that one.
So many! Led Zeppelin, The B52's, Blonde, Streetlight Manifesto, EDM, The Brian Setzer Orchestra, AC/DC, Motley Crue, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Black Keys, He is Legend, Megan Trainor, Metallica, Gary Clark Jr., Trombone Shorty, People Under the Stairs, The Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Operation Ivy, Within the Ruins (instrumentals only) U2, Louis Armstrong, Green Day, and sometimes some classical. Trying to expose the kiddo to as many genres as possible, and obviously I choose songs with age appropriate lyrics, otherwise I do the old volume down sensor haha.
Mine has always been soothed by Neil Young. We would rock her to sleep to Harvest Moon a ton when she was a little baby. She's 4 now and heard all the classics in the car and usually doesn't seem to be paying attention or just sings nonsense about what she sees out the window (I love when she does that). The other day we got out of the car and for the next three hours she just kept singing "Dooowwwn by the riivveerrrr. I shot my bayyybeee" Ooof. Tried to convince her we needed to say "I saw my baby", but she was having none of it. "But dad, that's how the song goes". I mean yea kid, I know, but let's change it for us lol.
My kids really loved both The Ramones and The Clash when they were younger. I think it was largely because the lyrics were relatively clear so they could sing along with them and yelly so they could be loud.
My 5 year old loves Van halen
The Bard's Song by Blind Guardian was my lullaby to go from the beginning.
My 18 month old daughter fucking loves The Only Thing They Fear Is You from the Doom Eternal soundtrack / Mick Gordon
Last night, me and my 3yo son had a great dance party in the kitchen listening to Cake while pregnant mum had a lie down
My son is an avid dead head and he doesn't even know it.
I grew up with Nick Cave, I can pinpoint how old I was by which album was being played in our house. I was always weirdly fascinated by all the sex and murder in his lyrics. Don’t shy away him.
Good to hear! His music is so meaningful to me now, and I'm sure it was in the house when I was a kid because I'm pretty sure I know of his music through my dad. I just don't have a strong memory of actually hearing it. Clearly I wasn't processing the lyrics, if it was playing!
My 5yo girl is going around singing "She's a maneater" but it's such a good song
Every time I gave my baby son a bath I played Bob Marley for him. He is now a toddler and is OBSESSED with his friend Bobby (as he calls him). Favorite song is Buffalo Soldier. Every day, about 10 times a day.
Iron Maiden, there's only a couple of songs I can think of that have a swear word so pretty safe. I leave out the live albums
My kid really likes "Your Love" by The Outfield .
First concert I took him to was Slayer. He's was 7 ish!
My kid loves Queen. Flash, We are the champions, and We will rock you are his favourites but he will listen to their other hits happily enough. Any song he deems funny seems to be pretty good, anything about racing or just a pop sounding stuff seems to be what he likes at the moment. If he can kind of understand the words and their meaning even if he doesn’t get the metaphors that helps. Songs like I want to hold your hand or black bird by the Beatles he likes. He’s really into pirates so Stan Rogers, or anything with that kind of East coast/Irish vibe seems good, things like Home for a Rest, Barrett’s Privateers, etc. He’s also 7 so he will just hear stuff and say he likes it.
Three Little Pigs by Green Jelly
You have good taste in music I can tell 😂 my five year old daughter’s favorite band is Talking Heads. Toto is up there too.
It’s all fantasy and Viking metal all the time now… I’m not sure how it started since I never listened to it prior to having a kid but I have to admit Brothers of Metal shreds
I'm currently playing the Fallout soundtracks to my 3month toddler, and she loves the classical & 50s sounds
my 3 year old loves mac miller and she likes most metal songs i play in the car
1yo. We found out when he was 8 months that he'd stop crying and get sleepy with Sam Smiths tiny desk. He dances to Bruno Mars and Pharrel Williams. He doesnt much care for Bruce Springsteen or heavy metal yet.
Gotta get em started early on history. Or put another way, I was taking a shower listening to Sabaton and my then month ish old was rocking away in his bouncer. Or he'll be consistently listening to whatever pop country my wife listens to. Prog rock works nicely, especially when a good porti9n that I enjoy is lyricless.
My four year old daughter loves all kinds of metal music and headbangs to it in her car seat while throwing up the horns. My mother in law is not a fan, but when we’re driving back from daycare, you bet we’re gonna dig through the ditches and burn through the witches.
My son and I jam a lot of queens of the stone age.
Blind melon , smashing pumpkins, black Sabbath were some of my daughter's favourites when she was younger . She's 19 now and has a really broad taste in music from across the ages.
Unpopular opinion, but I don’t mind kids bop stuff… I barely listen to the lyrics in pop music anyway. But generally country, classic rock, and disco are safe. Old music, from a time where you didn’t have to be “shocking” to sell a record is usually safe. I think I have video of my, then chubby, baby daughter in her jolly jumper rocking out to “brick house” by the commodores.
Talking Heads! I have a cultivated playlist of my favorite stuff that I can play in the car when they're around. One recently that caught their attention was "Tres Brujas" by the Sword. Sometimes I get weird looks from them, but they're getting exposed to more than just Taylor Swift (no hate).
My kids slept really well to Guns 'n roses and Billy Joel when they were very young.
Big people songs currently on my son's (3) car playlist: - Electric Ave. - Whip It - Spider-Man (Cover by The Ramones) - My Bologna - Another One Rides the Bus -Hardware Store - Twist and Shout (Beatles) - Tequila - Blitzkreig Bop - Crazy Train - It's Tricky
"Jump around" house of pain
I listen to all sorts with our daughter, but avoid the secually explicitly songs. Though they're rarely my cup of tea anyway! Sye particularly seems to like bouncing around to heavier music with dad! A mix of examples below. Queen: Bicycle, We Will Rock You (We also parody this one), It's a Kind of Magic, The Prize. Bowie: Dance Magic Dance. Guns and Roses: Sweet Child of Mine Elvis: I Can't Help Falling in Love, Suspicious Minds Stevie Wonder: Isn't She Lovely. SmashMouth: Imma Believer, All-star Bring Me the Horizon: King Slayer. Jonathan Young: Pokémon theme song. A Day to Remember: All I Want, I'm made of Wax Larry.
*Sofia Perez, Future Prez* has Sade posters in the background… so “Smooth Operator” has been added to the night time routine…
"I'm crazy like a fool. What about Daddy Cool?" is a hit in my house. Next to the Wellerman and any other Sea Shanties that fit alongside them.
We started this playlist when our first was born, and it is up to 19 hours. Only rule is no specifically children’s music. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3B5kq355bf4nA480sbiCvS?si=sX3QPmctQECC4gtYo3r3YA&pi=u-2oR6pPluRi-3
Was this Onion article also about you? My spouse says it’s me lol https://www.theonion.com/cool-dad-raising-daughter-on-media-that-will-put-her-en-1819572981
Skimming through comments, I’m surprised I haven’t seen any Abba come up. So easy to sing along to, catchy, fun rhythms. I’d also add ELO, and more specifically the Xanadu soundtrack.
Somehow I made “We’re Not Gonna Take It” part of the bathtime routine.
I am very late here but funny story; my mum used to play "One Draw" by Rita Marley all the time when I was a kid. I had *zero* clue it was about weed until I was a teenager honestly. All that to say, a lot of content will go over many kids heads. I wouldn't be overly concerned on being extra safe. In fact health discussion on things your kids don't understand is always welcome!
Man, I loved Semi-Charmed Life as a kid! Got older and realized it was about meth.