In last week’s post, I questioned the wisdom of buying into the “Baby Music” industry, when there is so much wonderful to choose from. So after some thorough consideration of music that we could all enjoy together, here’s baby’s first Top 50 pop playlist:
1. Arron Copeland, Appalachian Spring
2. The Beatles, ‘Till There Was You
3. Nat King Cole, Let There Be Love
4. Stevie Wonder, Isn’t She Lovely
5. Eva Cassidy, What a Wonderful World
6. Cat Stevens, If You Want to Sing out
7. Michael Buble, Daddy’s Little Girl
8. Sarah McLaughlin, Blackbird
9. Sam Cooke, A Change Is Gonna Come
10. Shawn Colvin, Never Saw Blue Like That
11. Etta James, At Last
12. John Coltrane, Central Park West
13. Norah Jones, Those Sweet Words
14. Dire Straits, Why Worry
15. Jo Stafford, All the Things You Are
16. Allison Krauss, When You Say Nothing at All
17. Beth Orton, Wild World (even better than the Cat Stevens original)
18. Everything But the Girl, The Only Living Boy in New York
19. Curtis Mayfield, It’s Alright
20. K.D. Lang, Halleluja (wanted a Leonard Cohen song, KD Lang melts me)
21. Dusty Springfield, The Look of Love (a Bacharach/Warwick classic)
22. Dave Clark Five, Because
23. Nina Simone – Ooh Child (cooler, I think than Curtis Mayfield’s original)
24. Sarah Vaughan, Misty (so she’ll know the words to the music box)
25. Bread, If (cause it’s my song for Nam)
26. Buddy Holly, Every Day (had to include this simple happy tune)
27. Michael Buble, I’ve Got the World on a String (I’ve said my piece about Michael Buble, you be the judge. Not about how gay I am)
28. Diana Krall, Pick Yourself Up (a jazzy live version)
29. Madonna, What It Feels Like For a Girl (the William Orbit version)
30. Roy Orbison, You Got It (his last hit, and it soars)
31. Ella Fitzgerald, Someone to Watch Over Me
32. Paul Simon, Born at the Right Time (great lyrics for a baby)
33. The Beatles, Here, There and Everywhere (an elegant gem)
34. Van Morrison, Brown Eyed Girl (danceable for any eye color)
35. Buddy Guy & Bonnie Raitt, Feels Like Rain (Guy brings out her best)
36. The White Stripes, We Are Going to Be Friends
37. Eva Cassidy, People Get Ready (I got goosebumps)
38. Nick Drake, One of These Things First
39. Brian Eno, How Many Worlds (a rare non-spooky Eno song)
40. Simon & Garfunkel, April Come She Will (the baby was due in April)
41. Beck, I Think I’m in Love (she’ll be born to rock)
42. Jack Johnson, Rodeo Clowns (the closest thing to rap I like)
43. Bill Withers, Ain’t No Sunshine (this 1971 original is unmatched)
44. Billy Joel, New York State of Mind (don’t like NY, love this song)
45. Allison Krauss, Now That I’ve Found You (can’t stop tapping my foot)
46. Ben Harper, Diamonds on the Inside (a soulful modern classic)
47. James Taylor, Shower the People (no brainer)
48. Noah and The Whale, Five Years Time (unintentional kid’s song)
49. King Harvest, Dancing in the Moonlight
50. Simon & Garfunkel, So Long Frank Lloyd Wright (intricate chords, flute and bongo, yes!)