I know, it's March now, and I'm still trying to sum up 2009. I already gave you a list of my 20 favorite kids music albums of 2009, now it's time for my 20 favorite kids music songs of 2009. As with the albums, I tried to limit myself to songs on albums from a general Nov. 1, 2008 - Oct. 31, 2009 timeframe, consistent with the Fids and Kamily Awards. I've tended to think of music in terms of albums and not individual songs, so I know that I've omitted some great songs here, but I'm working on changing that in the year ahead.
Anyway, in alphabetical order, here they are...
- Dan Bern - "Trousers": Goofy and silly. Probably not entirely true, but that should probably be counted in its favor.
- Bunny Clogs - "Velveeta Girl and Squatsy": I have no idea what this song means. But it'll make your dance around, which is praise enough in my book. Listen here.
- Caspar Babypants - "Little Broken Truck": Everything that makes Chris Ballew's debut kids' album Here I Am! so winning is found in this song - simplicity, clean production, and a whimsical sense of humor. Listen here or watch a live version here.
- The Dreyer Family Band - "Mad": Dealing with negative emotions in a way that actually recognizes those emotions honestly is a rare trick. This track accomplishes that. Listen here.
- Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion - "Brush Your Teeth Blues #57": Because I wrote a liner note essay for the album, I took the Go Waggaloo album out of the running for my own Top 20 album list. But I'd be remiss if I didn't pick at least one song from the album for this list. It's a dreamy lullaby amidst these mostly uptempo tracks. Listen to a prior version of the song here.
- Laura Freeman - "Look in a Book": I love Freeman's sense of humor on this track, as will bright 6-year-olds. Which is what I attempt to be sometimes.
- Peter Himmelman - "Main Dish": A whole feast of great songs on Himmelman's My Trampoline disk, this one about accepting different roles in life, is my favorite. Or maybe it's just about dinner.
- John Upchurch and Mark Greenberg - "The Lawnmower Song" and "A Counting Error": Yes, that's right, my second favorite kids album of the year, John and Mark's Children's Record, gets the honor of having 2 songs on this list. The first is such a perfect little pop song with a little country styling thrown in. The second is one of the more surreal kids' songs you'll ever hear, yet totally logical in its absurdity. Download "A Counting Error" here.
- Los Lobos - "Heigh Ho": Yeah, it's a cover. A cover song that will melt you and your kids' faces! Or at least march around like crazy folk. Watch the official video here.
- Lunch Money - "Are You a Rabbit?": Trying to pick a single great song off my favorite album of the year, Dizzy, is difficult, but this hits so many high points (braininess, interaction, melody, that bridge!) that it wins out.
- Ziggy Marley - "Family Time": The title track to Marley's Grammy-winning album, featuring a delightful family vibe. Watch the video here.
- Kesang Marstrand - "Dandelion": A sweet lullaby from an album full of them, Marstrand's Hello Night, her voice is the biggest winner here. Watch the video here.
- Milkshake - "Enemies": A great song dealing with the complicated emotions of friendship. Download the song here.
- Keith Munslow - "Spork": They year's best retro-dance song. Also the year's best near-instrumental about a maligned eating implement. Listen here.
- Recess Monkey - "Marshmallow Farm": So many great Recess Monkey tracks to choose from off of Field Trip, so I picked this one based on the track that most caught our family's attention. Listen here.
- The Telephone Company - "What Am I Gonna Do with This Baby?": Pop-song perfection about somebody trying to decide what to do with a baby they've found. It's really a lot more upbeat and kid-friendly than that sentence implies.
- They Might Be Giants - "Meet the Elements": I'm probably unfairly lumping the video in with the song (the video is totally and completely awesome). But the song is excellent in its audio-only form as well. It completely rocks (and educates). Watch that awesome video here.
- The Verve Pipe - "Wake Up": Within 10 seconds of hearing this track, I had a good feeling that the album was going to be more than some misguided attempt to cash in on the kids' music fad. I was right. Listen here.
- Logan Whitehurst - "Happy Noodle vs. Sad Noodle": This isn't really a new track, it was just re-discovered by Belinda and Hova for their 2009 Greasy Kid Stuff 3 compilation. But it's an awesome track, I think you'll agree. Download the song here.
