Songs for your Beautiful Boy - a playlist

Our friends and neighbors, Justin and Luann, just had their first baby. I haven't even met him yet (later today!), but I've been adding to his playlist for the last month or so. (ANY excuse to buy more tunes, and any excuse to make a playlist, I always say!) Most of the songs weren't written with babies in mind, but if you listen to the lyrics and imagine babies, some of 'em will make you cry. I promise. :) I hope the CD brings the new Mommy and Daddy some company during those long, please-go-to-sleep-why-won't-you-sleep nights, and some laughs and impromptu dancing during the daylight hours. Welcome Home, baby Mattson!

1. Beautiful Boy (Ben Harper). I've always loved John Lennon's song, written for his son Sean. Here it is, newly remade and included on the newly released "Instant Karma: The Campaign To Save Darfur". It's first because it makes a great CD title. :)
   
2. Blessed (Elton John). I always forget how much I love Elton John until I listen to him sing again. "I promise you that. I promise you that. I promise you that you'll be blessed." Sweet sweet sweet!
   
3. Forever Young (Rod Stewart). I blogged about this one several weeks ago. (click here.)
   
4. You Are So Beautiful (Joe Cocker). There've been other versions, but Joe Cocker's remains my favorite, and probably always will. There's something about that raggedy voice, the wavering high note at the end... ahh. Today while listening to it as I burned the CD, tears welled up in my eyes and I forced Ian into a prolonged hug. "You're everything I hoped for. You're everything I need." I've always called (huge surprise baby) Ian my serendipity baby, because I didn't KNOW he was everything I'd hoped for until I had him.
   
5. Can't Get Enough of You Baby (Smash Mouth). Here we go, time to ratchet the energy up a notch and DANCE! And ya gotta love those baby kisses!
   
6. Stay Up Late (Talking Heads). You know, I spent the bulk of my teen years listening to and singing along with Stay Up Late and other songs of its genre without even paying attention to what the lyrics were saying. "Mommy had. a little baby. There he is. fast asleep. He's just. a little plaything. Why not. wake him up?" This song is included because it's just plain fun to listen to, but also to remind Justin and Luann of this bit of wisdom: NEVER wake a sleeping baby! No matter how precious he looks... no matter how badly you want to kiss his perfect little lips.... no matter no matter no matter. Don't do it! :)
   
7. For Baby (John Denver). Make fun of me if you must, but I love me some John Denver. It's my Mom's fault, and though I haven't admitted to HER how much her taste in sappy mountain music rubbed off on me, it's true. This playlist would be incomplete without the beautiful (yet sometimes dorky... "I'll sing you the songs of the rainbow"????) lyrics of For Baby.
   
8. Sweet Child O' Mine (Guns 'n Roses). I once attended an Aerosmith concert and totally blew off the opening band 'cause I'd never heard of them. Several months later, they hit the bigtime and I realized that I'd blown off Guns 'n Roses! Dani laughed at me earlier when I got all verklempt during this line: "I hate to look into those eyes And see an ounce of pain." Hmpf.
   
9. Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You (Frankie Valli). If you're a parent and you've never felt THIS way about your baby, well, you're lying. :) "You're just too good to be true- Can't take my eyes off of you -You'd be like heaven to touch- I wanna hold you so much"
   
10. I'll Be There (Jackson 5). "I'll reach out my hand to you, I'll have faith in all you do. Just call my name and I'll be there." Michael was only eleven years old when he recorded this song. No one ever said the boy couldn't sing.
    
11. Maybe I'm Amazed (Jem). Love the original by Paul McCartney... it's one of my favorite love songs, along with "I Will", which also happens to be penned by Sir Paul. This cover is sweet enough, though. I remember being amazed by how much having a baby changed me. Maybe I'm still amazed.
    
12. (I Can't Help) Falling in Love With You (Elvis Presley). Really. Do I need to say anything more?
    
13. You Are the Sunshine of My Life (Stevie Wonder). I was all set to include Stevie's "Isn't She Lovely" on here, but then Chancho went and turned out to be a boy after all. It's alright. Little Chancho aka Mattson will surely be the Sunshine of My Life and the Apple of My Eye to his mom and dad.
    
14. Dream Baby (Hootie and the Blowfish). I had a hard time deciding whether to include Roy Orbison's original, or this remake. In the end, I decided I had enough old stuff, so I went with Hootie. This song is begging, SWEET DREAMS, BABY. SLEEP SLEEP SLEEP SLEEP SLEEP!!!
    
15. Arms Wide Open (Creed). "Welcome to this place, I'll show you everything With arms wide open ." Such a cool song written by a soon-to-be Daddy.
    
16. Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. I don't know why this is here, except that I think it's funny. :)
    
17. Have I Told You Lately That I Love You (Rod Stewart). "You fill my heart with gladness Take away all my sadness Ease my troubles, that's what you do."
    
18. Your Smiling Face (James Taylor). This one's for Justin. "Isn't it amazing a man like me Can feel this way..." There's nothing like a baby's first smile. Doesn't even matter if it's gas-induced or not. :D
    
19. Song Sung Blue (Neil Diamond). This one's for Luann. I pray that you don't hit the roadblock of PPD. But the blues are pretty much inevitable every now and then. When they hit, just sing this to Mattson: "Me and you are subject to the blues now and then. But when you take the blues and make a song, you sing them out again." If that doesn't work, look our your window and call me. :)
    
20. Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Queen). Mattson IS the crazy little thing. "This (this thing) called love(called love)It cries (like a baby) In a cradle all night. It swings (woo woo) It jives (woo woo) It shakes all over like a jelly fish. I kinda like it. Crazy little thing called love."
    
21. Give A Little Bit (Goo Goo Dolls). Aw MAN. I meant to put SuperTramp's version on here, but it's Goo Goo Dolls instead. Ah well. Good enough. :)
    
22. The Prayer (Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli). THIS SONG ISN'T ON THE CD, but I wish it was! I didn't think to include it until it was too late. What parent doesn't need THESE words sung over them? "I pray you'll be our eyes, and watch us where we go. And help us to be wise in times when we dont know." Beautiful beautiful song, and I don't even like Celine Dion, as a general rule.

We can't wait to watch baby Mattson grow up next door! Before we know it, he'll be following our boys up and down the sidewalk on his tricycle. :) ((((Justin and Luann)))))