It’s not often that you get a chance to see an adult bliss out while listening to a children’s music recording. Drop by our place sometime while Animal Songs is playing and you’ll get a chance.
Growing up in the public school system in Canada during the eighties has resulted in an unshakable anchoring of sweet childhood memories with lively, upbeat Raffi classics. Nearly all of these classics, the ones that really catch, the ones that persevere are his animal tunes. “Down by the Bay”, “Baby Beluga” and “Goin’ to the Zoo” are enough to transport listeners like me to the green pastures of childhood.
Raffi has a name for people like me. He calls them “Beluga Grads”, referring to us as a generation of young adults who have grown up listening to his music, and now want to share it with their children. I think that’s indisputable. Those of us who were brainwashed…erm, taught to sing Raffi songs in school won’t hesitate to teach our wee ones "Baby Beluga".
When our first daughter was an infant I bought a nursing necklace with a beluga bead on it, the board book version of “Baby Beluga”, I sang it as a lullaby, and her father made her a wooden beluga toy. All of this before I knew of this phenomenon, so I certainly can’t argue with Raffi on that point. How does she feel about Raffi at the age of five? She likes the songs, but not as much as I do. My 2-year-old is entirely different, just ask her "Who Built the Ark?" and she'll let you know in short order - even if her mouth is full of food. It takes time to foster manic devotion, but I know we’ll succeed.
Even if you balk at the term, perhaps your interest has been piqued – a re-release of Raffi’s animal songs from throughout his lengthy career, many dating back to Singable Songs for the Very Young. Somehow, somewhere deep inside of you there’s a longing to share these slices of childhood with your children. Yes – there are sophisticated compositions by new artists: rock, pop and nearly every other genre is now available with child friendly lyrics. The lingering temptation to stock up on Raffi discs somehow lingers despite the plethora of flashier offerings.
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