And the winner is….Jessica from Helping Mommys Win!
I have a confession to make: I actually like kids’ music. I do! I haven’t listed to one of my “grown up” cd’s since Lydia was born. My ipod probably doesn’t even know there is such a thing as non-kids’ music! We listen to Psalty, Yancy, Donut Man, Signing Time and Dan Zanes on a regular constant basis. But when my husband comes home…well, he’s a little more of a music guy than I am. He needs HIS music. He can’t listen to a kids’ cd 400 times in a row. (What is wrong with him?) He and Lydia have to take turns picking music when we’re in the car together!
So, I’m always on the lookout for music that is more “family” music—you know, stuff we’ll all like. Well, I just discovered Gustafer Yellowgold. No, thank goodness…it’s not actually a person’s name. He’s a little…uhm…well, here’s Gustafer:
He’s a native of the sun. He crash landed in Minnesota and has a pet dragon named Asparagus. (I’m not making this stuff up!) He’s also the brainchild of Morgan Taylor, a real musician who’s shared the stage with Bob Dylan, Natalie Merchant and Matthew Sweet (and some others…I just didn’t know who they were…don’t tell my hubby.)
Taylor started drawing Gustafer as a picture book—but then combined his love of music with his drawings and Gustafer Yellowgold music was born! His concerts are funny and filled with with minimally animated videos. (Which I love! Let the kids keep a little imagination and calm down the over stimulation!!)
Doesn’t that look fun? It reminds me of the concerts I would have gone to in college! Gustaf and company are on tour right now with lots of shows everywhere EXCEPT here in the deep South. Hmph.
Lydia and I poked around Gustafer Yellowgold’s website and it is super-cool. There’s lots of hidden videos and music ready to be discovered. Here’s a sampling…
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Sound good? Well, I’ve got a Gustafer Yellowgold giftpack to give away! Gustafer himself has offered up his new CD/DVD, Gustafer Yellowgold’s Mellow Fever AND a cute Gustafer plush doll. (Isn’t he a thoughtful little sun spot?)
If you’d like to have a little Gustafer for yourself, just leave me a comment about your very least favorite kids’ song ever! I’ll announce a winner on Friday, April 10.
Thanks Gustafer!
(I just like to say that. Gustafer. Gustafer. Gustafer. Ha!)
PS…just as a disclaimer, I haven’t actually listened to the whole album, so I can’t vouch for all the lyrics. But what I did listen to was all silly, fun, folksy songs about socks, dragons and nature.
I love fun kids music! However, I really can’t stand some of the older hokey stuff. This isn’t really hokey, but my least favorite of all that I’ve heard is “Rock -a -bye Baby” Who thought that it was a great idea to lull a child to sleep by telling them they would fall out of a tree?!?
barney – clean up clean up everybody everywhere ugh!!! way too many times.
Least favorite kid’s song? How about that Caillou theme song. Blech!!!
I think my least favorites are the ones my girls haven’t learned yet, the ones of the elementary school sort. The tunes of killing Barney off and gross-out subjects are in my future, I know it.
Another great children’s CD that has adult songs? “That Baby CD.” Songs by Natalie Merchant and Bob Dylan. It’s one of our faves.
Rock a bye baby is my least favorite. Think of the words. a Kid falling out of the tree if the cradle rocks. That doesnt build any security or sense of stability. It just doesnt hold up over time.
Bad kid song for sure
this is the song that never ends…:)
love the gustafer stuff!
AH! Courtney just stole mine.
“I love you, you love me…” – Barney. I use Barney’s clean-up song all the time, but everything else makes me want to cry.
London Bridge – seriously – a kid’s song about the plague!
I’d love that cd for my classroom. We listen to a variety of artists in kindergarten, like Raffi, Dr. Jean (I hate her voice!!), They Might Be Giants, etc. Right now we’re listening to the new Barenaked Ladies kids album, Snacktime. I love it!
My least favorite kids song? Hmmm. I guess anything by Barney would be bad for me.
I hope you get a chance to listen to/watch the whole Gustafer Yellowgold DVD.
This is a truly ingenious project that teaches kids about nonconformity, loyalty, acceptance and creativity in way that is not heavy-handed or insulting to their intelligence (or their parents’!)
It’s a rare project that both kids and parents can listen to together and enjoy (see: Barney) and maybe that’s why Gustafer is getting so many accolades from the Nat’l Librarians Council, John Lennon Songwriting Contest, etc. If your husband has any afinity for the Beatles, T-Rex, Bread or 70s mellow rock he may enjoy this.
We’ve been following Gustafer’s exploits for awhile and saw the show in Decatur last year.
My most-disliked kids song: anything by The Wiggles. Satanic.
barney and becuase I am a nice person would not say the bad lyrics but they are bad
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star makes me want to gag.
The Barney song is kind of annoying.
Thanks for the giveaway!
Kimspam66(at)yahoo(dot)com
99 bottles of beer on the wall, 99 bottles of beer… please give us something else to sing in the car!
My least favorite is ring around the rosie. after i found out what it was abour.
My least favorite kids’ song happens to be one of my kid’s favorites: I’m Bring Home a Baby Bumble Bee. Yuk!
julieadp at gmail
I cant stand Barney songs!! Ugh…
My worst would have to be Are You Sleeping?
Brother John,Brother John,Brother John yada
yada yada.
I hated and still hate kumbyeya (however you spell it)
My least favorite kid’s song is “Every Otter Ought To Know.” It’s on a cd called “Garfield’s Favorite Hits” or something like that and it is sooo annoying! The guy sings with a horrible, snobby-sounding accent through his NOSE for the whole song–AHHHH!
I’m probably the only one, but “The Wheels on the Bus” makes me want to tear my hair out—Just when you think there can’t possibly be another verse, there is, AUGH!
emvark at gmail dot com
The barney “i love you” song. It’s the worst.
iluvchrisnlevi@aol.com
I love kids music but I dislike songs that goes on forever. Example 99 bottle of beers on the wall, and The song that never ends.
I work at a childcare center and I like most of the kids songs but my least favorite would have to be Zip-a-dee-do-da.
My favorite song is Old McDonald had a farm!
My 2-year-old loves music, so we listen to a lot of kids’ music and I can deal with most of it. But what’s up with John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt? Now that’s just a plain annoying song. Thanks!
This is the song that never ends…
it just goes on and on my friends…
No parent thought up that horrible song!