The other day, Hayden and I were driving to the grocery store. I turned on the radio to the oldies station—right at the very beginning of “We Will Rock You.” We reached the grocery store before the song was over, so naturally we had to sit in the car and finish “We Are the Champions.” Then a day or two later, it was “Eye of the Tiger.” And on the way home, “Mony, Mony.”
Aside from all the important, responsible things I need to make sure Hayden learns, now I realize I have all these silly incidental things that I have to teach him so he can attend sporting events, follow conversations, spontaneously burst into song and otherwise become a productive adult (or at least fit in with my family).
So, what songs do you think fit on this list? So far, I’ve come up with:
- Take Me Out to the Ball Game
- We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions
- Eye of the Tiger
- Mony, Mony
- Flower of Scotland, should we ever attend a football game there. (Hey, it’s a possibility.)
- Takin’ Care of Business
- Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye
What else?
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18 responses to “Cultural currency”
As for songs, all the popular stuff on the radio… any of your favorite songs from broadway plays, theme songs from popular block buster movies…
And then there are the dances… he will need to know how to do The Cha Cha Slide, The Macarena, The Electric Slide, The Chicken Dance, The Hokey Pokey…
How about Louie, Louie? or Rock around the Clock? or Shout!
That would be ‘Shout’ as in “Girl, ya make me wanna…Shout! Lift my hands up and…Shout!…” not as in “Shout. Shout. Let it all out…These are the things we can do without. C’mon…”
@bellevelma—I’m sure the popular dances and songs in ten+ years will be a bit different (though I suspect we’ll have learned the Hokey Pokey and I think the Electric Slide may still be around).
@Elaine—Oh, good ones! (I knew what you meant, but the clarification made me laugh)
“You are my only one”
Obviously, “Today”
“Baby Beluga”, which he already knows…
“John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt”
Oh well, cultural literacy?
http://www.readfaster.com/culturalliteracy_test.asp?tid=29
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0618226478
and the Google Books version of the same…
Dad
Well, in addition to what you mentioned, I’ve taught Herr Meow the finer points of “Whoomp! (There it is)” and “Who Let The Dogs Out (Woof! Woof! Woof!)”and I sing “Wipeout” whenever he loses his balance. He’s set for many sporting events that way :oP
Oh and the whole cheerleading bit “when I say ____ you say ____” mostly because it’s cute to hear him reply.
I know more will come to me as I think of it, but I gotta say there are few things as cute as a tiny person doing the stomp-stomp-clap –or some version thereof– is there?
I like it
I love it
I want some more of
don’t know what it is bout that little girl’s lovin but I like it I love it I want some more of it
SHOT through the heart
and you’re to blame
darlin you give love a bad name
HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY HEY baby! I want to know oh oh if you’ll be my girl
They play that at a lot of football games.
What about that one they sing in Ferris Buehler….on th parade float….”Twist and Shout.”
And then there is the one at sporting events where it’s:
Na na na na na na HEY…..(and then you chant at the end “we’re gonna kick the snot outta you HEY” 😉
And then ones my kids love….”Hang on Sloopy” (of course, it’s Ohio State University’s theme song) and then there is the Pat Benatar song they know “Hit Me with Your Best Shot.”
Then there are the ones that come on Radio Disney now as “new” songs and the kids are blown away that we know ALL of the lyrics. Probably b/c they are remakes!!! Like “Walking on Sunshine.” 😉
I’m glad you see that it’s important to pass on your past. 🙂
LOL, I’m too young to have heard these songs when they came out. Heck, my mother’s too young to remember when half of these came out!
Old McDonald has been getting a LOT of play around our house lately ;-). I was totally laughing while I read this, though, Jordan. I found a “best of the 80s, 90s and now” station (with a heavy emphasis on the former two) and have it sequestered away in the far right spot on the button program, where my husband won’t likely push. He’s a pretty easy-going guy, but when I sing 80s songs, it drives him nuts. 🙂
Every one should know the Star Spangled Banner! And of course jingle bells, batman smells.
Also, our fam favs of Mr. Johnny Rebecc, Come up, Who’s got the pain, kicked old Nellie!
Danke Shein (or however the heck the Wayne Newton song is spelled lol)
Bohemian Rhapsody
Mr. Roboto
Yellow Submarine
Supercalifragilisticespiallidocious
Cat’s in the Cradle
Any Air Supply or Chicago tunes
All I can think of right now 🙂
Bad Reputation. That’s one we rock out to plenty around here. LOL
I thought you said you were listening to the “oldies” station. The songs you listed are from the 80’s…those are not oldies! Oldies are from the 50’s! LOL
Yeah, our oldies station plays ’80’s music (“Eye of the Tiger”), but “Mony, Mony” was originally recorded in the 60s. “We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions” is from the 70s.
Thought of a few more:
Johnny B. Goode
The other Ferris Buehler song was Danke Shane (however they decided to spell it)
Respect by your Aunt Aretha
Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys
Blue Suede Shoes
Walk this Way
Mr Tombourine Man
My Generation
Devil Went Down to Georgia
Blowin’ in the Wind
Hmmm… Come to think of it, see the Rolling Stone Mag’s 500 best
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs
Dad
Oh, you can’t talk sports and not say Sweet Caroline (tells you my baseball loyalty)!!
Some songs that Andrew has loved this summer have been:
Iko Iko by the Dixie Cups
Dance Tonight by Paul McCartney
Rainbow by Jack Johnson
Quieremos Bailar by Dan Zanes & Barbaral Broussal
Sea of No Cares by Great Big Sea
Ooh La La by Counting Crowes
ROCK in the USA by John Mellencamp
Walking on Sunshine by Katrina & the Waves
Ice Cream Man by the Modern Lovers
Bob Roberts Society Band by Jimmy Buffet
Catch the Wind by Donovan
I have very eclectic music tastes, and the best times we have around music are Saturday nights listening to Prairie Home Companion. I grew up listening to PHC and it’s so great to share it with my son!
What I used to listen to when I nannied in Boston was this show from Emerson College called The Playground. Saturday and Sunday evenings you can listen online-you’ll all love what you hear. http://www.wers.org/playground
Oh…now I want to be back in Boston even more….