A month or so ago, soon after start of school year started I think, I introduced our kids to Raffi, using YouTube videos. He's now a huge hit and a daily request from the boys to which I frequently acquiesce. Even our one year old daughter seems to be a fan, she's more quiet and happy in the car when the songs are playing.
If you're a 90s kid like me you also likely have positive memories of the singer. A Canadian of Armenian descent, and a self-styled 'global troubadour,' he's known for children's songs. These include straight-forward well-worn tunes like I've Been Workin' on the Railroad and the Wheels on the Bus. Some are adaptations of one form or another. Others are purely original, and these include his biggest hits, if you can call them that, like Baby Beluga and Down by the Bay.
What makes Raffi such a draw is twofold, I think. One, his music is universally appealing. The songs, at least all the old ones that come up for us on YT, are catchy, funny, clever and perfectly clean. When I was a kid my parents were relatively strict about what they let us consume and Raffi was not only never an issue, he was a preferred option to entertain us. He even sings 'He's Got the Whole World in His Hands' and 'This Little Light of Mine', which to me are Christian songs, though I guess they don't need to be exclusively. Two, everything about the man appears to be entirely genuine. He loves what he's doing, he loves interacting and encouraging kids, he loves playing this music. It's very endearing to see him clap for his audience, for example here on Baa Baa Black Sheep.
It looks, as I peruse his Wiki page, that he's continued to put out more music and even tours sometimes. I've joked once or twice lately that with all the people born in the 80s and 90s having kids of their own he could do well at this and have some sort of revival, but the man is also 75 years old. I doubt we're going to see him in person, though I am curious the mix of songs he'd play these days.
I say that because, thus far, we're mostly only listening to old concerts from the 80s, apparently TV specials. At least one of the these you can watch all together otherwise the songs are broken up into their own videos. At some point we'll probably purchase some of his music but this has sufficed so far. Part of the reason I'm not eager to change is that I think Raffi live is way better than Raffi in studio. The songs aren't perfect, they shouldn't be, and his personality, and comedic timing, are on full display. It's all part of his genuity and appeal.
That's more than enough. Here's the good stuff, some of the songs we like. Peanut Butter Sandwich is almost always the first request, they love the kazoo in the version below. Something in My Shoe is all about actions. Down by the Bay is Raffi at his funniest, it's all about rhyming. Baby Beluga is, all things considered, probably the kids favorite. How could it not be? They like plenty of others too but I don't want to link like 10 videos here.
Good luck getting these out of your head. I haven't for weeks.
Comments