Song Inspiration – Whale Kisses

Recently, while packing up a bunch of baby gear that Owen had outgrown, I came across Owen’s aqua-themed activity mat. I felt a little sad preparing his things to give away because each item, the mat especially, triggered so many memories of Owen as a baby.

Owen spent countless hours rolling and crawling and drooling on this little piece of fabric. When he was tiny he would lay on his back, kicking his feet and punching his arms all over the place. If we played James Brown, those arms and legs really seemed to have a mind of their own.  Sometimes he would repetitively kick one of the foam poles that arched over the mat, jiggling all the sea creatures and rattles that hung above.  As he grew he became more interested in those items hanging from the poles, he would pull and swat at them or just study them and explore the different textures. He was a champ at tummy time, and would lie on his belly and rake his hand across the silky surface. I smiled as I pictured him on the mat and felt a little unsure about giving it away. But I finished packing it up and hoped another family would enjoy it as much as we did.

Later I went downstairs and saw a little whale shaped pillow peeking out of a basket, another piece of the aqua-themed mat. Seeing it triggered another memory. I remembered when I lightly touched it against Owen’s cheek and sang “whale kisses, whale kisses” and Owen giggled for the first time. I picked up Whaley, as we call the pillow, looked at it and then hugged it close. “Whale Kisses, Whale kisses, ….” I sang in my head and smiled to myself again. For just a moment I wondered if I should bring it upstairs and pack it with the rest of the mat but I knew right away I couldn’t. Our little whale pillow is definitely a keepsake item and will stay with us.

Whale Kisses
Whale Kisses
Gently on your cheek
Whale Kisses
Whale Kisses
Giggles soft and sweet

I swim right by you
Up an down and all around
I’ll rise and surprise you
Blow a spout of water out

Whale Kisses
Whale Kisses
Gently on your cheek
Whale Kisses
Whale Kisses
Giggles soft and sweet

The deepest oceans
That’s where I roam, my happy home
I eat lots of plankton
My baleen, filters it clean

Whale Kisses
Whale Kisses
Gently on your cheek
Whale Kisses
Whale Kisses
Giggles soft and sweet

Here is the video of Owen’s first giggle and the inspiration for the song “Whale Kisses”.

How I Found Children’s Music

It started when my son, Owen, was born. My husband and I made up songs and sang to him during diaper changes, bath time or whenever he became temperamental. We sang to calm and engage him, to give interest to repetitive tasks and perhaps to soothe our own nerves as well. As he became more alert and responsive, we sang to entertain him and to make him laugh. We sang sweet songs to him at bedtime and fun songs during playtime.

When Owen was around six months old, I started playing my guitar and singing to him almost every night after dinner. I played him some of my original songs which, I have to admit, were not exactly appropriate for children. While the lyrics weren’t kid friendly I noticed that Owen really responded to the rock ‘n’ roll riffs. I decided to keep the rock but to start writing lyrics about things Owen enjoyed.

I also created playlists of popular adult music I thought Owen would enjoy. When he reacted to a song I learned to play it on my guitar. I developed quite the repertoire to add to our fun and lively family jam sessions. As Owen grew he joined in more and more; first crawling around in response to the music, then dancing wildly, then playing along on one of his colorful instruments.

Around the same time I discovered the world of kindie rock via Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child. We listened every Saturday and were introduced to artists like Frances England, Cat and a Bird and, of course, They Might Be Giants. I felt inspired. I wanted to put my own twist on Children’s Rock!

Not long after, I got my first gig.  A friend of mine owns a children’s store and asked me to play at the store’s anniversary celebration. I said yes!  I wrote more songs and practiced and practiced. When performance day finally arrived I was warmed by the sweet, smiling faces of my pint-sized crowd. I felt inspired again and motivated to continue on this musical path.

My son is two now and I see how much he enjoys music. He loves AC/DC and James Brown. He says “mama sing” and “music on”. He loves playing his guitar and even made up a song of his own. I brought music into my son’s life and he in turn brought it into mine. Now I hope to share our music with you.

 

Owen, 3 months, destined for rock greatness

Owen, 10 months, with his new piano

Owen, 14 months, standing proud with mama’s guitar

Family Friendly Rock ‘n’ Roll

I am working on a new project…children’s music!

I will be going into the studio soon to record some songs for my debut children’s music album! I will post album updates and information on upcoming shows here. I will also share a little behind the scenes insight on my songwriting and songwriting inspiration: stories about my son and our adventures. I am brand new to children’s music so I’ll share my findings as I explore the “kindie” scene.  There seems to be a lot going on in the world of children’s music and I can’t wait to dive in.