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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to let my children sing along to Simon and Garfunkel?

80 replies

IHeartKingThistle · 20/05/2011 19:05

This is more of a 'Am I being Ridiculous?' I think!

They are 4.5 and 20 months.

'Bridge over Troubled Water' is their favourite album now Confused. They both absolutely love it, especially 'Cecilia' which is now known as 'the clap-bang song'.

But DD has picked up more of the lyrics than I thought she would Blush and now sings 'making love in the afternoon' at the top of her voice in the back of the car. Of course she has no idea what it means but should I stop putting the CD on before she starts to figure it out?! Also a tad concerned about the whores on 7th Avenue, although she hasn't started singing that one yet. (DH suggested changing it to the horse on 7th Avenue...).

Should I switch back to the nursery rhymes? It's such a great album...

OP posts:
hocuspontas · 20/05/2011 20:47

When dp was into his White Album phase dd1 was a toddler and was often heard singing 'Why don't we do it in the ro-ad?' We thought it was hilarious!

redpanda13 · 20/05/2011 20:50

I used to love the Simon and Garfunkel Greatest Hits album when I was little. Lyrics went right over my head till I was well into adolescence. I also used to sing 'lousy with virginity' from Grease.
thefirstMrsDeVere - we had a dog called Woodstock as a child. Now my mother has another called Arlo Grin What about Country Joe and the Fish? It has a great singalong lyric

Joolyjoolyjoo · 20/05/2011 20:55

I've played it too my kids and never even thought about it Blush

but I have had several coughing fits over some naughty words in some of my music. My children like Scooby Snacks by the Fun lovin criminals- not sure how appropriate that is, tbh!

Having said that, having given them a good grounding in proper music, imagine my dismay to have them come off the school bus singing "I wanna be a millionaire, so freakin bad" Curses on the bus driver and his dubious radio station!

northerngirl41 · 20/05/2011 20:56

Well as long as you aren't teaching them the rugby version, I think it's okay! Kids hear inunendo all the time, they very rarely pick up on the meaning unless it's treated as something naughty and even then when you ask them to explain they often have no idea what they were sniggering about.

shakey1500 · 20/05/2011 20:57

Thanks IHKT :)

He loves S&G. Also puts on my Joni Mitchell albums "Woodstock" being his (and my) favourite. My all time favourite S&G has to be Kathy's Song, there's such a beautiful melody to be sung with it.

travellingwilbury · 20/05/2011 20:58

And still is Blush

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 20/05/2011 21:04

My two (5 and 7) know Dr Feelgood's greatest hits by heart, She's a Wind-Up is interpreted as She's a Wino, not sure which is worse.

oxeye · 20/05/2011 21:08

don't worry at all. We were such S&G experts that we could do the Nine o'Clock news/ silent night medley including the napalm bombing in Vietnam. Loved it. Didn't do us any harm

I thought he was with Cecilia making love - a bit like complicated Lego - and another friend came and joined in so that made him happier....

perplexedpirate · 20/05/2011 21:09

I'd forgotten how much I like Simon and Garfunkel.

DS (3 yrs) loves singing A New England by Billy Bragg, esp the "that was bloody yesterday" line, cos he knows it's a leetle bit naughty.
He also loves Biffy Clyro, which is all DH's fault.

shakey1500 · 20/05/2011 21:12

Now if I can just get ds to love Mandy Patinkin as much as I do then dh will be overruled in the household music stakes and can shove his OMD cd in his car where it can stay..... :)

northerngirl41 · 20/05/2011 21:25

Most mortifying moment: when DC decided to sing along to Jimmy Buffet with PIL in the car, "Honey let's get drunk and screw" (I apologise for crap musical taste in advance!!)

emmanana · 20/05/2011 21:26

I was word perfect to Gary Glitter songs before I went to school:

I can take you
High as a kite
Every single night
I can make you
Jump out of bed
Standing on my head

I'm the leader, (2x)
I'm the leader of the gang I am
I'm the leader, (2x)
I'm the man who put the bang in gang

I can take you
Over the hill,
Ooooh what a thrill
I can make you
Sell me your soul
For my rock and roll

The shame of it......I didn't have a clue....

petisa · 20/05/2011 22:34

Loove Simon and Garfunkel, yanbu.

My fave for years from when I was 5/6 was Queen's Greatest Hits. I used to put it on my little cassette player that I had for listening to stories that went beep for you to turn the page and I would sing "Fat bottomed girls make the orckin' world go round" at the top of my voice Grin

petisa · 20/05/2011 22:35

oops rockin' obv Grin

Thinking about orcs now.

startail · 20/05/2011 22:45

I love Simon and Garfunkel. Never thought to worry about the lyrics.
DD1 went through a phase of making me play sound of silence over and over so she could sing it.
The one I always dreaded being asked about was Steps Experienced given they were so aimed at kids.

Original poster
IHeartKingThistle · 20/05/2011 22:50

Blimey, is that really a Steps song???

Petisa PMSL at orckin' world. Grin

OP posts:
googoomama · 20/05/2011 22:53

funnily enough,Cecelia was one of the songs I used to sing along to in the car with my mum and dad when I was about 7 and my brother was 4 - I thank my dad for making me a lifelong fan of S+G. I don't think there's anything wrong with it. Much better than singing along to some of the overly sexual shit that there is now e.g. Rude Boy by bloody Rhianna

Original poster
IHeartKingThistle · 20/05/2011 23:22

I love that there's all these people here who did exactly the same thing my DCs are doing now Smile.

OP posts:
startail · 21/05/2011 00:00

yes IHeartKingThistle on the album "Steps step one" the same one also has 5678, the same Lyrics are in the case. They are even more unsuitable somehow when you read them.

Having dug it out the rest seem to be about splitting up which isn't an entirely cheerful topic for 7 year olds.

DD10 wouldn't be caught dead listening to steps now (given her love of finding music on you tube I don't want to ask what she finds now especially as she now knows the facts of life well enough to understand them)

Original poster
IHeartKingThistle · 21/05/2011 00:02

They were huge gay icons too, weren't they? Still...

OP posts:
crje · 21/05/2011 00:10

Mine all knew 'patricia the stripper' at a young age,had the cd in the car and loved to belt it out myself.
It was a shocking party piece for sure,but never did them any harm.

DumSpiroSpero · 21/05/2011 01:16

Googoo - DD & I both like Rihanna, but I try to keep the more full on ones out of her earshot. Realised I was failing miserably when I caught her singing 'give it to me baby like boom boom boom!' Blush. We had a serious chat and I am now considerably more careful about what music I play whilst thinking she's engrossed in Disney Channel!

We used to listen to Amy Winehouse & Kate Nash when she was younger, with me singing alternative lyrics loudly over the rude bits and bypassing 'Dickhead' entirely obviously.

She's also partial to 'Step Bomb' by Tom Jones & 'Socks on Fire' Grin!

googoomama · 21/05/2011 18:08

Dum - my kids love sex on fire too - made easier by the fact that my 7yo ds told me that he knew what sex was - it's a type of metal apparently!
Don't know what it is about Rhianna - cos we listen to all types of music here - but I just think the whole thing is based on sex and I just find her lyrics really distasteful. Funny how some things can pass the parent radar test, whilst others just can't!

DumSpiroSpero · 21/05/2011 22:34

Some of her earlier stuff wasn't so full on and tbh in a way if DD is going to hear any dubious lyrics I'd rather it was something like Rude Boy which I could fudge my way round explaining, than Russian Roulette which is really grim imho. Have drawn the line at her latest one though!

DD likes Lady Gaga too. We went to Butlins at Easter & saw a fantastic tribute act who managed to be a great impersonator & do all her best known songs whilst still angling the performance for an audience of littlies. DD (6.8) thought she was in heaven with the gates shut! Grin

MrsLevinson · 21/05/2011 23:08

YANBU. I grew up singing about the WARS on 7th avenue until my mother put me straight and explained to me exactly what a WHORE was. It kind of ruined the song for me. :)