Author: Thomas Schryver
I had insomnia for one semester when I was a sophomore. It was none too pleasant; I was constantly tired throughout the day, people continuously misconstrued the reason behind my bloodshot eyes, and there were no brooding Edward Norton-esque monologues a la Fight Club. I just wanted to sleep. The fact that my very nice yet nocturnal next-door neighbor with a killer sound system was blasting Lateralus by Tool at all hours of the night didn’t help too much either. But what if Tool had made an album of lullabies?
It turns out someone made it for them. Based in Silver Lake, Rockabye Baby Records has been arranging soft and dreamy versions of popular Rock songs, tailored specifically for the little tykes, since 2006. The songs are entirely instrumental and composed of gentle strings, vibraphones, glockenspiels, meletrons and bells. Rockabye covers include tender and innocent versions of The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, Bjork, Green Day, Radiohead, The Pixies, Queens Of The Stone Age, and over fifteen other rock and alternative lullaby cover albums.
A public poll from the official website for Rock-A-Bye Baby music suggests that The Police may well be the next band to be covered, which is great because Sting’s music used to make me sleepy when I was a young tot [Plus, who wouldn’t want to hear a xylophone and glockenspiel rendition of “Synchronicity II?”].
“First and foremost,” wrote CMH label vice president Lisa Roth on Rockabye’s website, “we’re fans, so we take care to make every album musically interesting enough to satisfy adult listeners. Believe me, making an album that’s gentle enough for sleeping babies but won’t bore Mom and Dad is trickier than it sounds.”
It’s a pretty brilliant idea if you think about it. String Quartet tributes and novelty acts have long been making their own unique instrumental versions of hit songs, but few aside from Raffi and his colleagues have tapped the “under three” demographic.Rockabye Baby might not be the next Kidz Bop killer (much to the chagrin of many parents), but it can ensure that the whole family sleeps a little easier without succumbing to mind-numbing lullabies that sound like the ice cream truck song.
Personally, I would love to hear a Rockabye version of Weezer’s The Blue Album. I realize that a twelve-week-old infant probably couldn’t care less whether it was Mother’s Milk or Mother Goose, so Rockabye Baby may indeed be a little more for the parents than the wee ones. But that’s OK. There’s always something intriguing about hearing your favorite songs being played in an entirely different manner, whether its Me First and the Gimme Gimmes’ punk rock take on oldies or Easy Star All Stars’ rub and reggae transmogriphications of rock classics.
While some songs unfortunately don’t translate quite as well into nighty night music as you’d think, (Bjork’s Rockabye album for example), some songs seem to have been almost destined to be transformed into serenades for cranky sleepyheads, such as The Beach Boys’, “Surfer Girl,” The Smashing Pumpkins’, “Tonight, Tonight,” and roughly three-fourths of the Beatles’ anthology. And just think of sure-to-be future Rockabye versions of The Shins, Foo Fighters, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. If that doesn’t sound enticing in a strangely regressive and embarrassing way, then you probably listen to Nickelback.
You do have to wonder, however, why the people over at Rockabye decided to cover eerie minor key melodies such as “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails, “Sober” by Tool, and “Paint It Black” by The Rolling Stones. Considering that babies generally otherwise listen to lullabies about infants falling out of trees and dying from the black plague, perhaps it isn’t too great a leap.
So if you’re interested in listening to some gentle twilight tunes to accompany your sippy cup and your binky during life’s hectic moments, then go ahead and listen to some of the Rockabyes yourself. I won’t tell anyone, I promise.
Personally, I recommend Rockabye’s versions of The Pixies’, “Here Comes Your Man,” Bob Marley’s “Stir It Up,” and No Doubt’s “Sunday Morning.”
The world seems to be slowly catching on, and Rockabyes might just be the next big thing. Now we just have to eagerly wait the destined-to-be-classics lullaby versions of Aphex Twin, Limp Bizkit, and, of course, Lil John.
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