Songs TO children, but not FOR children.

December 12, 2006 2:55 PM

Playlist filter: Songs TO children (not FOR children). I am looking for songs written to a child or children, whether in fact, or in your perception. What I am NOT looking for is children's music. NO Barney, The Wiggles, etc. Example: "Fix You" by Coldplay
posted by clh to media & arts (90 comments total)

To Zion by Lauryn Hill (more or less)
posted by ClarissaWAM at 2:59 PM on December 12, 2006

"Clair" by Gilbert O'Sullivan
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 2:59 PM on December 12, 2006

Horace Loeb's "Heaven Better Save Some Tears" and Willips Brighton's "Ain't No Fun."
posted by Mayor Curley at 3:02 PM on December 12, 2006

Pink Floyd - Brick in the Wall
posted by TheRaven at 3:03 PM on December 12, 2006

Father & Daughter - Paul Simon
posted by null terminated at 3:03 PM on December 12, 2006

"Gracie" by Ben Folds
"Annabella's Song" by Everclear
posted by jferg at 3:03 PM on December 12, 2006

I always read "Cat's in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin as an apology to a child (or a grown up child).
posted by luriete at 3:06 PM on December 12, 2006

Bowie's Kooks
posted by pompomtom at 3:06 PM on December 12, 2006

Tears In Heaven - Eric Clapton
posted by jkaczor at 3:07 PM on December 12, 2006

Little James - Oasis (awful awful song though)
Hey Jude - The Beatles
posted by TwoWordReview at 3:08 PM on December 12, 2006

"Beautiful Boy" -John Lennon
"Hey Jude"
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 3:09 PM on December 12, 2006

Father and Son - Cat Stevens (luriete's Cat's in the Cradle jogged my memory)
posted by jkaczor at 3:11 PM on December 12, 2006

Sunscreen Song - Not aimed at young children, but "youth".
posted by jkaczor at 3:12 PM on December 12, 2006

Creed - With Arms Wide Open
Lullaby (Goodnight, My Angel) - Billy Joel
Wonderful Baby - Don Maclean
Butterfly Kisses - Bob Carlisle

Lots of lullabies are written to children.
posted by Addlepated at 3:13 PM on December 12, 2006

Loudon Wainwright III: Rufus is a Tit Man; I'd Rather be Lonely
posted by cushie at 3:13 PM on December 12, 2006

"Isn't She Lovely" -- Stevie Wonder
posted by LittleMissCranky at 3:13 PM on December 12, 2006

Bob Dylan - Forever Young
posted by azlondon at 3:14 PM on December 12, 2006

Tears In Heaven is about/to Eric Clapton's dead son.
posted by jacalata at 3:15 PM on December 12, 2006

"Memo to my Son" -- Randy Newman
posted by Wink Ricketts at 3:15 PM on December 12, 2006

Paul Weller has several songs to his children (he has a son and three daughters): "Moon on Your Pyjamas" (on Wild Wood), "Sweet Pea, My Sweet Pea" (Heliocentric) and "Who Brings Joy" (Illumination). I must say they're all very sweet, but not really among his strongest songs (though "Sweet Pea" is probably the one I like the most).
posted by scody at 3:16 PM on December 12, 2006

wow - I swear I hadn't had the window open that long! sorry.
posted by jacalata at 3:16 PM on December 12, 2006

Hey Matthew (what do you see) - Karel Fialka
posted by csg77 at 3:20 PM on December 12, 2006

Just about every track on Clem Snide's Soft Spot is about or to Eef's newborn child.
posted by dobbs at 3:21 PM on December 12, 2006

"If I Had a Son" by Bad Astronaut is a word of advice to an imaginary kid.

"What's Left of the Flag" by Flogging Molly has a chorus that is sung by a dying father to his son.

"Cheap Shot Youth Anthem" by Kid Dynamite isn't to any kid in particular, but a plea that all the younguns stick around in the scene and have fun with the grownups.

"Pink and Blue" by The Mountain Goats is a song to a newborn.

"Take it on the Chin" by William Elliott Whitmore is another father to son song.

"Enter Sandman" by Metallica is to a child going to sleep. I like the Pat Boone version better.

"Goodnight Irene" is sometimes addressed to a chiild.

"Birthday IOU" by ALL is to an aborted child. It's pretty dark, but it's a good song.

That's all I've got for now. Hope it helps.
posted by Doublewhiskeycokenoice at 3:21 PM on December 12, 2006

St. Judy's Comet - a lullaby by Paul Simon for his son.
posted by samw at 3:28 PM on December 12, 2006

"When You Dream" by Barenaked Ladies is a very sweet lullaby sung to an infant.
posted by Rock Steady at 3:32 PM on December 12, 2006

wow - I swear I hadn't had the window open that long!

That's what he said.

I'm sorry, I'm going to hell now.
posted by Rock Steady at 3:35 PM on December 12, 2006 [2 favorites has favorites]

Cécile ma fille by Claude Nougaro
posted by srah at 3:35 PM on December 12, 2006

Doug Carn - Little B's Poem

Chris Ligon is a very entertaining, off-kilter songwriter. "Look at the Birdy" is song from a Sears photographer who's trying to get a smile out of a kid.
posted by hydrophonic at 3:36 PM on December 12, 2006

"Sail to the Moon" by Radiohead, is reportedly written to Thom Yorke's son.
posted by muddgirl at 3:38 PM on December 12, 2006

Another Ben Folds song for you: "Still Fighting It." A gorgeous song written to a newborn son from a father who has no idea how to relate to him, but wants to pass on advice about life:

"Good morning son,
I am a bird,
wearing a brown polyester shirt.
You want a coke?
Maybe some fries?
The roast beef combo's only $9.95
It's okay, you don't have to pay,
I've got all the change...
Everybody knows,
It sucks to grow up."

"20 years from now,
maybe we'll both sit down and have a few beers..."
posted by Milkman Dan at 3:41 PM on December 12, 2006

Jolene by Dolly Parton, although I'd never have guessed without hearing her interviewed about it.
posted by selton at 3:42 PM on December 12, 2006

Daughter by Pearl Jam.
posted by Sassyfras at 3:48 PM on December 12, 2006

How about "Cats In The Cradle & The Silver Spoon" by Guns N' Roses?
posted by bkudria at 3:50 PM on December 12, 2006

Haley's Song by Eminem
posted by SBMike at 3:52 PM on December 12, 2006

You Ruined Everything by Jonathan Coulton.
posted by tristeza at 3:52 PM on December 12, 2006

Will Smith's "Just the Two of Us"
posted by decathecting at 3:53 PM on December 12, 2006

Stone Temple Pilots, "A Song For Sleeping" on the Shangri-La-Dee-Da record.
posted by danwalker at 3:53 PM on December 12, 2006

"Turn Around" (the one Harry Belafonte did in the old Kodak commercials). Several artists (e.g., Kenny Loggins, Nancy Griffith) have covered it.
posted by forrest at 3:57 PM on December 12, 2006

Boxing Gandhis - "Born for This"
Toy Matinee - "Queen of Misery" (so cheerful!)
posted by jlub at 4:00 PM on December 12, 2006

The very beautiful Pretenders song, Show Me.
posted by thinkpiece at 4:01 PM on December 12, 2006

Love of My Life by Carly Simon (I don't think she's said as much, but that's how I had always interpreted it)
posted by twoporedomain at 4:03 PM on December 12, 2006

World Before Columbus by Suzanne Vega.

and also .. Birthday (Love Made Real) if you are also counting songs about child birth.
posted by duckus at 4:09 PM on December 12, 2006

My First Child, by Nil Lara. Heartbreaking.
posted by scrump at 4:17 PM on December 12, 2006

Richard Thompson - "The End of the Rainbow" -- NOT uplifting
posted by hwestiii at 4:26 PM on December 12, 2006

Put It Off by The Tragically Hip.
posted by crazycanuck at 4:35 PM on December 12, 2006

A Little Soul by PULP is written from the perspective of a father to a son, although it mentions "treating your woman so bad" so it's not to a child per se, but it has the great chorus of "You look like me, but please don't turn out like me"
posted by Robot Johnny at 4:38 PM on December 12, 2006

The first song off of both of Jellyfish's albums are songs from a father to a child: "The Man I Used To Be," and "Hush."

I've never been able to hear the Beatles's "Good Night" as anything but a song from a parent to a child.

"Ooh La La" by the Faces.

What is possibly John Cougar Mellencamp's best song, "Minutes To Memories."

And *ahem* then there's XTC's "Pink Thing." Such as it is.
posted by kimota at 4:45 PM on December 12, 2006

"Lovin' You" by Minnie Ripperton (interesting sidenote: the child in question is Ripperton's daughter, who has grown up to be a castmember of SNL -- Maya Rudolph)
posted by YoungAmerican at 4:51 PM on December 12, 2006

Precious by Depeche Mode.
posted by em at 5:00 PM on December 12, 2006

The Decemberists - Cautionary Song

How about "Cats In The Cradle & The Silver Spoon" by Guns N' Roses?

By Guns n Roses?!
posted by ludwig_van at 5:01 PM on December 12, 2006

Paul Kelly's When I First Met Your Ma. (Which I always imagine is meant to be sung to the child while the mother is in earshot...)
posted by robcorr at 5:10 PM on December 12, 2006

By Guns n Roses?!

Of course not. It was Ugly Kid Joe... :-P
posted by robcorr at 5:11 PM on December 12, 2006

"Sweet Baby James" by Jim Croce. My wife has sung that to each of our children when they were babies, and she's got a beautiful singing voice. Chokes me up every time.

"Heaven" by Live, has a great lyric: "I don't need no one to tell me about heaven/I look at my daughter, and I believe", but every song after his first daughter was born essentially was about being a dad and having little girls.

With each child we've had, my wife and I have assigned them a song as their signature song. For my eldest, it was John Lennon's "Beautiful Boy", for my youngest son, it was The Beatles' "I Will", and for my little girl, it's George Harrison's "Here Coms the Sun". If we have a fourth, I'm sure we'll have t find something suitable from Ringo.
posted by thanotopsis at 5:17 PM on December 12, 2006

Connor, Welcome - By Atom and His Package
posted by Seamus at 5:37 PM on December 12, 2006

"Little Star" by Madonna
posted by infinityjinx at 5:51 PM on December 12, 2006

My Little Angel by William Shakespeare (not the 16th century one) - sort of; it's a story within a song.

Save All Your Kisses For Me, the slightly-disturbing Eurovision-winner by Brotherhood Of Man.

Here endeth the 70's...
posted by Pinback at 5:56 PM on December 12, 2006

Good Night - the Beatles
posted by evilcolonel at 5:58 PM on December 12, 2006

Little Miss Magic, by Jimmy Buffett. Beautiful.

I think this one is just perception, but Secret Smile by Semisonic.
posted by AgentRocket at 6:35 PM on December 12, 2006

one of my top ten favorite songs (of all genres, not just lullabyes):

Little Potato by Metamora

You're my little potato, you're my little potato,
You're my little potato, they dug you up,
You come from underground!

The world is big, so big, so very big!
To you, it's new, it's new to you!

You're my little potato, you're my little potato,
You're my little potato, they dug you up,
You come from underground!

Let's talk about root crops (they dug you up),
And lamb chops (they chew on you),
And things to eat...like apples
and cheese and 'nanas and cream,
Jellies and butter,
it's late at night, I hope this little bottle helps you go to sleep!

They must have grown you wild,
you make a grown man a child,
I’ll go and play in the mud
to be with you my spud (potato).
When you came out looking red as a beet,
You had wrinkles on the bottoms of your feet!

Oh, you are so sweet potato!
You're my sweet potato,
you're my sweet potato, dug you up!
You come from underground!

You smile, a smile, a little smile!
The world is small, so small, it's very small!

You're my little potato, you're my little potato,
you're my little potato, they dug you up,
You come from underground!

You're my little potato, you're my little potato,
you're my little potato...
posted by kidsleepy at 6:36 PM on December 12, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

Zoe Jane by Staind.
posted by icontemplate at 6:36 PM on December 12, 2006

Vienna Teng: "Anna Rose" and "Lullabye for a Stormy Night"
posted by fuzzbean at 7:00 PM on December 12, 2006

Miracle Drug, U2
posted by Soliloquy at 7:22 PM on December 12, 2006

"No Lullabye" by Jethro Tull
"Sweet Child Of Mine" By Guns & Roses
posted by Rubber Soul at 7:58 PM on December 12, 2006

Luriete beat me to it with "Cat's in the Cradle", but that's the story of my father and I. Gives me chills every time I hear it, and it's in many of my playlists.

"And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home dad?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

My son turned ten just the other day
He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let's play
Can you teach me to throw", I said "Not today
I got a lot to do", he said, "That's ok"
And he walked away but his smile never dimmed
And said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah
You know I'm gonna be like him"
posted by SpecialK at 8:41 PM on December 12, 2006

Eleanor by The Violet Burning
posted by The Mauve Frog at 8:45 PM on December 12, 2006

"Sweet Child Of Mine" By Guns & Roses

Um...
posted by scody at 8:51 PM on December 12, 2006

"Playboy Mommy" by Tori Amos.
posted by Violet Hour at 9:01 PM on December 12, 2006

"Little Child Runnin' Wild" by Curtis Mayfield is more about than to children, but it does flip between first, second and third persons.

Great song, too.
posted by Anything at 9:53 PM on December 12, 2006

The Five Stairsteps - O-o-h Child
Kid Creole & The Coconuts - Annie, I'm Not Your Daddy
Bobby Conn- Never Get Ahead (All Ages Version)
Michael Jackson - P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) (I keed! I keed!)
posted by hydrophonic at 10:21 PM on December 12, 2006

"Baby, Baby" - Amy Grant
"Linda" - Jack Lawrence, covered by Jan and Dean. Written about Lawrence's attorney's daughter, Linda Eastman, later known as Linda McCartney.
posted by SisterHavana at 11:12 PM on December 12, 2006

Sleater-Kinney, "Lions and Tigers." Written by Corin Tucker to her newborn son, and very sweet. One of my favourite Sleater-Kinney songs.

Sonic Youth, "Wildflower Soul." Thurston Moore wrote it about the daughter he shares with Kim Gordon, Coco. I think you could make a case for "Snare, Girl" off the same album.

Finally, something a bit different: there's a band called My Little Brother that did a song called "My Little Brother." It's a cute little song about how a guy's little brother brings him and his friends together. The not-so-secret twist is he's singing about the band, not his brother.
posted by chrominance at 11:45 PM on December 12, 2006

Birdhouse in Your Soul - They Might Be Giants
posted by notbuddha at 7:04 AM on December 13, 2006

Bonnie Raitt, "Baby Mine" (from Dumbo)
posted by kirkaracha at 7:06 AM on December 13, 2006

A couple that haven't been mentioned yet: Remember Me This Way by Jordan Hill, and another Jimmy Buffett song (for his second daughter) - Delaney Talks to Statues.
posted by somanyamys at 7:27 AM on December 13, 2006

Kooks by David Bowie... A very very sweet little song to his son.
posted by kimdog at 7:30 AM on December 13, 2006

Country radio is full of songs like this. King of them all: I Hope You Dance, by Lee Ann Womack. I'll admit it makes me tear up a little.
posted by libraryhead at 7:51 AM on December 13, 2006

Loudon Wainwright III - 5 Years Old
posted by jonesor at 8:08 AM on December 13, 2006

Stark Raving Dad Episode Happy Birthday, Lisa by Michael Jackson on The Simpsons.
posted by Monkey0nCrack at 8:10 AM on December 13, 2006

Child's Song by David Bromberg (sorry, no link). It's on the Reckless Abandon album. Beautiful, touching song.
posted by bricoleur at 8:20 AM on December 13, 2006

Oops, that one's from the child. Sorry.
posted by bricoleur at 8:21 AM on December 13, 2006

Clair, the Gilbert O'Sullivan song, is real creepy!
posted by thinkpiece at 8:25 AM on December 13, 2006

The Led Zeppelin song "All of My Love" was for Robert Plant's son when he died.
posted by sephira at 9:37 AM on December 13, 2006

Purple Dinosaur.

Disclaimer: I wrote it, and the link goes to the Metafilter Music post for it (which includes the story behind the song), under the "you can post a self link in ask me if it answers the question" guideline. Hope this isn't a problem.
posted by micayetoca at 10:18 AM on December 13, 2006

And now that I think of it, 5 by chococat also fits the description and has a lovely story behind it (also explained in the Metafilter Music post in the link.)
posted by micayetoca at 10:28 AM on December 13, 2006

Peter, Paul, & Mary - "Day Is Done"
Paul McCartney - "Put It There"
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 10:44 AM on December 13, 2006

@ thanotopsis: Sweet Baby James is actually by James Taylor. People have stuck the song title as a nickname to Taylor himself, although he wrote the song when he was driving down to meet his newborn nephew, who was also named James.
posted by JustDerek at 12:49 PM on December 13, 2006

Ooh, someone else knows the "Little Potato" song! It's a splendid song.
posted by leahwrenn at 4:44 PM on December 13, 2006

It was a hidden track on his last album, Carencro, but I love Marc Broussard's Gavin's Song (link is to lyrics).
posted by coreb at 12:36 PM on December 18, 2006

Naima, by John Coltrane is a song for his daughter.
posted by sic at 7:38 AM on November 23, 2007