Comments on: Ska for my girls?

Question: Ska for my girls?

craniac — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 14:12:24 -0800

I'm making a compilation CD for my little girls (ages six and three) and I'm looking for happy stuff with female vocalists that has the same sort of vibe as Manu Chao's bongo bong, and/or Sublime's happier stuff, but that is appropriate for, you know, little kids.

Thanks for any suggestions! I guess I'm looking for kid-friendly Ska with toasting by female vocalists.

By: M.C. Lo-Carb!

M.C. Lo-Carb! — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 14:22:11 -0800

kid-friendly Ska with toasting by female vocalists = No Doubt.

By: craniac

craniac — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 14:29:46 -0800

From Hey Baby (which sounds close to what I'm looking for)

When you rock your hips you know that it amaze me
Got me off the hook and nothing else don't phase me
Can you be my one and only sunshine lady
If no, no maybe, Hey Baby

[Gwen]
I'm just sippin on chamomile
Watching boys and girls and their sex appeal
With a stranger in the face who says he knows my mom
And went to my high school

Were my daughters to sing this in the presence of my spouse would result in the forcible removal of my manly parts with vice grips.

By: craniac

craniac — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 14:36:49 -0800

edit: itwould result in the forcible removal of my manly parts with vice grips.

By: Unicorn on the cob

Unicorn on the cob — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 14:37:17 -0800

What about Shonen Knife? They are fun, write songs about Barbie and a sad buffalo, and they are suuuuper cute.

By: felix betachat

felix betachat — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 14:41:44 -0800

It's not ska, but it sounds like you'd like The Bottle Let Me Down.

By: mazienh

mazienh — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 14:41:52 -0800

Letters to Cleo/Kay Hanley's got the vibe you're looking for in general.

Kay did a series of songs for a show aimed at preschoolers a while back - lyrics are here

http://www.actionext.com/names_l/letters_to_cleo_lyrics/girls_rule_boys_drool.html

She also sings the theme song to My Friends Tigger and Pooh which is a fun song also.

By: Plug Dub In

Plug Dub In — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 14:45:40 -0800

Old No Doubt was less trashy, if I remember right.

Save Ferris and Dance Hall Crashers are two fun girl-fronted ska bands that come to mind. You'll have to lyric-check everything, cuz I forget most of their songs.

Man, I can't wait to go home and listen to them now.

If you want to move past ska, check out Eisley (sometimes sad, but always very very pretty) and Tilly and the Wall (maybe too adult, but killer rhythms).

By: phrontist

phrontist — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 14:48:55 -0800

There is a female choir version of clandestino, if you like that song and want to work the... girl power angle.

By: craniac

craniac — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 14:51:59 -0800

girl power angle.

Heh. Well put.

By: nylon

nylon — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 15:05:12 -0800

Althea & Donna: Uptown Top Ranking
Joya Landis: Kansas City
The Soul Sisters: Wreck A Buddy (reggae version of Little Drummer Boy, but about the perils of relationships rather than diminutive percussionists. Don't think it's rude, but hard to tell really)
The Reggae Girls: Rescue Me
Judy Mowatt: I Shall Sing
Paulette Williams: My Island

Also: not ska, but Eydie Gormé's The Coffee Song is wonderful for kids and adults alike. There's an awful lot of coffee in Brazil.

By: logic vs love

logic vs love — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 15:40:35 -0800

Old school No Doubt is fun and way more appropriate... especially check out some songs from their self-titled album, like maybe Brand New Day or A Little Something Refreshing (which, by the way, is completely awesome, so let me just say:

Yeah
I'm hungry

I want some food for my tummy
I want some
Pizza coke and ice cream
Popcorn cotton candy
Marshmallows milkshake and peanuts
Would be so great

Pies chips candy apples
Twinkies frosted flakes
Donuts french fries
And some chocolate cake with mustard

Cookies avocados pancakes
Pineapple juice
Whipped cream on some raw meat
That's not all i could eat

I'm hungry
I'm starving
I want some food for my tum...
I want some
Honey roasted walnuts
Pepperoni slices
Pasta and burritos
Different kinds of rices
Cherries dipped in chocolate
Cottage cheese and jelly
Colonel sander's chicken
Still won't fill my belly

Broccoli sticky syrup
Churros dipped in sauce
Drippy sloppy joes
Then i'm full at last
Ahhh ahhh
I'm full at last
Burp.

you have to listen to it and then it will be stuck in your head forever).

By: white light

white light — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 16:16:05 -0800

smoosh

dance hall crashers

mates of state

the blow

By: Reggie Digest

Reggie Digest — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 16:19:59 -0800

Skankin' Pickle?

By: beaucoupkevin

beaucoupkevin — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 16:21:47 -0800

Puffy Amiyumi did the theme to Teen Titans and had their own show on Cartoon Network called Hi Hi Puffy Amiyumi. They sing in Japanese and English. Indie-rock, ska, disco, it's all in there.

Some tracks:
Boogie Woogie #5 / Hi Hi / Planet Tokyo / Sunrise.

By: M Edward

M Edward — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 17:33:46 -0800

Man, I was gonna say Puffy Amiyumi.

Try Mrs. Tanaka also. Traffic Tune is pretty much enjoyed by all the rugrats I know.

By: jpdoane

jpdoane — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 17:50:33 -0800

Not female vocals, but you might check out Five Iron Frenzy.

By: Eringatang

Eringatang — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 17:59:43 -0800

Cibo Mato

By: lhall

lhall — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 18:07:17 -0800

Not ska, but...how about Aqua? or Abba? To get a feel for No Doubt, check out the album "Tragic Kingdom."

By: fermezporte

fermezporte — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 18:27:12 -0800

Also, check out putumayo. They have great compilations and "Bongo bong" actually came to be known as a kid's song from this album.

Nthing old lyric-checked No Doubt.

By: fermezporte

fermezporte — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 18:34:34 -0800

Oh! Or Madness! I'm not sure of all of there stuff, but "One step beyond" has totally kid-friendly lyrics and and great beat.

By: Kadin2048

Kadin2048 — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 19:34:34 -0800

I'll second Shonen Knife, but I've always wondered whether their songs were somehow metaphors for something dark and deep, and I'm just too stupid to really understand anything but the surface meaning.

A friend once described them as "the Katamari Damacy of music."

By: twistofrhyme

twistofrhyme — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 20:39:58 -0800

maybe regina spektor's on the radio?
no off-colour lyrics.

By: crinklebat

crinklebat — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 20:52:13 -0800

As a grown person, I can't understand what M.I.A.'s saying most of the time; I think your girls are probably safe.

I'd also just look into general music that isn't in English, actually; it skirts the lyrics issue nicely. I like a lot of Brazilian favela funk.

By: furnace.heart

furnace.heart — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 22:26:07 -0800

not necessarily ska, but Greasy Kids Stuff is my nephews favorite radio show. GOOD music that adults actually enjoy....

By: Metroid Baby

Metroid Baby — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 22:57:21 -0800

Do the songs have to be ska, or current... or even cool? There's a whole ton of '80s pop with female vocalists that's happy and kid-appropriate, if you're willing to include that genre in the mix.

Other than that, I agree with Letters to Cleo, Save Ferris, Shonen Knife, and the Putumayo mixes.

I'd also suggest Freezepop - they're synthy, not ska, but they're so fun and catchy, and quite a few of their songs are kid friendly (check out "Science Genius Girl" and "Here Comes a Special Boy").

By: craniac

craniac — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 23:55:36 -0800

Wow, lots of great suggestions. Sorry I was out of the blue for a while and just got back. I will work through these great looking suggestions, thank you very much!

I also found a copy of Carol King's "Really Rosie" at our local library. It meets none of my earlier criteria but it's awesome nevertheless.

By: like_neon

like_neon — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 01:17:39 -0800

Feist: Mushaboom
It's fun, light, and she has a beautiful voice.

By: drezdn

drezdn — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 08:04:35 -0800

The Selecter was the first group that popped into my mind.

By: craniac

craniac — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 20:21:16 -0800

The Selecter (working link)

By: nursegracer

nursegracer — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 06:34:44 -0800

Bitch and Animal - 33 Zen Lane

Very cute song. Just don't tell the kids who is singing it. It's really upbeat and fun.