Ugly Kiddie Songs
I was watching the the glass teat the other day and was shown a commercial for some Minipops knock off CD for kids. The formula is familiar: take popular music (in this case Top 40 Hits of the ’60s through ’80s), clean up any lyrics that might be off-putting, then have some overly self-possessed children squeal it all into microphones while cousin Eddie and his band play backup.
This isn’t the commercial in question, but a demonstration of the genre:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfpL41Pwj50]
I’ve been unable to locate the original commercial in question, but it contained a remake of a certain hit for Jimmy Soul, a hit re-written to tell children to do whatever makes them happy for the rest of their lives. Great message, and I could see some 5-year-old girl falling in love with those happy tones, tucking that song away as a secret method of brightening a bad day, and then hitting fifteen and suddenly encountering the original:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh9ZZgDqzAg]
Ugh.
(I found Kris & Scott’s Daily Affirmation ably demolished that festering nugget.)