I’m reaching out on behest of 2 month old labtrash Jr. (2-2-06 - Groundhog Day!), and would like to know Dopers’ thoughts on this. Classical, New Age, Country, whatever…it’s 4am!..We need sleep!
I’m tellin ya, Run to Cadence with the U.S. Marines always worked for my sister and me.
Failing that, I’ve got a “sleep mix” playlist on iTunes that’s been handy for me—special reccomendations bolded:
"Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis"—Master and Commander Soundtrack
"Le nozze di Figaro, K. 492: “Che soave zeffiretto”—Edith Mathis, Gundula Janowitz
“Hello Tomorrow (adidas Version)”—Karen O. & Squeak E. Clean
Orinoco Flow—Enya
Porcelain—Moby
Shepherd Moons—Enya
Moonlight Sonata—Beethoven
Clair de Lune
"All the World is Green"—Tom Waits
Lacrimosa from Mozart’s Requiem
“Blue Moon”—The Mavericks
Pretty Little Dreamer—Grey de Lisle
The Grand Finale—Edward Scissorhands soundtrack
Fur Elise
"Didn’t Leave Nobody But The Baby"— O Brother, Where Art Thou? Soundtrack
Eden—Sarah Brightman
Lullaby for Grownups—Liquid Mind
Unomathemba—Ladysmith Black Mambazo (Well, pretty much any Ladysmith should do.)
Beautiful Dreamer—Steven Foster
Life in Mono—Mono
[Humpback whale songs]
Movement I—Vangelis’ El Greco
Innocent When you Dream—Tom Waits
Your Name is Messiah—“Angel Sanctuary” soundtrack
Loreena McKennit’s Serenissima
I had a version of Tumbalalaika on a record album when I was a kid- a down tempo version- for some reason I found it incredibly comforting and relaxing.
Bach’s Goldberg Variations was supposedly written to help some rich fellow sleep. Look for the 1981 Glenn Gould recording.
When my daughter was a baby, the only two songs that could calm her down were “You Don’t Own Me” by Lesley Gore and “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” by whoever they were.
My oldest niece, on the other hand, liked Metallica.
I’d try either classical or an oldies station; the oldies station around here plays a lot of slow be-boppy music at night that certainly works to relax me. If that doesn’t work, try the Metallica.
When she was a tiny one, my Small Girl used to fall asleep to the dulcet strains of the background music to Starcraft:Brood Wars.
This may tell you something about how I spent a lot of my time shile pregnant.
So - what was on the playlist at your house just before little labtrash was born? 'Cos he’ll probably still recognise it…
I’ve always liked Emitt Rhodes’s “Lullabye.”
Guitar Lullaby is a facinating CD. It’s based on sleep studies and observations of parents putting children to bed. They then chose classical guitar music with the same feeling and tempo. So it starts off bright and bouncy, then “tells a story” (it’s impossible to put this section into words, it walways takes me on a new imaginary journey) then gets very slow and gentle and “hush, hush” before it ends with a musical kiss goodnight and tiptoe to the door, if you will. There are two track settings, one for very young children and the other for children 5 and up. They claim it’s “40% more effective than traditional lullabies.” My daughter loves it. I love it.
There’s also, if you follow the links from that page, a bunch of great ethnic lullaby CDs. Our daughter loves the African and Brazilian, and my husbands a great fan of the Celtic and Mediterranean
When my brother was a baby, my father would sing to the tune of Brahms’ Lullaby:
Go to sleep, little creep
Close your big bloodshot eyes
Go to sleep, little creep
We can do without your cries
Go to sleep, go to sleep
You’re making us crazy
Go to sleep, go to sleep
Before Daddy goes out “for milk” and never comes back
Okay, that last line needed work.
I’ve always thought Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds would make an excellent lullaby.
Thanks a bunch, everyone. Lots of stuff to try here (but I think I’ll leave the Metallica for later) !
Hush-a-bye, by Peter Paul and Mary is a lovely tune. The lyrics are:
Hush-a-bye, don’t you cry, go to sleep you little baby.
When you wake you shall have all the pretty little horses.
Dapples and greys, pintos and bays, all the pretty little horses.
Way down yonder, in the meadow,
poor little baby cryin, mama;
Birds and the butterflies flutter round his eyes,
poor little baby cryin’ mama.
Hush-a-bye, don’t you cry, go to sleep you little baby.
When you wake you shall have all the pretty little horses.
Dapples and greys, pintos and bays, all the pretty little horses.
Mods–the lyrics are traditional, so not copyrighted, AFAIK.
Bach - Sheep may safely graze
Mozart - Laudate Dominum, Vesperae solennes de confessore K339
Holst - Hymns from the Rig Veda, third group
Debussy - Nuages, nocturne for orchestra