Songs for Whoever

Thanks to my friend Loralee (http://loraleeslooneytunes.blogspot.com), I've been thinking about songs that personify people. Naturally I think of the song's my family assigns someone at birth, or at a young age.

My sister Shelly is the song "Shelly's Got a Brand New Dress." Given to her when she was just a baby, it may have directed her life more than she knows it. Shelly is an exceptional shopper, and has excellent taste. I've never seen her in something I didn't like (and think looked great on her).

Then there is my sister Heidi. While officially her family song is "You Are My Sunshine," I actually like to think of her song as being "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head." When we were primary age, she and I participated in a huge region primary program where she soloed this song while swinging one my my favorite rainbow colored umbrellas around the stage (remember, we lived in rainy Oregon, so having multiple umbrellas was the standard.)

For my brother Jason, no song fits better than "Davy Crockett." It's a fun song, manly, makes you think of a hero, someone you can rely on in the rough west, and he sang it in a different primary program dressed as a rough-riding cowboy.

Jonathon's songs are a bit of a mix. The first, "I've been waiting for you all of my life," was popular at the time of his birth in the early 1980's, and as he was the last of five kids seemed appropriate for my mother to sing to him. Second, is a song just called "Jonathan." It's about a kid who needs a little motivation in his life--and since my brother has always been known to find the easiest way to do something this song was fitting and we tormented him with it since we discovered it when he was about seven.

For my dear daughter Cleo I think of the song Thumbelina. I've sung this song to her hundreds of times. It embodies her sweetness and size.

For Gigi, I think of the song "Vie est Belle." We sing this little french song from the movie South Pacific for many reasons. For one, Gigi moved almost straight to France with our family after being adopted. Two, I've always loved the movie South Pacific, and couldn't give the song "Wash that man right out of my hair," to a child of mine. Three, I learned the song in my middle school French class and have loved it ever since.

My dh remains without a song, though I suppose I could jokingly give him the song "Mr. Roboto," for his regimental ways and scheduling habits. He'd probably prefer a U2 or REM or Sting song, but for now "Mr. Roboto," will have to do.