My repertoire of songs for lullabies is limited – when Joey was a baby, I had to reach deep into my past for songs from musicals (we didn’t have a TV for a while growing up), a childhood steeped in 70’s soft rock and teenage years rockin’ out to AC/DC, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi and other iconic bands before falling in love with pop (after an embarrassing spell as a Deadhead in college). Any of these songs can be turned into a lullaby with the right volume level and cadence – surprising, but true. As Joey grew older, we’d start hearing his lullabies on the radio and he’d be awfully surprised, but he has learned to love both the original and the adaptation. One of our favorites was and is Come Sail Away by Styx. It’s a great song musically – it builds slowly to a dramatic finish, in a key that is easy for me to navigate – but it also has a terrific message about hope and overcoming the inevitable disappointments of life, prompting us to “carry on” even in the face of adversity (or aliens, as the case may be). I think that as we sail upon the sea of life, we would all do well to embrace the positive and supportive spirits of friends, family and loved ones that are around us as we navigate the waters of an unfamiliar future. Oh, and you should also have a plan for whenever you run into aliens, of course.
– Libby Bingham
GOOD FOR THE SOUL 