Post by mummifiedstalin on Nov 23, 2009 15:40:17 GMT -5
So my oldest son is almost 6 and is starting to develop his musical tastes already. His first two real loves: Weird Al and They Might Be Giants.
As for TMBG, they've got five albums out now targeted at kids. That makes sense, if you've ever listened to them. The music, for the most part, is very similar to the rest of their stuff. It's the lyrics that have changed -- no more depressing relationship songs and odd Dada-esque philosophical ramblings.
Their latest is They Might Be Giants: Here Comes Science. What's fun about this one is that, as the amazon comments all attest, it's got some liberal propaganda worked into it. It's no secret that they were trying to do something like that. I mean, there are songs glorifying electric cars, genetics, and evolution (in the song "My Brother the Ape"). They also basically come right up front with it in the opening song called "Science is Real," which could be seen as a rallying cry for certain Kansas school-board debates. See if you can guess where they sell the bias:
Science is real
From the Big Bang to DNA
Science is real
From evolution to the Milky Way
I like the stories
About angels, unicorns and elves
Now I like those stories
As much as anybody else
But when I'm seeking knowledge
Either simple or abstract
The facts are with science
The facts are with science
Sure, they just say that evolution is real. But I liked even better that they set angels alongside unicorns and elves. Snarky.
There's also a song about the scientific method which has some great lines about how you should test things out for yourself instead of taking anyone's word for what they want you to believe:
If there's a question bothering your brain
That you think you know how to explain
You need a test
Yeah, think up a test
If it's possible to prove it wrong
You're going to want to know before too long
You'll need a test
If somebody says they figured it out
And they're leaving any room for doubt
Come up with a test
Yeah, you need a test
Are you sure that that thing is true?
Or did someone just tell it to you?
Come up with a test
Test it out
Find a way to show what would happen
If you were incorrect
(Test it out)
A fact is just a fantasy
Unless it can be checked
Make a test
Test it out
I was joking to my wife about this angle of the album. It's not at all offensive to me, and, honestly, if you're going to buy your pre-K kids an album about science, you likely aren't going to be too upset by the message, I'd imagine. But she pointed out how little left-leaning kids music is out there, compared to things traditionally associated with more conservative virtues, like what Veggie Tales makes.
But what makes this album even cooler is that they really stick to their "Put it to the Test" skeptical attitude. There's an old song on the album that they covered years ago, called "Why Does the Sun Shine." In that song, they say that the sun is a mass of gas...but it isn't. It's a plasma. So, on the album, you have the old song AND a new one where they tell you not to trust what they just said in the old song.
So what you get is a piece of kids music that CAN look like it contains pieces of leftist propaganda. But when you really listen to the songs, you see that there's a deeper message buried underneath the particular message: don't take our word for it. Figure it out for yourself.
Now your average five year old may not put things together quite like that. But my son did tell me the other day that he didn't trust when I told him that the moon revolves around the earth instead of the sun. He said he'd have to do a test.
If that's what a propaganda album teaches my kid, I'm all for it.
As for TMBG, they've got five albums out now targeted at kids. That makes sense, if you've ever listened to them. The music, for the most part, is very similar to the rest of their stuff. It's the lyrics that have changed -- no more depressing relationship songs and odd Dada-esque philosophical ramblings.
Their latest is They Might Be Giants: Here Comes Science. What's fun about this one is that, as the amazon comments all attest, it's got some liberal propaganda worked into it. It's no secret that they were trying to do something like that. I mean, there are songs glorifying electric cars, genetics, and evolution (in the song "My Brother the Ape"). They also basically come right up front with it in the opening song called "Science is Real," which could be seen as a rallying cry for certain Kansas school-board debates. See if you can guess where they sell the bias:
Science is real
From the Big Bang to DNA
Science is real
From evolution to the Milky Way
I like the stories
About angels, unicorns and elves
Now I like those stories
As much as anybody else
But when I'm seeking knowledge
Either simple or abstract
The facts are with science
The facts are with science
Sure, they just say that evolution is real. But I liked even better that they set angels alongside unicorns and elves. Snarky.
There's also a song about the scientific method which has some great lines about how you should test things out for yourself instead of taking anyone's word for what they want you to believe:
If there's a question bothering your brain
That you think you know how to explain
You need a test
Yeah, think up a test
If it's possible to prove it wrong
You're going to want to know before too long
You'll need a test
If somebody says they figured it out
And they're leaving any room for doubt
Come up with a test
Yeah, you need a test
Are you sure that that thing is true?
Or did someone just tell it to you?
Come up with a test
Test it out
Find a way to show what would happen
If you were incorrect
(Test it out)
A fact is just a fantasy
Unless it can be checked
Make a test
Test it out
I was joking to my wife about this angle of the album. It's not at all offensive to me, and, honestly, if you're going to buy your pre-K kids an album about science, you likely aren't going to be too upset by the message, I'd imagine. But she pointed out how little left-leaning kids music is out there, compared to things traditionally associated with more conservative virtues, like what Veggie Tales makes.
But what makes this album even cooler is that they really stick to their "Put it to the Test" skeptical attitude. There's an old song on the album that they covered years ago, called "Why Does the Sun Shine." In that song, they say that the sun is a mass of gas...but it isn't. It's a plasma. So, on the album, you have the old song AND a new one where they tell you not to trust what they just said in the old song.
So what you get is a piece of kids music that CAN look like it contains pieces of leftist propaganda. But when you really listen to the songs, you see that there's a deeper message buried underneath the particular message: don't take our word for it. Figure it out for yourself.
Now your average five year old may not put things together quite like that. But my son did tell me the other day that he didn't trust when I told him that the moon revolves around the earth instead of the sun. He said he'd have to do a test.
If that's what a propaganda album teaches my kid, I'm all for it.