Learn three chords and you too can be a Disney star!

It all started with Lori Berkner.  Before her, I could care less who got a two minute spot in between kid shows.  Her enthusiam and creativity really show through in her videos.  She began to set the bar very high for children's music.  I downloaded the song "We are the Dinosaurs" which is Madeleine's favorite.  Lori had written the song for children to have a way to express their anger in a creative way.  It worked. 

I hate to insult the Dan Zane fans out there...but I have to.  Noggin started showing his videos soon after Lori's.  Yes, he's been in the biz for a long time, but that doesn't mean he's better.  Lori's videos are personal, like she's singing to you.  In Dan's videos, all the musicians acted like they were too cool to make eye contact with the camera or be engaging with the kids dancing around them. The songs were mediocre.

Disney has seen the light that Noggin created and has really started recruiting musicians to show their stuff during Playhouse Disney.  They actually gave Dan Zane his own segment, which has come a long way from those first videos.  I saw the Imagination Movers which has become my favorite kid band on Disney.  I love the song "I Want My Mommy"  that talks about being scared in your bed.  I love when artists think about their audience and what they could be going through.  Not just what couldn't sell to adults and has been dumbed down for kids.  What were they thinking when they hired Ralph Covert of Ralph's World?  When his first release repeats the word swim about 1000 times.  Like he ran out of ideas midway through the song and improvised the rest.  The video is extremely low budget.  The 10 kids in the audience don't really like the song either.  Let me share with you his astounding lyrics:

At the bottom of the sea, where the mermaids murmur,
You’ll find me at the bottom of the sea
At the bottom of the sea, where the crabs walk backwards
That’s where I’ll be, at the bottom of the sea
And I’m gonna swim swimma swim swim swimma swim swim swim
To the bottom of the sea
At the bottom of the sea, where the dogfish woof-glub
and the catfish meow-glub, that’s where I’ll be
At the bottom of the sea where the fish all glub-glub

Not to totally bury these guys.  They have won awards and acclaim.  So I became interested in why these people chose to pursue a career entertaining kids.  The reason?  They couldn't make it as rock stars.  Both had one hit wonder bands.  Dan had the del Fuegos, and Ralph the Bad Examples.  Both discovered the market for making children's music when they became fathers.  I think that's great.  I'm sure a lot of people enjoy their music.  I can't get into it.  I hate their videos.  My kids don't like them either.  It's a good time to practice your three chords and find your niche.  Disney's waiting for your call.