On the drive in to school (about 30 minutes) Julianna (12) and Isabella (9) commandeer my Playlist. And they insist on what the kids listen to these days.
Julianna: Dad, I hate Rock and Roll.
Blasphemy.
J: I just want to listen to music that kids like.
Me: You know, once upon a time, kids went to jail for listening to Rock and Roll…
I exaggerate. Slightly.
J: But you’re old.
Smacked down by a 7th grader. So, we listen to a bunch of songs “kids like.” Then, there’s a grown-up song that they like.
Me: Wait, that’s an actual grown-up song.
“If I Die Young,” by The Band Perry.
Isabella: Why is that a grown-up song.
Me: Lots of reasons. First, she’s not singing about makeup and high-heels like Demi Lovato. It’s a Country song. The music of your people.
Iz: I thought that was salsa.
Me: That too.
J: What makes it Country? I love Country.
Me: Lots of things. They way she sings, more nasal. The harmonies. The fiddle and banjo. The sentimentality. The pickup truck.
Iz: Santa what?
Me: Sentimentality. Really emotional words.
“If I die young, bury me in Satin. Lay me down on a bed of roses.”
Me: Yeah, that qualifies as sentimental.
J: So, kids shouldn’t listen to this?
Me: Um, no. I would prefer that you listen to this over, say, Ariana Grande.
J: But I love Ariana Grande!
Me: I know Sweetie, and you’ll grow out of it.
J: Daaaad! Stop!
Iz: Daddy, isn’t salsa a tomato sauce stuff that you dip your chips in.
Me: That too. And music. Oh, look, we’re at school. Get out. Quickly.