I don't care...

I am the youngest of the original five children in my family by several years.  You might think my taste in music was far ahead that of my peers, but big families were the norm in my growing-up neighborhood, so most of my peers had several older siblings, too. I could sing all the lyrics to Carole King's 'Tapestry' when I was eight (thanks to my sisters), and I was quite familiar with David Bowie and 'Ziggy Stardust' when I was nine (thanks to my brother and his friends).  I stopped being up-to-the-minute with pop culture music by the time I was out of my teens, though.  Oh, I listened to everything, and sang along, but didn't pay any attention to who was popular and who was falling off the charts.  I like what I like.

I still love Carole King; I believe she has musical genius, and even if she and James Taylor weren't meant to be married, they were meant to be together musically because they express themselves like one soul coming out of two voices and two instruments.  None of that is what I really meant to write about, but there it is.

In 1975, Maurice Sendak and Carole King collaborated on an animated special of Sendak's 1960-62 'Really Rosie'.  I remember it, and parts of it stayed with me always.  Eight years ago I found it on CD and I don't feel the kids have to be around to justify playing it - I like what I like, remember?

Anyone remember the story of 'Pierre'?  That's the boy who didn't care what his parents wanted, he didn't care that a lion came into his house, he didn't care that the lion intended to eat him.  Pierre was clearly oppositional/defiant; he doesn't care about important, or dangerous, or scary things because adults expect him to care.  You will never, ever guess which song is Boyo's favorite on this album.  One might think I'd put the disc away and not let him listen to 'Pierre' eight or nine times in a row.  No, in fact, when we listen to the album together and sing loud and be silly - all the songs, not just 'Pierre' - we have an extended period of closeness and a feeling of calm for a while afterward.

It would likely be that way with any music we both liked, but 'Really Rosie' has that special place in my childish heart, too.  I'd like to think Boyo will eventually have a change of heart like Pierre did before the song ended with the last line, "The moral of Pierre is 'care'".  Think what you like about a grown woman loving children's music so much - I don't care.  :-)

Close up of lion's face from 'The Knitted Tapestry'