Wednesday 30 March 2011

Music soothes the beast (within)?

Anyone of you’ve seen the 2007 film “Shoot’em up” (With Clive Owen and Monica Bellucci? Do you remember the scene with the baby crying that is suddenly calmed down by heavy metal music? (you can watch the clip here).

What is wrong with this picture? Where is "twinkle twinkle little star" gone? Aren't traditional lullabies working anymore?

Some parents, for their musical taste o maybe out of desperation, manage to calm their babies thanks to Death Metal music as the following videos prove it (in the first one you can see how, not only the baby stops crying, but how he starts crying again when the music stops).


What is it with Death Metal and babies? Is it the vibrations of the double bass drum patterns, the monster-like voice of the singers or maybe the beast within? I really hope it’s the first two options and that we are not dealing with “Rosemary’s Baby”!

I have nothing against Death Metal (I used to listen to some DM bands when I was a teenager and a little after that), but I can’t help but wonder if it’s not too violent a music for babies. I’m curious to see what those babies turn out to be as teens!

After researching this phenomenon on the net, one will realise that, luckily, Death Metal is not the only baby-soothing-music.

So, when you are a desperate parent and you don’t know how to calm your baby down here are some other songs that apparently work for other people’s babies (according to Youtube videos amongst other sources):

  • - Bob Marley : "Buffalo soldier”
  • - "Rokko Oroshi", the supporter's song of a Japanese baseball team Hanshin Tigers.
  • - The Black Eyed Peas: “Hey Mama”
  • - "Mundhinam Partene" from the tamil movie 'Vaaranam Ayiram'.
  • - Florence and the Machine: “Dog days are over”

But if you prefer more babyish music try this:

  • - Raimond Lap's Lovely Baby Music

Hasta la vista, Baby!

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