As a gym owner and instructor, a big part of my job is curating fun playlists. I love finding new music or remixes of older songs. As much as I enjoy discovering new music, nothing gets me more excited and ready to face the day than classic rock.
One of the most vivid memories I have from my childhood was hanging out at the pool with my friends as my parents and their friends blasted the Eagles greatest hits. I remember it being a big deal that we were listening to a CD over a surround sound system. Everyone was having a great time, and to this day when I hear the first the first few notes from “Take It Easy,” I can’t help but smile.
My mom was watching Queen’s Live Aid performance while she was in labor with me. Throughout my childhood, she introduced me to Journey, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, and Elton John. I still remember my dad’s cassette case with Pink Floyd’s – The Wall in his car. Every once in a while my dad would pull all of his 8 tracks out to see if they still worked as we reminisced over his red 1977 Thunderbird. I attended my first real concert when I was in kindergarten. I don’t ever remember listening to “kid music.” Baby Shark would have NEVER flown in our house.
Years later when I became I mom, I tried to get into the kid songs. I really did, I promise. My daughter and I attended a kids’ sing along class; we listened to K-pop. It was torture.
One day on the way home from school, my daughter said, “Mom, I learned a new song today.” I waited for it to be a jingle about the days of the week with rhyming words, but to my (awesome) surprise, my daughter began to *clap, clap, stomp as she sang “We will rock you.”
Thus began our morning rock out sessions to Queen, The Rolling Stones, Kansas, Free, Boston, and Tom Petty. It really jazzed up the drives to school and made car rides fun again. Moms, if riding in a car with your kids is a bit dreadful and you can’t listen to another nursery rhyme, maybe it’s time to turn down and turn on classic rock.
Here’s my take it easy kid approved Classic Rock Playlist:
Take it easy, Eagles
More than a feeling, Boston
Free fallin’, Tom Petty
Come together, The Beatles
Another one bites the dust, Queen
Dream on, Aerosmith
Heartbreaker, Pat Benatar
Back in Black, AC/DC
Alone, Heart
Renegade, Styx
Keep on loving you, REO Speedwagon
