Uptown got its hustlers, the Bowery got its bums.
Forty-second Street got big Jim Walker, he a pool-shootin son of a gun.
Jim Croce sang those words in 1972, six years before I was born.
Theyve been burned into my memory for so long that I cant remember when I first heard them.
When I was a kid, he carried around a little boombox with a cassette player.
Why does it matter that You Dont Mess Around With Jim makes me happy?
Sciencehasnt provided a definitive answer.
Thats why people love music because it reveals their connections to other people.
People love finding out which songs other people love.
Since 1942, the BBC has aired the programDesert Island Discs.
How is it possible?
This is true even for unpopular presidents.
As theNew York Timesnoted, Wloved songs by musicians who couldnt stand him.
Theres something about tunes, man.
Even if the voice in your earbuds loathes you, the jam is everything.
What does all of this have to do with you, fellow parent?
Ill let Johnny Cash answer,by way of his daughter Rosanne.
We started talking about songs, and he mentioned one, and I said I dont know that one.
And he mentioned another.
And across the top of the page, he wrote 100 Essential Country Songs.
The word that jumps out at me there is genealogy.
Johnny wanted to ensure his kid, then a budding musician, understood her roots.
But genealogy fits regardless.
Dropping the needle on a record is placing your pin in that continuum.
Thats why you shouldmake a list of your favorite tunes and give it to your kids.
A few quick thoughts:
Dont overdo it.Johnny Cash got 100 songs because he was Johnny freakin Cash.
If you have a gold record and youre reading this, you get 50 songs.
Platinum gets you 75.
Willie Nelson, if youre out there, you might have 100 also.
Tom from Accounting, go for a bakers dozen.
Dont be judgmental.The point isnt to pick on Ed Sheeran.
Remember how your parents covered their ears when you blasted Guns N Roses on the HiFi?
Dont be a jerk about this.
Dont be disappointed.Your kids probably wont love your jams like you do.
The world moves very fast now.
Dont be stoic.Explain what you love.
What does the music mean to you?
Does the singer give you goosebumps?
Does the beat make you boogie?
(My wife is still upset about Prince.)
Dont worry that its not good enough.Youre not trying to impress a music critic.
Be honest, even if when honesty is cheesy.
Youre telling the story of your life.
Heres a bit of my story via one entry on my list:California Stars.
Those are lyrics written by Woody Guthrie, whose son Arlo is a hero of my dads.
Wilco is performing the music.
Those musical genealogies would wind around my own as I stared into my daughters face.
I couldnt help but cry.
Its such a great song.
