The Five Best Halloween Kids Music Videos... Ever?

Well, of course not. I mean, I'm sure a Halloween kids music video will come out next year that will knock number 5 below out of the list. [Ed.: Heck, I forgot one already, added as #6, that should've been in the top 5.] But they're ~~five videos~~ six worth your family's 15 minutes or so. 5. John Hadfield - "Robot Monkey Head" [YouTube] OK, technically speaking this isn't a Halloween video. But it darn well should be. The list continues...

Video: "Flying" - Recess Monkey

The difference between Recess Monkey and you? (OK, me.) You (or, er, I) go to the airport for a trip and hope to catch up on my backlog of New Yorkers and the Seattle trio go to the airport for a trip and film a freakin' video. This one, for the title track from FLYING!, was filmed at SEA-TAC and features the occasional odd glance from onlookers, innovative camera techniques, and a in-flight instruction card I don't recall seeing the one time I flew JetBlue. Recess Monkey - "Flying" [YouTube]

Monday Morning Smile: "Peggy Sang the Blues" - Frank Turner

Thank Bill for this one. It's from English singer Frank Turner, whose album England Keep My Bones will almost certainly end up in my top five albums of 2011 and who I was first introduced to by Bill. It's punk with a county/folk edge, or perhaps it's country/folk with a punk edge. Totally tuneful and joyful (except when he's not trying to be joyful) and an excellent live. Not all of the new album is appropriate for kids, and the lead single, "Peggy Sang the Blues," concerns a visitation in Turner's dreams by his dead grandmother. Which is fine by me, because it's got the best damn chorus of the year, including the lyrics "It doesn't matter you come from / it matters where you go / and no gets remembered / for the things they didn't do." I hope my own kids know that. Frank Turner - "Peggy Sang the Blues" [YouTube]

Monday Morning Smile: "Growing Up" - Lullatone

The band Lullatone has often walked that line of being "for" adults" without in any way being inappropriate for kids. This new video for the leadoff track to their upcoming album Soundtracks for Everyday Adventures continues much along those lines. It's a pleasant little song, perfect for a Monday morning, and will leave your kids wondering, "those three guys all look the same!" (And, if you're me, thinking, "Huh. A-flat major. That's a key I'd never think to try to write (or play) a song in.") Grab the track for free using the widget below, or just enjoy the video... Lullatone - "Growing Up" [Vimeo]

Monday Morning Smile: Istanbul (Not Constantinople) - They Might Be Giants

When my daughter was younger, on most nights I would sing her a song or two before putting her to bed. But as Miss Mary Mack grew older, she eventually decided she didn't want me to do that every night. Once a week or so, however, I'll still sing her a goodnight song. Until recently, it has been something from my repertoire of lullaby songs -- "Hush Little Baby," perhaps, or Brahms' Lullaby (the "doo doo doo" song, with other silly sounds as well). But for some reason -- Miss Mary Mack has been very vague as to her motivation -- in recent weeks she has requested "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)," a Jimmy Kennedy/Nat Simon song from the early 1950s whose prominence in my brain is 100% due to They Might Be Giants, who recorded a version for their essential 1990 album Flood. So now I bring up the TMBG version, with the weird vocalizations and instrumental parts, in my mind using memories of an album twenty years old and am thankful I still get to sing lullabies for my daughter. They Might Be Giants - "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" - [YouTube]