Taylor Swift crosses over!

No, I don't mean she has Epsom salts and voodoo dolls. She was on the VH1 Top 20 today. I actually like country music ( pause for boo's). "Tear Drops on my guitar" (pop-single) has been tweaked to careen like a flat-bed ford into mainstream. It is about a sweetheart from what? Grade School? Its sweet. Drew. Good name. In any event the tempo is picked up, its less twangy and whiny, and definitely more breathy...PERFECT!

I can guarantee that my 2 year old daughter and I will be belting this song out on the radio on our commercialized drives to and from the gym, grocery, and other fun outings. It got me thinking, all the top songs, are songs that my toddler can sing (within reason). What does that say about pop standards? An easy hook, repetitive words, that's all you need. I don't know, but here are the songs I am talking about:

"Sweet Escape" - Gwen Stafani: "Wooo Hoooo, Yeeeeee Whoooooo!"

"Umbrella" - Rhiannon: Toddler-favorite: "El-la, El-la, Eh, Eh, Eh...."

"Big Girls Don't Cry" - Fergie : My kiddo actually sang this to me unprompted one morning when I dropped a can on my foot.

"Hey there Delilah" - Plain White T's: "Ohhhhh what you do to meeeeeeee"

"No One" - Alicia Keyes - She actually shakes her head and sways her index finger from side to side.

In fact, these songs work so well, that someone is cashing in on it: "KIDZBOP" converts any mature words or drops them completely. Same music. Less guilt. It's actually a great option for parents. Selling out as a music lover just got easier: http://www.kidzbop.com/music After all, who will judge you? You are doin' it for the kids! If you are parent or know a parent...this is a great gift idea. Trust me. It beats the alternatives!

What happened to good pop music that a grown adult couldn't sing? Let alone a toddler. Lyrics meant something. Songs were unpredictable. Like, lets say: We Didn't start the fire". Now, that was fun...I bet I spent hours pressing play and pause on a tape recorder to write down, and memorize those lyrics.

PS: I DON'T want a piece of Britney. I think she needs to find some peace in a padded room until she is 30.