Davy Jones, 1945-2012. Eternal Boyish Charm.

Sadly, singer and famous Monkee frontman passed away this week, and so we would like to take the chance to post some links for awesome Davy Jones music and videos. The Monkees were one of the first made-for-TV bands, which kicked off the whole man-made pop group phenomenon (I think I can accurately say the only earlier one would be Mickey Mouse Clubhouse? Not too sure about that, though.) And Davy Jones' adorableness and mischievous twinkle really had quite an effect on us... I remember the reruns coming on when I was a little girl and loving the music. And, of COURSE, there was that Brady Bunch episode-- and I found out on his website that that was the most rerun show in syndication history-- how 'bout that?? I then discovered the Beatles and other great 60s bands, and moved on to be a classic rock and Alt-music girl, but now that I have children The Monkees has resurfaced and introduced a whole new generation to 1960s pop, which thrills me! I know it's cheesy, but in college even I rocked out to the music from Shrek, and have often included "I'm a Believer" on mixed CDs I've made for the girls! (And I recently found a stash of those, so maybe I will post some playlists here on the site soon!) 

But one thing about Jones that appeals to moms, is his sweet face and adorable voice, and he came back to the kid's music scene when he performed "Personal Penguin," the board book by author Sandra Boyton (and you can download a free copy on her website here, just scroll almost all the way to the bottom). We heard the announcement of his death this week and they played "Gonna Buy Me a Dog, from the album The Monkees. To kids growing up with music videos and YouTube, the clip of this song from the show is more their speed than many of the clips from old show from our youth-- for example, the episode of the Brady Bunch where he is recording, "Girl." A sweet song, but they play the whole song (just so cute how Marcia just sneaks into the studio and is like, "Please! I'm the President of his FAN club!" Ohhh, geez. Sure, Marcia, I'll play at your prom. But Davy Jones' music had a simple, light-hearted sugary feel like that. Awww, almost as cute as a penguin. We'll miss you, buddy. Thanks for being our Personal Penguin.

And in other news! We are off to see Dr. Seuss' The Lorax today, STARRING the girl's favorite singer (and Pant's idol, the whole reason she wants to learn to pick the fiddle), Taylor Swift, and Zac Efron, so we will see if they break out in song, and how we like the movie. I'm excited for this-- so far from the previews it looks like a good one. Happy Dr. Seuss' Birthday!