Maggie Mixes

Anyone who has read this blog at all knows about Maggie and her music. For the past several years, Maggie has been listening to pop music. Maggie demands it constantly, so the background noise in our house is Lady Gaga or Katy Perry or  some other pop star. Now it seems she is refining her tastes. It's still pop music, but she is listening for different things.

This love started when she was in middle school, which is age appropriate. She had two girlfriends there who were great for Maggie socially. We had a rock star birthday party and I made a mixed CD for all the kids. that was the very first "Maggie Mix." There have been several other since then. Maggie gives them out at Girls Rock camp and to her classmates and anyone else who is interested. Mr. Bebe was a paraprofessional in her middle school class. He suggested "All the Single Ladies" by Beyonce. That is Maggie's signature song and it is on every mix. Other songs will be on a few cds but not all of them. Maggie, unlike other teenagers is not as willing to accept change, though, so a few of the songs appear on several if not all of the mixes.

I have learned to introduce new songs by placing them just after her familiar tunes. While Maggie is still glowing in the joy of "All the Single Ladies," she is not fighting a new song. This trick has saved me from going out of my mind listening to the same music constantly. Recently we made a Maggie Mix when our German exchange students left. There were the Maggie standards, which had been the background music of their entire stay, along with several songs about San Francisco to make sure they didn't forget their time here. I made an extra CD and put it in the car because I had to have a little variety.

Maggie is far more willing to accept new music if there is something in it that makes her laugh. Profanity is hilarious. Of course, all of the songs are the cleaned up versions. For example, we have C Lo Green's "Forget You" rather than the other version. You may not realize, however, that even the clean version has a couple of profane phrases, and those send Maggie over the edge.

I noticed this first with Mumford and Sons "Little Lion Man." It's an upbeat song and Maggie was tolerating it even though it was new. At one point they say "I really F'd it up this time" and Maggie started laughing her head off. I looked at her in mock horror and said Maggie where would you even HEAR words like that. (I won't tell you her response.) Now we wait for that phrase with great anticipation.

The other day she started laughing uncontrollably at another song. There was no profanity at all and I couldn't figure out what was making her laugh. The song was "Save me San Francisco" by Train. Every time they said "San Francisco" Maggie completely lost it, laughing so hard she couldn't breathe.

I think she likes it here. In fact  I'd swear to it - but only to make her laugh.