As the inauguration of our new blog, we’d like to present some behind-the-scenes musings on Songs of Love.

Assuming you have a basic idea of what we do, you know that Songs of Love are inspirational, comforting, and one-of-a-kind. If you’ve seen Sound of Music (if you have not, stop reading immediately and go watch it), you have the perfect comparison to a song of love in My Favorite Things. Julie Andrews sings about all of those things that take her mind off something bad. Every song of love does just that by setting a scene using the beloved aspects of a child’s life. From one song to another, we see originality, and together the songs amount to a well-rounded collection of childhood joys. Every song request showcases the unique personality of each child, and if we compiled all of the interests and favorite activities from nearly 28,000 songs, we could write our own children’s book series. While our clever songwriters can create a song based solely on a love of ice cream, they thrive on the details. Writing lyrics and a melody, they imagine the child rocking out to their song of love featuring trampolines, dinosaurs and the color green, or perhaps calmly dozing off to a lullaby starring Mommy, Daddy and a favorite blankie. A song of love is all about charming the listener by referencing an assortment of favorites – favorite people, food, hobbies, and toys. The song is like a time capsule, capturing hobbies that may last a lifetime and some that will simply make for great reminiscing.

At Songs of Love, we are constantly evoked to reflect on our own childhoods as we review each song request and assign a fitting songwriter. Whether I’m delighted to find that playing in the sprinkler is still a thing or recalling my first time at In-N-Out Burger, there is always something that triggers a fond memory. Who knows, I just might be inspired to ride a scooter to work one of these days. The point is, a song of love is carefree and reminds us on a daily basis to focus on what matters. In addition to inducing nostalgia, Songs of Love are an insight into changing pop culture. Pick a song, and you might be able to tell what year it was written (which actually gives me a superb idea for a fun game at our next fundraiser). On a daily basis, we see what’s trending in games, movies, activities and even names:

Minecraft, Paw Patrol, Monster Trucks, Shopkins, Minions 

Aidan, Sophia, Grayson, Isabella, Grayson

All in all, I’m confident that princesses will never go out of style, fart noises will never cease to amuse, and I am fairly certain that Fidgit Spinners will start showing upon song requests forms in the very near future.

Although no two songs are the same, if you listen to several, you’ll hear some common themes, many of which you would not expect from a child fighting for his or her health: “Always happy.” “Adventurous.” “Very energetic.” “Witty.” “Polite.”  Other traits we see regularly include “Brave.” “Fighter.” “Determined.” “Ready to take on the world.” Not one song fails to highlight the strength, huggability, lovability, silliness and strength of its recipient. Song request after song request demonstrates the shared resilience and zest for life among children battling serious conditions every day. So many parents tell us their child lights up the room everywhere they go, thus making our mission stronger with a need to reciprocate, not only for the child but also for the parents that benefit just as much. Creating a song of love is not always easy, but usually the end result is a giant grin and often some dancing. Child after child beams with delight and is often surprised when realizing the song is all about them. Children everywhere have little idea how much joy they bring to those around them, and for that reason, we are thrilled to perpetuate more joy when it’s needed most.

We hope you are enjoying the Songs of Love Blog! In addition to spreading The Medicine of Music, we are passionate about the uniting power of song! Next time you’re deciding on a team building event, consider The Songs of Love Experience for team bonding like no other! Why escape a room when you can fill one with the harmonious voices of 10 to 10,000 of your closest coworkers? You will not be disappointed once you’ve let your vocal chords shine after all those years of only Rubber Ducky as your audience. Visit our team building page to learn more about how you can take your corporate social responsibility to a new level with Songs of Love!