When my friend got married, my job was to be the driver for the lovely bride and her family. Part of the deal was I had to make a mix tape for the trip. This mix tape ended with the Final Countdown blaring as the bride left the car.
She was so impressed that when she fell pregnant she asked me to make one for the delivery room. I put a lot of thought into this. My first idea was to time it with contractions: short, loud grindcore songs for the pain, soothing music for the time in between. That was vetoed (apparently not many people like grindcore?) and instead I made this mix.
Coincidentally, a mixtape club I'm in saw the co-founder having a kid around my month! So this got double play. I now leave it here for your enjoyment.
1. The Seed 2.0 - The Roots (ft. Cody Chesnutt)
This song is pure smut, delivered with such smooth and lovely music. It's all about getting pregnant.
I push my seed in her bush for life
It's gonna work because I'm pushin' it right
2. Teenage Pregnancy - Cake
Coming up with songs about babies and giving birth wasn't easy. Especially when the person requesting the mix is a music teacher. Sometimes I went with obvious song titles, so there's no real reason to explain this choice. But the underlying idea of the mixtape was to cover the baby from conception to delivery.
3. You Can't Hurry Love - Phil Collins
After you've found out you're pregnant, you just want the baby now! (at least I presume, I've never experienced it) Everything is still cheerful and upbeat.
4. When My Baby Comes - Grinderman
When the pregnancy starts moving on, you get a bit moody and emotional and start planning and fretting about everything. Who says moody and emotional better than Nick Cave?!
Even better, some of the lyrics are accidentally about babies. Pooping on things.
When my baby comes
There is an ancient question behind her eyes
That I can't even begin to describe
(Hey, don't do that on the carpet!)
When my baby comes
5. (Baby I've Got You) On My Mind - Powderfinger
As the pregnancy progresses that baby is all you think about, as all of your Facebook followers will happily point out to you (generally with a groan and an eye roll).
6. I Can't Wait to Get Off Work (to see my Baby) - Tom Waits
The baby is almost at work and the dad spends all day, by the phone, with a packed bag in the car, just waiting for that call to get to the hospital...
7. The Final Countdown - Europe
It's a well known fact that I can't make a mixtape without the Final Countdown. I pretty much always finish with it, but in this case it worked right here at this point. Just before the baby's delivery.
8. Waiting Room - Fugazi
One of the sexiest bass riffs ever recorded, it also captures the frustration of waiting in the hospital.
9. Push It - Salt n Pepa
If you don't know what this is referring to in the context of this mixtape, you must have failed school.
10. I Don't Want to Push It - Sonic Youth
I love this band, but I was surprised to find any context at all that they would work on a mixtape about giving birth. But here you go. As the doctor is yelling to push, the poor, exasperated mother has just had enough.
11. Hatching Baby Raptor - John Williams
This is a bit of a stretch, even for me, trying to work my favourite movie into a mixtape about giving birth. But this magical music when the raptor emerges from the egg in Jurassic Park represents the bliss when the baby is first put in its mother's arms.
12. The Screamer - Bouncing Souls
The music and lyrics of the song itself is a bit out of place, but the title says it all. The baby starts crying. All hell breaks loose.
13. Special Delivery - The Offspring
No matter how much the goddamn baby cries and pukes and poops you're still going to love your special delivery, as I've witness with my friends and their newborns.
It'll blow you away - You're gonna fall for me
14. Cry Baby - Cee-Lo
I've been told newborns cry all the time. I'm not sure of this, I tend to avoid babies, but I'll take everyone's word for it.
15. Kicking and Screaming - The Presets
As the parents and the baby get settled and sleep becomes a premium, the parents can build up anger just as quick as their offspring.
16. Baby's Got A Temper - The Prodigy
Some parents get unlucky, their baby just won't shut up.
17. Come to Daddy - Aphex Twin
When I first envisioned this mixtape, this was the first song that popped into my head. It seems the best way to end it though, as the baby came to its dad (my friend) for the first time.
Apparently she played this CD while giving birth!
