Rowdy Baby

“Prahalad”, my friend told me in shocked tones, “You will be surprised to know the kind of songs children sing these days”. I sat up straight, with my eyes filled with curiosity. “I visited a family the other evening, and their 5-year-old daughter knew the lyrics of the song Rowdy Baby by heart”. I confessed that I had not heard this song. “You must be the only one in Chennai to not have heard this song. In any case, you have not missed anything. It is suffice to say that it is not the kind of song you want a kid to learn”, he concluded. 

Now, my curiosity was truly piqued. What were the lyrics of this song? I YouTubed the song, and soon enough, I saw what my friend meant. Though I could not classify the lyrics as vulgar or risqué, the adjectives ‘elegant’, ‘soulful’, ‘meaningful’, ‘classy’ were not applicable either. It was undoubtedly catchy (so catchy that the single instance of listening to this song has etched it in my head, argh), and I was not surprised that this song went viral in Chennai. It was not my thing, though. On a related note, what is with me and not liking catchy Dhanush songs?

Being catchy and going viral was one thing. But being on the tip of five-year-old-kids’ tongues? My friend’s shock and “what is happening to the world” sentiments proved contagious, and I caught this bug. Soon enough, some of my conversation starters were “You’d be surprised to know the kind of songs children sing these days”, and I would duly proceed to narrate my third-hand account of this five-year-old kid’s lyrical prowess. 

In another party, I was talking to one of my Dad’s friends. We spoke about many topics, and soon enough, we ran out of topics to talk about. Not to worry! I had my go-to conversation piece ready, and was prepared to unleash it. I was going to edify him about the songs that kindergarteners sing these days.

“Have you heard of the song Rowdy Baby?”, I asked. “Oh yes”, he enthusiastically exclaimed. “In fact, my five-year-old granddaughter knows its lyrics by heart”. 

Image Credit: Jason Rosewell from Unsplash