Fun, clean songs

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Hi all,
I would like to burn a CD for my kids with some of the fun songs from my childhood (70’s and 80’s), so we can all sing and dance together. Can you remember some of your favorites that didn’t have sex, romance or shaking your booty on the dance floor as their theme.
For example, we’ve had loads of fun with John Denver’s “Thank God I’m a Country Boy”.
“We Are Family” by (I think) the Pointer Sisters is another I’ll burn for them.
Any memories?
 
That would be Sister Sledge, not the Pointer Sisters!

Fun songs (bear with me if I mention some with lyrics you might not like, it’s been a while since I’ve heard some of these!)
  • “Celebration” by Kool & the Gang
  • “Rhythm of the Night” by DeBarge
  • “Makin’ It” by David Naughton
  • “Fame” by Irene Cara
  • “Footloose” by Kenny Loggins (I know it’s a boy/girl song, but “Let’s Hear it for the Boy” is a cute song from the “Footloose” soundtrack!)
  • “We Got the Beat” by the Go-Go’s
  • “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper
  • “Walk Like an Egyptian” by the Bangles
  • “The Name Game” by Shirley (can’t remember the last name!)
  • “Sugar, Sugar” by The Archies
  • “The Purple People Eater” by Sheb Wooley
Also if you can find them: albums by The Partridge Family (wholesome, corny love songs!), Peter, Paul and Mary (“Puff the Magic Dragon” and “Stewball” for sing-alongs).

Hope this helps! I’ll write again if I think of anymore!
 
The fun songs I can think of - well, most of them have dancing and/or romance - makes it tougher.

Hip to be square by Huey Lewis

“Lean On Me” (recorded by many, I think Bobby McPharin did it in the 80’s)

Perhaps some of the Christian - pop 80’s stuff would work, “vintage” Amy Grant or Imperials or 2nd Chapter of Acts?
 
pretty much anything by John Denver, Captain and Tinelle and Barry Manalow.

I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony …
 
No 80s “family album” would be complete without “Our House” by Madness. :cool:
 
How about the Beach Boys?

Since Paganus mentioned “Our House” by Madness, there are a few other '80s songs that defy description:

“Rock Me, Amadeus” by Falco
“Safety Dance” by Men in Hats

As stated before, a lot of fun songs include dance and love (think back to the love songs of the '50s) but they can be pretty innocent and fun. You might just have to listen to the lyrics and decide if they’re appropriate for your kids or not.

My son (age 12) once commented however on the names of some of the musical groups that came out in the '80s (particularly Menudo) and said, “And you think groups THESE days are weird??!”
 
Gotta be 70s and 80s? How about “on Top of Spaghetti” and “Camp Granada (Hello Mudda, Hello Fadda)”.
 
The first one that popped in to my mind was “Oh Mickey”, by Toni Basil.

Then:

“Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves
“Stand” by REM
“Radio Ga-Ga” by Queen
“Twist and Shout” by the Beatles (not 80s, but really fun)
“Yellow Submarine” by the Beatles

Oops, I guess “Oh Mickey” and “Walking on Sunshine” have a bit of romance in them. Still fun, though. And clean.
 
Sneaky Snake by Tom T Hall used to be (okay, still is) one of my favorites as a child

Daddy What If by Bobby Bare

Battle of New Orleans by Johnny Horton

Grandma’s Featherbed by John Denver

Old Time Rock and Roll by Bob Seger (I think all the lyrics are okay)

Devil Went Down to Georgia by Charlie Daniels (may not be quite what you’re looking for, but I always loved this song–clean version)

Wipe Out by the Surfaris (I think)

Don’t Worry Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin

I’m sure there are others. I’ll keep thinking. 🙂
Jennifer
 
“Magic Dance” by David Bowie from the 80’s movie The Labyrinth

“Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor

Sweet Home Alabama by Lynard Skynard

Born in the U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen
 
exiled said:
Hi all,
I would like to burn a CD for my kids with some of the fun songs from my childhood (70’s and 80’s), so we can all sing and dance together. Can you remember some of your favorites that didn’t have sex, romance or shaking your booty on the dance floor as their theme.
For example, we’ve had loads of fun with John Denver’s “Thank God I’m a Country Boy”.
“We Are Family” by (I think) the Pointer Sisters is another I’ll burn for them.
Any memories?
Click to expand...
Has anybody suggested “The Safety Dance” yet? 🙂 Or does that mean something naughty? I’ve never been sure.
 
My kids love:

Cheeseburger in Paradise, by Jimmy Buffet

We also like Carribean music, like
Day-O, Day light comes and me wanna go home

Finally, Veggitales have wonderful CDs with fun music that is Godly as well.

Thanks for posting this, the list of songs offered above is wonderful!
 
kage_ar said:
The fun songs I can think of - well, most of them have dancing and/or romance - makes it tougher.

Hip to be square by Huey Lewis

“Lean On Me” (recorded by many, I think Bobby McPharin did it in the 80’s)

Perhaps some of the Christian - pop 80’s stuff would work, “vintage” Amy Grant or Imperials or 2nd Chapter of Acts?
Click to expand...
I don’t mind dancing, I just don’t want them speaking of “butts”. I think booty means “butt” and my kids have already heard and asked what booty was. I told them it was dancing shoes!:o
 
I have to echo the vote on Huey Lewis & the News because I just got their greatest hits and they had lots of cute, clean songs. The videos were cute also. They just released a collection of the videos on DVD. Remember “Stuck on You” and the songs from Back to the Future soundtrack? I saw Huey, et. al. in concert at their peak in the '80’s and there was no cursing or suggestive stuff. I heard him on the radio in Missouri in the 1990’s talking about his Christian faith and working in a ministry.

Early Jackson 5 was clean and cute with music like “ABC”
The Osmonds had squeaky clean music
“Little Stevie Wonder” with his great harmonica playing and even a lot of his adult music is fine for kids. We loved “Sir Duke” and the entire album “Songs in the Key of Life” back in the '70’s.
Earth, Wind & Fire had lots of songs that are uplifting and fine for kids that my family still sings along with on car trips
 
99 Red balloons
Walking on Sunshine (Katrina and the Waves, I think?)
I Love a Rainy Night
Take Me On (Take On Me)
We Built This City (on rock-and-roll) Jefferson Airplane/Starship
Kokimo (sp? Beach Boys…Aruba, Jamaica…)

What a good idea. Fun thread! I’ll post again if I can think of some more. I have a couple in my head, but I can’t remember enough of the song to even get the title.
 
cecilia97 said:
Has anybody suggested “The Safety Dance” yet? 🙂 Or does that mean something naughty? I’ve never been sure.
Click to expand...
It isn’t naughty. Safety Dance was a song protesting the violence that was taking place in punk rock clubs at the time. Black Flag concerts were especially notorious for violence.

Specifically, the lyrics reference the interior of the late great CBGB’s punk rock nightclub in New York City. There were two obtrusive poles in dance floor, hence the lyric “they’re doing it (dancing) from pole to pole.” :cool:

Another great song I loved in the 80s was an oldie from 1963 - “Surfin’ Bird” by the Trashmen. It’s insane. Your kids will love it.
 
La Bamba - Los Lobos

The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades - Timbuk 3

Dancing Queen - Abba

Video Killed the Radio Star

Cars - Gary Newman

Black Water - Doobie Brothers

Proud Mary - Tina Turner

Spiders and Snakes - Jim Stafford

If you really want to give them a laugh, find Convoy!!! 😃
 
I forgot to list the theme from “Ghostbusters”. I loved that when I was a kid.
 
Paganus said:
It isn’t naughty. Safety Dance was a song protesting the violence that was taking place in punk rock clubs at the time. Black Flag concerts were especially notorious for violence.

Specifically, the lyrics reference the interior of the late great CBGB’s punk rock nightclub in New York City. There were two obtrusive poles in dance floor, hence the lyric “they’re doing it (dancing) from pole to pole.” :cool:

Another great song I loved in the 80s was an oldie from 1963 - “Surfin’ Bird” by the Trashmen. It’s insane. Your kids will love it.
Click to expand...
Thanks! I learn something every day! 🙂
 
have to echo the vote on Huey Lewis & the News because I just got their greatest hits and they had lots of cute, clean songs. The videos were cute also. They just released a collection of the videos on DVD. Remember “Stuck on You” and the songs from Back to the Future soundtrack? I saw Huey, et. al. in concert at their peak in the '80’s and there was no cursing or suggestive stuff.
Click to expand...
Er… you might just want to listen a little closer to “Power of Love” (or, then again, you might not.) There is one EXTREMELY suggestive line that probably would go over a lot of kids’ heads (it did mine, back in the day) but when I was listening to it the other day, I thought, “Did they just say what I thought they said???”

There were also a few groups that were but a mere blip on the Billboard charts in the '80s but had some cute songs. “Crush on You” by The Jets (a musical group made up of seven siblings!), and “Cool It Now” by (I believe)The New Edition.

I remember having an album back in the '70s called “Fun Rock” that had songs by The Archies (“Sugar, Sugar” and “Jingle Jangle Jingle”), Brian Hyland (“Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini”), Shirley Ellis (I remembered! “The Name Game”), and other songs like, “Purple Peope Eater”, “Simon Says”, “I’m a Believer” (The Monkees version), “Dizzy” by Tommy Roe, etc.

Old Mickey Mouse Club albums (if you can find them) from back in the days of Annette Funicello, or even the late '70s version (when Lisa Welchel, of “Facts of Life” fame, was a member) had some fun songs on them (am I dating myself, or what?) You can probably find albums by (of all people) The Partridge Family and The Brady Bunch (check BMG or Columbia House… I think I’ve seen them in their catalogs!)
 
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