Want proof that inspiration can come from anywhere?
Earlier this week I was having a chat with my friend Jonathan about creativity, communication, and pop culture (my ideal kind of conversation).
I was sharing an anecdote about the movie Space Jam, and told him I used the film to get my young kids interested in basketball. (They weren’t impressed with the far superior basketball film, Hoosiers, despite it featuring Lex Luthor – and my blurry face in the crowd).
Jonathan told me when he has kids, he wants to get them interested in music, to which I replied:
“You need to make sure they listen to Rockabye Baby!”
“What’s that?” he asked, reminding me that people aren’t necessarily aware of the alternatives to The Wheels on the Bus and Baby Shark.
And that spark of a conversation had me up early the next morning researching the inspiration behind Rockabye Baby!
Here is the creative story of the greatest collection of lullabies designed for babies and parents – and the woman behind it all.
Meet Lisa Roth.
In 2006, Lisa had a problem.
She was looking for a baby shower gift that incorporated music – and couldn’t find anything she liked.
But the disappointing shopping experience gave her an idea.
She had just started working at a record label, and went to the owner with an idea for a music series that would incorporate rock music and lullabies.
It would combine music, humor, and a bit of nostalgia – and be as much for the parents as it was for the babies.
“I was thinking ‘Baby’s First Sex Pistols’ or something like that,” she said.
But how could they take hard rock songs and make them gentle enough for sleeping babies and still entertaining for adults?
“Translating songs into lullabies is a bit of an art form,” Lisa said.
Lisa and a co-worker started brainstorming – and came up with an idea for Lullaby Renditions of Led Zeppelin.
They worked with musicians and producers to deconstruct the original compositions and used a palette of soft instruments (including woodblocks, bells and xylophones) to create the soft tones and cheery chords of a lullaby.
As a music lover, Lisa wanted to make lullabies that celebrated the original music, and showed respect for the artists.
“First and foremost, we’re fans, so we take care to make every album musically interesting enough to satisfy adult listeners. Everything we do is an homage. It’s not a joke. We’re not making fun. We take seriously what we do in every way: the imaging, the cover art, the verbiage.”
After a year of creative meetings and production, they released three albums with lullaby renditions of Metallica, Coldplay, and Radiohead, under the moniker Rockabye Baby!
It took some time for Rockabye Baby! to find its audience, but the creative lullabies were eventually a hit with both babies and parents – and Lisa reached out to more artists to grow the catalog.
Although the series started with rock bands, over the years they have added lullabies from the greatest music catalogs of every genre – pop, hip hop, alternative, metal, classic rock, R&B, Latin and country.
At first listen, the music sounds like a traditional lullaby. They are all instrumental, so the parent may recognize the Beyoncé or Beatles hit, but the baby won’t be learning the lyrics to Highway to Hell or Gin & Juice.
The Rockabye Baby! lullaby series now includes 100 releases, with artists as diverse as Taylor Swift, Drake, Madonna, Rihanna, Nirvana, Prince, David Bowie, Elvis, Shakira and Eminem.
Lisa’s creative solution to a problem has sold millions of copies, garnered nearly one billion streams – and entertained millions of babies and parents.
BONUS FUN FACT: Lisa’s brother is David Lee Roth, lead singer of rock band Van Halen. She waited five years before turning Van Halen’s hits into lullabies. Have a listen:
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How Can I Help?
If you’ve read this far, maybe you already know what I do to help leaders and teams improve their communication, creativity, and leadership skills.
And if not, please get in touch and check out my website for more information.
Keep Smiling!
-Beth