Four Things: Songs for my Baby Sister's Birthday

This week is my youngest sister, Rosie's birthday, so I wanted to write a blog post dedicated to her. I like to think of these music posts like little mini compilation tapes (there's a modern reference for the kids...) that I can create for special people and to remind me of special times. I think with youngest children in particular it is always hard to get past seeing them as being a little kid all their life, but my little sis is now an amazing woman, with a home and a husband of her own. In some ways she's probably more grown up than I am! I always call her a Tiny Tiger because she is so determined and feisty, she's someone who always achieves what she sets her mind to and never lets anything beat her. Here are four songs that always remind me of her:

1. The Cat Empire, "Hello": In her gap year before going to university, Rosie went to Australia for the best part of a year, and I think this is where she heard of The Cat Empire, who are an Australian band. Years later we managed to get tickets to go and see them for her birthday and it was such a great night. This is real party music, super sunny and upbeat, ideal for parties, barbecues and festivals. I always think of Rosie whenever I hear them, and particularly the "Hello, hello, hello" refrain of this song.

2. Ben Folds Five, "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces": Ben Folds Five are a family favourite in our family, and Rosie really loves them. I could have picked almost any BF5 song for her, but picked this one since we often tease her about her "anger issues" - which is probably what makes her so angry...

3. Barenaked Ladies, "If I Had $1,000,000": Barenaked Ladies are another favourite of my little sister, and a band who aren't as popular in the UK as I think they were in the USA. I'm not sure how Rosie got into them but they are a band I always associate with her, and this is one of their catchiest songs.

4. Jeeves and Wooster Soundtrack, "The Blue Room": When we were young, our Dad had the Jeeves and Wooster Soundtrack on a tape and we used to listen to it all the time in the car. It is hilarious, and now hard to get on CD (but available to download). We knew all the songs and bits of dialogue in between them, and invented elaborate stories to go along with the instrumentals from the series. But the reason I particularly wanted to add this song isn't just because of its childhood associations. It is also because this is one of the two songs that Rosie sang at our wedding ceremony. She is a trained choral singer who has sung professionally and her voice is a remarkable instrument. Dan and I are not religious (though Rosie and her husband Paul are very involved in their church) so we chose to have a registry office wedding. Because of this the music we used couldn't be religious. I really wanted Rosie to sing at our wedding, but the civil ceremony meant that her usual church music repertoire was out. I asked her to come up with something secular but appropriate and this was one of the songs she sang. It was a magical part of our wedding day that she performed, and a brilliant gift that only she could give us.

Happy birthday little Raad, I love you!