Music

12 super cute videos featuring kids

by Jesse Locke

March 21, 2014

Living on Video is a column that unearths forgotten VHS gems, Vimeo obscurities, and YouTube oddities from the musical ether—all obsessively curated by Weird Canada music editor Jesse Locke.

This week’s theme has two inspirations: 1., The loveable kid vid for The Pinecones’ “Gloomy Monday” (see below) and 2., The fantastic website Experimental Music On Children’s TV (EMOCTV for short). I’ve bent the rules slightly here and compiled some clips from kids’ shows and kid-bands along with a few favourite music videos, because I believe the children are our future… [ED: Well, not these children.]

The Pinecones – “Gloomy Monday”

In this sweetly sardonic video, Toronto’s jangle-poppin’ Pinecones poke fun at a group of sixth graders’ inability to understand vinyl, then recreate the cover art from their latest album, Ooh! Giving credit where it’s due, the band explains that it was “directed and choreographed by these kids and their teacher.”

Stevie Wonder – “Superstition” (Sesame Street)

Here’s a stone-cold classic from 1973. Stevie Wonder and his band (featuring Ray Parker Jr. of Ghostbusters fame on guitar) are totally cooking, but the longhaired kid rocking out on the stairs steals the show. Throw this video on for an instant mood-reverser when you’re having a gloomy day.

Mainliner – “Tsukisasaru” (Chic-A-Go-Go)

EMOCTV has featured a few clips from this insane public access program (“Chicago’s Dance Show for Kids of All Ages”), but not my personal fave. Japanese psych trio Mainliner blast off with their usual face-melting heaviness, while the amped up children and parents get totally buck.

Bruce Haack and Miss Nelson – “The Saucer’s Apprentice” (Mr. Roger’s Neighbourhood)

This 1968 appearance from the Albertan electronic pioneer popped up on EMOCTV as well, but it deserves to be shared in as many places as possible. At 2:25, Mr. Haack and Miss Nelson sing along to a cut from his upcoming album, The Way-Out Record for Children, which also includes one of the earliest uses of a sample (the Rolling Stones’ “Citadel”). Mind blown yet?

The Notorious B.I.G. – “Sky’s The Limit”

A Spike Jonze joint featuring kiddie versions of Biggie, Diddy, Busta Rhymes, 112 and (really) Lil’ Kim? Doesn’t get much better than that. The censored sound effects add to the late ’90s time capsule, too.

Danny Brown – “Grown Up”

Leave it to Danny Brown to carry on the kid-as-rapper concept and pull it off perfectly. The missing tooth origin moment is an A+ touch.

Jordy – “Dur dur d’être bébé”

Then of course there’s France’s four-year-old novelty rap/pop-house superstar with his smash hit “Dur dur d’être bébé” (“It’s Tough to Be a Baby”). Get ready to have this stuck in your head for the next week.

The Killjoys – “Today I Hate Everyone”

These days, Mike Trebilcock of the Killjoys is playing guitar and skull-theremin for Simply Saucer, but back in ’94 this video was a bona fide Much mega hit. It’s easy to see why, as the slack-rock earworm is perfectly matched with shots of a pissed-off birthday party and kiddie-car cam à la The Shining. An angsty classic up there with the Ass Ponys.

Children Medieval Band – “Sonne”

Stefan (10), Olga (8) and Cornelia (5) from Bucharest, Romania are the Children Medieval Band. Best Rammstein cover ever…

PS22 Chorus – “Round and Round”

Here’s another cool as hell cover by an Ariel Pink fan/music teacher and his elementary school chorus from Staten Island. 2011’s answer to The Langley Schools Music Project.