I played Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' "American Girl" for my daughter, Sophia, this morning, and she was amazed. She's three and a half, and one of her prized possessions right now is her American Girl Doll, Elizabeth. When Petty crooned out the refrain, "She was . . . an American girl," Soph' looked up with wide, sparkling eyes and gasped.
"Daddy!" she said, reaching her out hand with her palm turned toward the ceiling. "This is American Girl Doll song!"
"Yep," I told her. I started to sing along with Petty, changing the words so that they were about Elizabeth. Sophia went into the kitchen to tell her mother.
"Mom," she shouted. "This is American Girl Doll song. Listen."
I put the song on repeat, and Sophia danced around in the living room for about twenty minutes.
As I watched her spin around, spread her arms out wide, and shake her hips, I envied her. It must be great to live in a world where this frenetic 70's anthem celebrating teenage restlessness seamlessly connects with an overpriced, parent-friendly doll that "honors the courage and spirit" of girlhood in colonial Virginia.
But the more I watched, I figured why not? I pictured Elizabeth, Felicity, Josefina, Kirsten, Addy, all of them dancing in a spastic chorus-line to the song's closing guitar riffs, and it was beautiful.
It's a shame Tom Petty is one of the few remaining artists who doesn't license his songs. It's a shame to think that someday Sophia will slowly begin to realize that the doll and the song actually have nothing to do with each other. It's a shame that she won't realize she's actually wrong. It's a shame that we all forget how simply and beautifully wise we are at the age of three.
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3 comments:
Matt,
My four-month old is currently preoccupied with stuffing her toes into her mouth, but I'm looking forward to the moment when she embraces 70's anthem rock, even if that embrace is somewhat misplaced. I do have her on a steady diet of Jerry Garcia in the hope that she has the lyrics to Ripple down-pat by the time she's 3.
PS - You've come a long way from the halls of Alpha.....
Thanks for stopping by Joe. That moment may come sooner than you think. My younger daughter, Madeline, isn't quite 2 yet, but when I play Cheap Trick for her she stomps around the house and rhythmically bangs her face against the sofa cushions.
By the way, in case you don't already know, Jerry Garcia actually recorded a pretty decent kids album with David Grisham a few years before he croaked. It's called Not for Kids Only.
What are you up to these days anyway? Are you still in the DC area? Send me an email -- mgetty@gmail.com.
Once again..........I love it Matt. More.......
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