Monday, August 31, 2020

Alfie



1967, by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and a great job here by Dionne Warwick. 

Would this be a strange lullaby to sing to an infant? Putting an infant to sleep requires a routine. You can't just surprise them with "that's it! down you go! lights out!" There must be a series of events, culminating in sleep. You program them, in other words. For my second child, the last step in the routine was me singing two songs to him. The light were out, just me and him, my hand on his back, and I sang the same two songs every night for at least a year. 

First I sang, "Silhouettes on the Shade," by the Rays. Then I sang, "Alfie." By the time I was done, he was fast asleep. I still love these songs, and that memory. 

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