"Circle of Life" from The Lion King

Many people have voted for this one as the best Disney song ever. I have to say, the juxtaposition with the sun rising made for a very powerful opening scene in the movie.

Circle of Life - YouTube

Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba 
[Here comes a lion, Father]
Sithi uhm ingonyama
[Oh yes, it's a lion]

Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba
[Here comes a lion, Father]
Sithi uhm ingonyama
[Oh yes, it's a lion]
Ingonyama
[A lion]

Siyo Nqoba
[We're going to conquer]
Ingonyama
[the lion]
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala
[A lion and a leopard come to this open place]

[Chant repeats]

From the day we arrive on the planet
And blinking, step into the sun
There's more to see than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done
There's far too much to take in here
More to find than can ever be found
But the sun rolling high
Through the sapphire sky
Keeps great and small on the endless round

It's the Circle of Life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the Circle
The Circle of Life

It's the Circle of Life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the Circle
The Circle of Life

"Sesame Street Theme (Sunny Days)"

I'm raising a third generation of family members to enjoy Sesame Street. I wish we lived there!

The Street Sings Sunny Days - YouTube

Sunny day...
sweepin' the clouds away,
on my way to where the air is sweet...

Can you tell me how to get,
how to get to Sesame Street?

Come and play,
everything's a-okay.
Friendly neighbors there,
that's where we meet...

Can you tell me how to get,
how to get to Sesame Street?

It's a magic carpet ride.
Every door will open wide
to happy people like you.
Happy people like--
What a beautiful--

Sunny day...
sweepin' the clouds away,
on my way to where the air is sweet...

Can you tell me how to get,
how to get to Sesame Street?
...how to get to Sesame Street?
...how to get to Sesame Street?

"Take Me Home, Country Roads" - John Denver

Arguably John Denver's signature song, despite the fact that some of the geographical features he mentions are only slightly associated with West Virginia. Nonetheless, this is heartwarming classic country.

Take Me Home, Country Roads - YouTube

covers by: Lynn Anderson and Olivia Newton John

Almost heaven, West Virginia,
Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River.
Life is old there, older than the trees,
Younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze.

Country roads, take me home to the place I belong.
West Virginia, mountain momma, take me home, country roads.

All my memories gather round her,
Miner's lady, stranger to blue water.
Dark and dusty, painted on the sky,
Misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye.

Country roads, take me home to the place I belong.
West Virginia, mountain momma, take me home, country roads.

I hear her voice in the morning hour she calls me,
The radio reminds me of my home far away.
And driving down the road I get a feeling that
I should have been home yesterday, yesterday.

Country roads, take me home to the place I belong.
West Virginia, mountain momma, take me home, country roads.

Country roads, take me home to the place I belong.
West Virginia, mountain momma, take me home, country roads.

The Four Seasons ("Spring," "Summer," "Autumn," "Winter") - Antonio Vivaldi

The following link includes all four movements. Spring is the first, Summer starts at (10:31), Autumn at (20:59), and Winter at (32:48).

The Four Seasons - YouTube

[Instrumental, no lyrics]

"Whip My Hair" - Willow Smith

Some have criticized this one for being too repetitive, but the video looks like it was a lot of fun to make!

Whip My Hair -Vevo

[Chorus]
I whip my hair back and forth
I whip my hair back and forth (Just whip it)
I whip my hair back and forth
I whip my hair back and forth (Whip it real good)

I whip my hair back and forth
I whip my hair back and forth
I whip my hair back and forth
I whip my hair back and forth

Hop up out the bed turn my swag on
Ain’t no sense listening to them haters cuz we whip em off
And we ain’t doing nothing wrong
So don’t tell me nothing, I’m just tryna have fun
So keep the party jumping

So whats up (Yea)
And I’ll be doing what to do
We turn our back
And we walk over and just shake them off
Shake them off, shake them off, shake them off

Don’t let haters keep me off my grind
Keep my head up and I know I’ll be fine
Keep fighting until I (Yea)
Am down and I feel like giving up

[Chorus x3]

I’m going get more shine than a little bit
Soon as I hit the stage applause I am hearing it
Whether it's black stars, black cars I am feeling it
But no other do it like I do
I, I gets it in hmmm yea I go hard
When they see me pull up I whip it real hard
I whip it real hard, real hard, I whip it real hard

Don’t let haters keep me off my grind
Keep my head up and I know I’ll be fine
Keep fighting until I (Yea)
Am down and I feel like giving up

[Chorus x6]

All my ladies, if you feel me
Do it, do it, whip your hair
Don't matter if it's long, short
Do it do it whip your hair
All my ladies, if you feel me
Come on, do it, do it, whip your hair
Don't matter if it's long, short
Do it, do it whip your hair (Your hair, your hair)

[Chorus x3]

I whip my hair back and forth
I whip my hair back and forth
I whip my hair back and forth
I whip my hair back and forth

[Chorus x2]

I whip my hair back and forth
I whip my hair back and forth (Whip it real good)
I whip my hair back and forth
I whip my hair back and forth I whip

"Solo Dancer" - Charles Mingus

For the jazz fans out there, this is the first part of the album,The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady. The subtitle for this one is "Stop! Look! And Listen, Sinner Jim Whitney!" and it strikes me as a little bluesy.

Solo Dancer - YouTube

[Instrumental jazz, no lyrics]

"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" - Cyndi Lauper

One of the great "girl power" anthems, and I love the wide variety of fashion styles in the video. But because of the subtext in the beginning with the parents, I rate this one BK.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - YouTube

I come home, in the mornin' light
My mother says "When you gonna live your life right?"
Oh momma dear, we're not the fortunate ones
And girls, they wanna have fun
Oh girls just wanna have fun
Huh!

The phone rings, in the middle of the night
My father yells "What you gonna do with your life?"
Oh daddy dear, you know you're still number one
But girls they wanna have fun
Oh girls just wanna have

That's all they really want...
Some fun...
When the workin' day is done
Oh girls, they wanna have fun

Ho hoo girls just wanna have (girls) fun (they want)
(Wanna have fun)
(Girls)
(Wanna have)

Some boys take a beautiful girl
And hide her away from the rest o' the world
I wanna be the one to walk in the sun
Oh girls, they wanna have fun
Ho hoo girls just wanna have

That's all they really want...
Is some fun...
When the workin' day is done
Oh girls, they wanna have fun

Oh girls just wanna have (girls) fun (they want)
(Wanna have fun)
(Girls)
(Wanna have)

They just want, they just wanna (girls)
They just want, they just wanna (girls just wanna have fun)
Oh girls

Girls just wanna have fun
(Just want, they just wanna)
They just want, they just wanna (girls)
They just want, they just wanna (girls just wanna have fun)
Girls, girls just wanna have fun

When the workin'
When the workin' day is done
Oh, when the workin' day is done
Oh, girls
Girls just wanna have fun

They just want, they just wanna (girls)
They just want, they just wanna (girls just wanna have fun)
Oh, girls
Girls just wanna have fuun
(They just wanna, they just wanna)

When the workin'
When the working day is done (they just want, they just wanna)
Oh, when the working day is done (oh, girls)
(Girls just wanna have fun)

Oh, girls
Girls just wanna have fun
(They just want, they just wanna)

"Heigh-Ho" from Snow White

If you need to practice your whistling, here's a song to try.

Heigh-Ho - YouTube

We dig dig dig
dig dig dig dig
in our mine the whole day through

To dig dig dig
dig dig dig dig
is what we like to do

It ain't no trick
to get rich quick
If you dig dig dig
with a shovel or a pick
In a mine! (In a mine!) In a mine! (In a mine!)
Where a million diamonds (shine!)

We dig dig dig
dig dig dig dig
from early morn till night

We dig dig dig
dig dig dig dig
up everything in sight

We dig up diamonds by the score
A thousand rubies
sometimes more
But we don't know what we dig 'em for
We dig dig dig a-dig dig

[Instrumental bridge]

Heigh-ho
Heigh-ho
Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho

[Chorus]
Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
It's home from work we go
[Whistle]

Heigh-ho
Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
Heigh-ho
It's home from work we go
[Whistle]

Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
[Whistle]

Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
Heigh-ho hum

[Chorus x3]

Heigh-ho [Fades]

"Little Pearl and Lily's Lullaby" - Clint Black

This is such a sweet and loving song from a daddy to his baby daughter. It always makes me a little teary.

Little Pearl and Lily's Lullaby - YouTube

[Baby cooing]

When I heard the news,
There'll be baby shoes,
Waiting and wondering pink or blue,
Either gonna be a little me or you,
If I can see inside
Heaven knows we've tried,
Looking though the belly on a TV screen,
Don't have to tell me what her heartbeat means.

There's only one other who can love this girl like me
The mother of the finest little Pearl in any sea.

Paper shower brings,
lots of tiny things,
Lily's getting bigger every single day,
Gonna paint these flowers, gonna wait for May,
Had to dry my eyes; writing lullabies
I'm gonna sing her every song I know
Got to get ready for a whole new show.

'Cause I know ole father time's not wasting me,
With a brand new tiny little branch on the family tree.

[Instrumental bridge]

Barely time to choose,
All the baby shoes,
No more wondering pink or blue.
She's gonna be a little me and you.
Now I have her mind full of nursery rhymes,
Old Mother Goose, Little Bo Peep
Call Dr. Seuss, put her right to sleep.

[Chorus]
There's only one other who can love this girl like me
The mother of the finest little Pearl in any sea.

That is what she is to me.
[Baby giggles]

Go to sleep my darling, Sandman's calling,
Where the stars are gleaming, you will be dreaming
Go to sleep my darling, Sandman's calling,
We will be waiting for you; love and adore you
Go to sleep my darling, Sandman's calling,
Where the angels guide you to the dreams inside you
Go to sleep my darling, Sandman's calling,
Holding all your moonbeams, join me in my dreams...

[Instrumental]

"U Can't Touch This" - MC Hammer

There are a few words in here, like "sucker," that bump this one up to BK. The video, especially, shows quite a bit of skin on the ladies. But it's still a great song for dancing!

U Can't Touch This - YouTube

You can't touch this
You can't touch this
You can't touch this
(Oh-oh oh oh, oh-oh-oh)
You can't touch this
(Oh-oh oh oh, oh-oh-oh)
(You can't touch this)

My, my, my, my
Music hits me so hard
Makes me say "Oh my Lord!"
Thank you for blessing me
With a mind to rhyme and two hyped feet
It feels good when you know you're down
A superdope homeboy from the Oaktown
And I'm known as such
And this is a beat, uh, you can't touch

I told you, homeboy (You can't touch this)
Yeah, that's how we livin' and ya know (You can't touch this)
Look in my eyes, man (You can't touch this)
Yo, let me bust the funky lyrics (You can't touch this)

Fresh new kicks and pants
You got it like that now you know wanna dance
So move out of your seat
And get a fly girl and catch this beat
While it's rollin', hold on
Pump a little bit and let them know it's going on
Like that, like that
Cold on a mission so fall on back
Let 'em know that you're too much
And this is a beat, uh, they can't touch

Yo, I told you (You can't touch this)
Why you standing there, man? (You can't touch this)
Yo, sound the bell school is in, sucker (You can't touch this)

Give me a song or rhythm
Making no sweat that's what I'm giving 'em
Now they know
You talk about the Hammer when you're talking 'bout a show
That's hyped and tight
Singers are sweatin' so pass them a wipe
Or a tape to learn
What it's gonna take in the '90s to burn
The charts legit
Either work hard or you might as well quit

That's word because you know (You can't touch this)
(You can't touch this)
Break it down!

(Oh-oh-oh oh-oh)
(Oh-oh-oh oh-oh)
(Oh-oh-oh oh-oh)
(Oh-oh-oh oh)
Stop! Hammer time!

Go with the flow it is said
If you can't groove to this then you probably are dead
So wave your hands in the air
Bust a few moves, run your fingers through your hair
This is it for a winner
Dance to this and you're gonna get thinner
Move, slide your rump
Just for a minute, let's all do the bump

Bump, bump, bump
Yeah (You can't touch this)
Look, man (You can't touch this)
You'll better get hyped boy 'cause you know you can't (You can't touch this)
Ring the bell, school's back in
Break it down!

(Oh-oh-oh oh-oh)
(Oh-oh-oh oh-oh)
(Oh-oh-oh oh-oh)
(Oh-oh-oh oh)
Stop! Hammer time!

(You can't touch this)
(You can't touch this)
(You can't touch this)
Break it down!

(Oh-oh-oh oh-oh)
(Oh-oh-oh oh-oh)
(Oh-oh-oh oh-oh)
(Oh-oh-oh oh)
Stop! Hammer time!

Every time you see me
That Hammer's just so hype
I'm dope on the floor
And I'm magic on the mic
Now why would I ever
Stop doing this?
With others makin' records
That just don't hit
I toured around the world
From London to The Bay
It's "Hammer, go Hammer, MC Hammer, yo Hammer!"
And the rest can go and play

(You can't touch this)
(You can't touch this)
(You can't touch this)
Yeah, you can't touch this
I told you, can't touch this
Too hype, can't touch this
Yo, get me outta here, you can't touch this
(Oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh)