There’s some music in my life that I have no recollection of listening to for the first time, but can recite word for word. I think this is familiar to many of us who grew up in the age of ubiquitous radio, CDs, and now spotify. 

For me it’s the Cranberries and The Beatles, for Abby it’s Raffi, The Police, and Sharon Lois and Bram.

For Roby it might be Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Her song Murder On The Dancefloor is pretty great. It’s featured prominently in a revelatory nude dance number towards the end of Saltburn. I quite enjoyed that film. We watched it twice and Roby was there, and we also listened to that song a fair bit to keep the energy going. 

Somewhere in relistening to that song we discovered that it has a near-magical effect on Roby. She’ll be crying in the car, barely holding on, and it’ll quiet her instantly, putting her shortly to sleep. 

This is not a sleepy song. It’s a dance track from early 2000s UK. I have no idea why it has this effect, but I’m thankful for it. It’s a pretty helpful tool to have in the quiver.

That was a thing that I was always curious about, how did parents discover these bizarre tips and tricks? Musical obsession, I guess, and happenstance. 

I’m already excited to witness her response to this song in a decade or two. One day we’ll watch Saltburn together and it’ll be an old movie, and maybe it’ll put her to sleep.