For the Kids [Nettwerk]

1	Mahna Mahna / Cake 2:53
2	La la la la Lemon / Barenaked Ladies 1:56
3	The Rainbow Connection / Sarah McLachlan 3:30
4	I've Got to Be Clean / Guster 2:07
5	Wonderwheel / Dan Zanes & Friends 3:21
6	Have a Little Fun With Me / Glen Phillips 2:28
7	The Hoppity Song / Five for Fighting 2:27
8	My Flying Saucer / Wilco 1:44
9	It's All Right to Cry / Darius Rucker 2:08
10	Sing / Ivy 2:50
11	Bright Eyes / Remy Zero 2:32
12	Willie the King / Dan Wilson 3:22
13	Snow Day / Bleu 2:19
14	Twinkle Twinkle Little Star / Raine Maida 2:43
15	Goodnight Children Everywhere / Sixpence None the Richer 3:22
16	Bend Down the Branches / Tom Waits 1:05

Barnes & Noble

The eclectic mix of classic and original children's songs on For the Kids gathers a diverse group of artists -- and it's for a good cause. Benefiting VH1's Save the Music Foundation, a nonprofit group dedicated to enriching music education programs in America's public schools, For the Kids boasts catchy tunes and captivating rhythms that will have listeners of all ages clapping their hands and tapping their feet. Several songs will be familiar to fans of The Muppet Show and Sesame Street, including "La La La La Lemon" (performed by Barenaked Ladies), "Mahna Mahna" (performed by Cake), "The Rainbow Connection" (performed by Sarah McLachlan)," and "I've Got to be Clean," (performed by Guster). Among the original creations are "Willie the King," a song about childhood innocence from Semisonic's Dan Wilson; the spunky "The Hoppity Song" from Five for Fighting's John Ondrasik; and a fun-filled tune from performer Bleu about longing for a "Snow Day." Toad the Wet Sprocket's Glen Phillips invites kids to "Have a Little Fun With Me," while Hootie and the Blowfish's Darius Rucker lets kids know "It's All Right to Cry", initially performed by football star Rosey Grier in 1972 as part of Marlo Thomas's Free to Be You and Me. With a lot of heart and plenty of soul, the artists assembled here are truly doing it For the Kids.

All Music Guide

VH1's Save the Music Foundation and Nettwerk came together in fall 2002 to support music education around North America. The various-artists collection For the Kids is a delightful way to do it. The 16-track compilation features an assorted mix of classic children's songs and fresh originals sung by some of modern rock's finest artists. For the Kids presents a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Canadian songstress Sarah McLachlan gets a little froggy in covering The Muppet Show favorite "The Rainbow Connection." This particular track was initially introduced by Kermit the Frog in The Muppet Movie in 1979, but McLachlan's angelic presentation will surely win kids over. Barenaked Ladies and Guster cover Sesame Street favorites, while Five for Fighting's John Ondrasik penned one of the album's most charming moments with "The Hoppity Song." An amazing close to the record comes from blues crooner Tom Waits. Available for the first time, "Bend Down the Branches" is a sweepy bedtime lullaby. Artists like Remy Zero, Ivy, Darius Rucker, and ex-Toad the Wet Sprocket frontman Glen Phillips are also included on this sweet effort. A portion of the proceeds made from For the Kids will go to the VH1 Save the Music Foundation, which has raised more than 21 million dollars for instruments and musical education for 900 public schools in 75 cities across North America since 1997. MacKenzie Wilson