the house cleaning playlist

Hi, ladies. I thought I'd share my official house-cleaning playlist with you, in case it suits. This is a high-energy, cheerful playlist to get you motivated to clean stuff, and it's all available on iTunes. Claire helps me, so I include some stuff especially for her, too. 

We listen to regular playlists when we clean, too, but this one is fun if there is a lot to do.

Minor Swing by Django Reinhardt
If I had to guess who gets the most airplay in my house overall, I'd say Django.  Gypsy jazz is just such a good living-your-life soundtrack to have on in the background.  We listen to Django almost every single day.

It's the Hard Knock Life from the Annie Original Broadway Cast Recording
Of course you have to listen to this while you clean. Pretend Miss Hannigan has just yelled at you that you'll stay up 'til this dump shines like the top of the Chrysler Building!

Jambalaya by Lucinda Williams
I had never heard this song until Catherine Thursby stuck it on her blog playlist. It has become a housecleaning staple around here.  Son of a gun, we're gonna have big fun on the bayou. :)

A Cookie as Big as My Head by Lunch Money & Tiny Dinosaurs by Lunch Money
Claire and I discovered Lunch Money (we discovered them for ourselves, I mean . . . we didn't discover them for everyone) when we heard It Only Takes One Night to Make a Balloon Your Friend in the beginning of 2009 on XM Kids Place Live.  (We've learned about a lot of good kids' music that way.)  Now we all love Lunch Money around here for their clever, clever lyrics and cheerful tunes. I dare you not to get A Cookie as Big as My Head (By the way, my cookie policy is chocolate chip only/Raisins and oatmeal sounds like cereal/I already had breakfast/Don't I look healthy?) and Tiny Dinosaurs (We are the Tiny Dinosaurs/We'd fit right through your doggy door/We're not as big as your kitchen/We're only about as big as a chicken) stuck in your head while you mop the kitchen floor. :D If you order a CD from them (we have both and love them both), they send you a link to download the album online while you wait for the CD to come in the mail.  And you can ask Molly to add a message.  They're so cool.  

Hungarian Dances No. 5 in G Minor by Johannes Brahms
Very good Swiffering music.  When it slows down, do under the furniture.  When it speeds up, do the wide open spaces.

Happy Working Song from the Enchanted Soundtrack
Of course you have to have this one. (Come and roll your sleeves up/So that we can pitch in/Cleaning crud up in the kitchen/As we sing along)

The Lonely Goatherd from The Sound of Music Original Movie Soundtrack
Yodeling makes house cleaning much more enjoyable.  Trust me. :D

Waterloo by Abba
I still remember the dance I made up to this song when I was about ten. I'm so glad nobody but Claire can see me when I clean house.  :D  

Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance) by Leo Sayer 
This is the dishwashing song. :)  

The Magic Song (Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo) with Mary Martin
I can't quite handle the Verna Felton version of this from the soundtrack, but Mary Martin's cover on Walt Disney Records Archive Collection Volume 1 on iTunes is very enjoyable. It lacks the energy of the original, but is good for doing a chore you hate and need to feel mellow about. I find it good for ironing.

Fisher's Hornpipe with Alison Krauss, Edgar Meyer, Mark O'Connor and Yo-Yo Ma
This is from Appalachian Journey.  You can spritz Windex in time to this if you're good.

Waltzing Matilda with Dan Zanes & Debbie Harry
This waltz lends itself to rhythmic chores such as window-washing.  Don't let its lilt fool you. A guy is getting arrested for theft in this song. It's edgy.

The Hoppity Song by John Ondrasik
We admittedly don't get much cleaning done when this one comes on. But we do get lots of hopping done.

Dust Bunny by Keith Munslow
This is about a boy who makes a dust bunny into his pet. (And I named him Fred/And I used a shoebox for his bed/"You're pretty weird," my brother said.)  It's our vacuuming song. If you listen to the lyrics, you will know why. :)

Gone, Gone, Gone (Done Moved On) by Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
This is our grand finale. :)

For the Beauty of the Earth from the Little Women Movie Soundtrack
And in perhaps the strangest segue ever, this is our cool-down song. :)