5 Lilting Lullabies From Famous Rockers

Rock and rollers are just big softies at heart, right? Well, at least when it comes to their children. That’s why you’ll find that many of the biggest names in the industry have penned lullabies at one time or another.

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While there have been a lot of songs that were written about rock offspring, we tried to keep this list to songs that were related in some way to sleep. Here are five lovely lullabies for your next bedtime serenade!

“Good Night” by The Beatles (1968)

The Beatles wrote a ton of material while they were on their retreat in India in 1968. And they didn’t incline to try and winnow any of it down. Hence, they made a double album, one that was often distinguished by jarring transitions between songs. At the end of Side Four, the group followed up their chaotic cacophony “Revolution 9” with “Good Night” as lush a song as they ever recorded, full of harps and strings. Ringo Starr was chosen to deliver this Lennon/McCartney track, and he fills it to the brim with charm.

“All La Glory” by The Band (1970)

This one might be the least well-known of all the songs on this list, in part because Stage Fright, the album that contains it, doesn’t get as much attention (although it should) as The Band’s first two albums. Much of Stage Fright is tense and frazzled. It’s a reflection of the harried, road-weary nerves of the gentlemen who made it. “All La Glory” contrasts all of that with its pure tenderness. Give credit to Robbie Robertson for writing it, Levon Helm for gently caressing it as lead vocalist, and Garth Hudson for bathing it all in the benevolent glow of his keyboards.

“Alright For Now” by Tom Petty (1989)

The Heartbreakers took a little hiatus in the late 80s after a busy stretch. This allowed Tom Petty to tackle some new artistic challenges. He found a kindred spirit in ELO frontman Jeff Lynne, who had also taken a break from his band to pursue production work. The timing was fortuitous. It resulted in Full Moon Fever, an album that put a new coat of paint on Petty’s songwriting gifts. “Alright for Now” doesn’t need much; it’s just a sweet acoustic ditty about a guy wishing a good night to someone who’s given his life a great deal.

“Lullaby (Goodnight, My Angel)” by Billy Joel (1993)

Part of the reason that Billy Joel got out of the record-making game was because his personal life had become public fodder, and he felt that he couldn’t bring much mystery to his songs anymore. There’s something to that. Everyone in the world knew at the time that “Lullaby (Goodnight, My Angel)” was sung in honor of his baby daughter Alexa Ray. Joel does an amazing job with it, via both the gorgeous melody and by capturing the fragility that a parent feels in trying to answer the big questions for their kids.

“Little Willow” by Paul McCartney (1997)

Jeff Lynne makes another appearance as a producer on this list. After helping the living Beatles pull together new recordings from old John Lennon demos for the Anthology project, he stayed on to helm several songs, including “Little Willow” on Paul McCartney’s next studio album Flaming Pie. Lynne’s velvety touch is all over the pillowy-soft track. Meanwhile, McCartney delivers a lullaby with more than a little sorrow baked into it, as he was writing it following the passing of Maureen Starkey, Ringo Starr’s ex-wife.

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