The disc starts with Barney the dinosaur singing "I Love You, You Love Me".  Not only was Barney Rose's first celebrity infatuation,  it is about the only song I remotely mastered on the banjo, which I would play for her when she was a toddler in the bathtub.  Next came "Don't Stick Your Finger Up Your Nose" from a tape entitled "Naughty Songs for Boys and Girls", a regular on our long drives to school in the early days.

But the songs don't just reflect her early years.  In fact, this CD may be the only album in the world that includes cuts by Barney the aforementioned dinosaur, Loggins and Messina and KC and the Sunshine Band all together in one place.  There are songs we danced to when we'd play wii dance, songs from concerts we attended together, and songs from dance and juggling performances throughout her growing up.  The weirdest transition is when Noah Gunderson's dark "Fear and Loathing" is followed immediately by Wham! singing "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go".  Yet she and I could tell you the significance of each of these songs, as well as Johnny Horton's  "the Battle of New Orleans". Boney M's "Rasputin" and all the others.  

In fact, Rose hand wrote liner notes that explained the significance of each cut on the CD.  "Your Momma Don't Dance" is the song she and I would have dance parties to when she was a little girl.  Then my wife would come in feigning shock that we would behave in such a manner to such music.  "Fear and Loathing" was the opening song of the first concert that I took her to in Portland.  The W's "The Devil is Bad" was the song she used for her eighth grade juggling solo when I took my class to Vermont that year.  Miley Cyrus's "Butterfly, Fly Away" was the last song she performed to after 15 years with the same dance studio.  As for "Battle of New Orleans", when we would play ping pong (she was in fourth grade or so) I'd intentionally let the score get to 18-14 so I could pretend my paddle was a banjo and I'd sing "1814, took a little trip..."

Fittingly, the only singer who appears on the disc twice is a mutual favorite, Woodstock alum Melanie.  "Peace Will Come" is there representing my introducing Rose to the 1960's-70's icon, and "Beautiful People" is present as well, since this was the song she performed to in her senior year dance competitions, as well as the song Melanie opened with when Rose and I saw her in Bath, Maine.

Equally fitting is that this mix CD ends with Paul Simon's "Father and Daughter", a song that has meant so much to me and all three of my girls over the years.  Naomi used this song for her senior video in high school, Jona-Lynn used it for the father/daughter dance at her wedding (which ended up being me dancing with all three girls before the song ended), and it was the song I did a special jugging routine to in the last show we performed before Rose went away to college.

Yes, this mix is a bit eclectic, but I would proudly nominate it for a Grammy in the best soundtrack to a daughter's childhood category.  Thank you, Rose.

"I'm gonna watch you shine,

gonna watch you grow

gonna paint a sign

so you'll always know...

As long as one and one is two

There could never be a father who loved his daughter more than I love you."