As a parent, have you ever sung melodies to your baby? Or sang along to nursery rhymes with your toddler or preschooler? We all have done this before and one of the most popular kid songs is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. The words alone are enough to make any mother’s heart melt as she stares lovingly into her child’s eyes. “How she wonders what her child is up above the world so high like a diamond in the skky”, yes we all know this song. It has been embedded into our memories from our own childhoods. But what are its origins and where does it come from? This is a mystery that is seldom explored.
According to songfacts.com, the traditional song was written in 1806 and its roots stem from a poem called “The Star” by the English Poet and Novelist Jane Taylor. The poem was first published in a book entitled The Singing Master in 1836.
WHAT IS THE MEANING IF THIS RHYME?
There have been two meanings circulating. One is pretty literal and said to help children develop their imagination when describing the star and how it lights the way for travelers. Another rumor is a little more gloomy. But what’s a nursery rhyme without a little gloom, right? It has been said that if you play the tune backwards it sounds like they are singing, “I wish there was no Allah”. I have personally never played the song backwards but if you felt the need to investigate I am sure it would be interesting. I really do believe that this is may have been the first descriptive analogy that kids came across in their formative years.
DO THE CHARACTERS HAVE ANY SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE?
The characters in this song are the star and the sky. And then of course the person who is doing all the wondering. There appears to be no significant meaning and the message is very easy to understand.
There is one other interesting fact that you may not have realized yet. This song has the same melody as the ABC’s and Baa Baa Black Sheep. Kind of neat, don’t you agree? It is almost like they picked one universal melody that all children are supposed to love and then they ran with it. There are a lot of different opinions about his nursery rhyme even down to who wrote it. Some people say that Wolfgang Mozart wrote this tune. But it is actually an old French melody called Les Amusements d’une Huere et Demy. Try saying that 5 times fast! We all agree that saying Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is much more appealing to a 3 year old. It is one of the best songs for kids and the lyrics match their comprehension level. Sing along to a Twinkle Twinkle Little Star video today!