Pink Floyd Finds New Audience As Scientists Think The Dark Side Of The Moon Can Help Lull Your BABY To Sleep
- The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd contains elements of good lullabies
- The band’s music has influenced the creation of the perfect tune for babies
Forget Baa, Baa Black Sheep – the perfect lullaby for babies can be inspired by Pink Floyd’s experimental musical soundscapes.
The British Academy of Sound Therapy has produced a piece of music based on decades of scientific research that is almost guaranteed to make a baby drift away.
It includes watery sounds like those in the safety of the womb, soothing wind chimes and the calming clatter of rainsticks.
It is backed by the influence of Pink Floyd’s seminal classic The Dark Side of The Moon.
While that may not seem like a classic for the little ones, the album contains many elements that make for lullabies, says Lyz Cooper, who founded the British Academy of Sound Therapy and produced the lullaby in collaboration with music producer Sillkey, based on a commissioned by the baby and toddler brand from supermarket Aldi, Mamia (SUBS – keep all this high).
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Ms Cooper said: ‘While older lullabies like Baa, Baa Black Sheep have their place, Pink Floyd’s soundscapes provide real inspiration for getting babies to sleep.
Pink Floyd takes you on a musical journey, much like the journey to sleep in a lullaby, often without the distraction of singing.
“The kind of music that aims to change consciousness and turn people on, tune them in, and shut them down is also very good for a laid-back baby.
“The influence of these songs will really help them drift away.”
Pink Floyd songs featured in the lullaby include Wish You Were Here, which begins with white noise.
The lullaby contains a warmer version of this sound, perhaps reminiscent of the womb.
A soundscape similar to that of the lullaby can also be heard in the first few minutes of the Pink Floyd song Shine on You Crazy Diamond, with chimes and rich booming sounds like those in their lullaby.
The lullaby is five minutes and 18 seconds long because research shows that five minutes is the amount of time it takes the average baby to relax, based on tracking babies’ slowing heart rates.
Pink Floyd songs featured in the lullaby include Wish You Were Here, which begins with white noise. Pictured: The Dark Side of the Moon album cover
The lullaby’s rhythm, called Drift, is set at 50 beats per minute, which is just a little slower than a normal resting heartbeat, so it can remind a baby of their mother’s heartbeat in the womb without being too fast to stop them from falling asleep.
There are no vocals in the lullaby, as evidence suggests that babies relax more quickly when words are not played for them to focus on.
The song, available via the attached QR code (SUBS – change this bit if necessary) has repetitive chords and pulsating keyboards.
Ms. Cooper said, ‘Songs without vocal elements were more relaxing, so we made an instrumental piece with sounds that were perceived as soothing.’