Veronica Falls - Broken Toy

It could be tricky, coming up with songs to play in the car when my son was younger. When I wanted to listen to something other than Yo Gabba Gabba (which, let me be clear, was awesome) but had to be thoughtful about what I played. I wanted to introduce him to a wide variety of good songs, but also avoid lots of swearing, violence, sex, or other charged language. I just wanted to drive to the Jiffy Mart, not field questions about what it meant when Darling Nikki was “masturbating with a magazine.” Thankfully, Veronica Falls came out with a wonderfully sweet power pop album, Waiting for Something to Happen back in 2013. So if you’ve got a kid in the back and are looking for a good track, may I recommend “Broken Toy.”

The song was an easy sell in the car, especially when my son was around three and four years old. Honestly, anything with the word toy in it was going to be a hit. It’s also a perfect jangly pop confection — a sweet treat. But there are layers wrapped under its candy coated shell. Beneath the sugary melodies is a song about people who feel broken, but are happy to have found another broken kindred spirit. And, for the kid in the car seat, you get to sing about toys, so… win/win.

Musically speaking, I love the vocal harmonies in this song. There’s a really subtle, beautiful interplay between the male and female vocals. And, not for nothin’, the song clocks in at less than two and a half minutes, like any self-respecting power pop song should. It’s probably hacky to say that nothing needs to be fixed about “Broken Toy,” it’s kinda perfect just the way it is. My son is now right in the middle of middle school and his musical tastes are decidedly more teenage angsty, and I miss those days of finding songs that I could share with him that didn’t result in an aggressive eye roll. And, if I’m being totally honest, I miss having complete control of the music when we’re in the car.