When His 3-Year-Old Started Telling Stories, This Dad Made Them Into Songs – And They’re Adorably Catchy

A music lecturer has been turning his daughter’s made-up stories into songs – and with lyrics like “there was a purple bear princess”, flawless vocals, and the catchiest beats, it’s gone down an absolute storm online.

Stephen Spencer said he’s been turning his daughter’s words into music ever since she could talk – but only informally. He would sing things back to her, making up melodies from whatever she said. 

The dad, who works as a Lecturer in Music at Hunter College, New York City, told HuffPost UK: “As a songwriter and music theory professor, I’m drawn to unusual phrases that land with a fun rhythm or have a hook hidden in them, and my daughter seems to have an endless supply of them.

“At some point I said: ‘Why not try to turn these musical moments into ‘real’ songs?’”

And we’re glad he did. One of his songs is about a “happy mouse” who woke up and “needed breaktist” – specifically, “he wants a crunchy thing and a chewy thing and something sweet”.

Another – my personal favourite – is about a “little woman who liked wigglin’ so much”.

“I’m always inspired by the strange and beautiful things that my 3-year-old daughter comes up with,” said Spencer.

“I treat her stories very carefully, like I would any other songwriting project. I work at the piano, exploring melodies and chords that support the bouncy rhythms of her words and capture the spirit of her ideas.”

Once a song starts to take shape, he records the different parts, mixes everything, and puts together a short video – usually within a day or so. 

“I try to strike a balance between taking the craft seriously – producing a radio-ready song that sounds polished and professional – and keeping the whole process playful and spontaneous, the same way the stories came to me in the first place,” he explained.

What does his daughter think?

Any parent of a 3-year-old will know they can be pretty opinionated, so what does Spencer’s daughter make of the final cuts?

“My daughter loves hearing the finished products, though she often has a few ‘notes’ for me afterwards,” he said.

“She’ll suggest new plot twists or insist that I’ve missed some important details. She’s a very hands-on collaborator.”

Incredibly, the music lecturer initially had 36 followers who he thought might enjoy his project, “but suddenly there were hundreds of thousands of views… and now over 2.5 million across three videos”. At the time of writing he’d amassed over 40,000 followers.

“I’ve been amazed by the reaction online,” he continued.

“Seeing so many people connect with something that started as a silly family moment has been really heartwarming, and motivates me to keep creating.”

The dad added that a lot of commenters have been asking for an album, so he’s exploring what that might look like.

One fan said: “Stephen, these songs are making life bearable and I’m listening to them on loop for hours. The intelligence in your use of timbres, chord voicings, and harmonies is truly something special.

“These have gone way, way beyond ‘silly’ songs; they are eternal gems. Please take my money.”

Another added: “You are a damn good musician!!!! I feel like you could pop out an album of kid’s songs and an album of pop songs both within a couple months and get Grammy nominations for both because your sh*t is TOYT!!!!”

Spencer concluded: “For now, I’m just enjoying sharing the joy that comes with making music together.”