Laurie Berkner Talks Summertime and New Video ‘Wash It’

by Marisa Torrieri Bloom 

As a mom, I’m intimately familiar with Laurie Berkner’s music. Not only did my two sons have “We Are Dinosaurs” and “Monster Boogie” on repeat for months when they were preschoolers, but I’m also the editor of Rockmommy. And what amazes me the most isn’t that Laurie Berkner has an abundance of patience and insight into the minds of little ones, but that she keeps coming up with fresh material, again and again, that kids love.

[SEE RELATED: LAURIE BERKNER, ROCKSTAR TO PRESCHOOLERS EVERYWHERE, TALKS LIVE-STREAMING AND NEW TUNES FOR 2021]

This month, which is shaping up to be an especially hot July, it’s “Wash It,” an ode to vehicle washing. Like so many of our LB favorites, this tune is captured by a fun video – a mashup of dirty, mud-splattered trucks, cartoon bubbles, and kids playing with their toy cars.

We recently sat down with Laurie to ask how she does it again and again, partially in the hopes that the next song she writes will inspire my 9- and 11-year-old tweens to clean their rooms.

Rockmommy: Hi Laurie! My kids love your new summer song “Wash it!” How do you come up with so much fresh material for kids? Is there a favorite park you go to, or do ideas just spring into your head?

Laurie Berkner: Haha — I have a LOT of parks that I’ve frequented over the years! But this song actually came from a fan request. His mom wrote to me and asked for a song about washing different vehicles. Her message came to me during COVID and I wrote down the idea but didn’t write the song.

Then when I was thinking about new song ideas last year, I remembered this one. It has happened before that young fans ask me to write a song about something specific (my song “It’s Hard to Be Three” was also a direct request from a fan) but more often my best ideas come from just listening to the things kids say. I am very often inspired by words I hear that come straight from children. I also like to think about things I liked when I was young — or I imagine I would probably like — if I were a kid today.

Rockmommy: The pandemic is waning, but not over. When did you finally start to feel things were back to normal with live music?

Laurie Berkner: In May of 2022 I resumed a tour schedule that was closer to what it was pre-COVID. It was also around that time that vaccines for kids under 5 years old became available. Before that, even though other places were opening up for adults, it seemed unadvisable to play a live show with a room full of unvaccinated children.

Additionally, there is a significant segment of my audience with high support needs, many of whom are immunocompromised. I really wanted to feel certain that we were being safe while still bringing joy to these families. This summer, I’m actually playing almost every weekend. It’s more shows during this time period than I have played in years. Unfortunately, about a week ago I broke my left foot, so I still can’t say everything is quite back to normal yet!

Rockmommy: How are you enjoying your summer, when you’re not playing live shows or making really fun music videos? 

Laurie Berkner: This summer is going to look very different for me because of my foot. Usually, I would do a lot of hiking, swimming, yoga, and walking, and while I will be able to keep doing yoga (just differently for the next six weeks or so), the rest will have to wait a bit. I also like growing plants in my garden, reading, and watching good TV shows and movies with my husband and daughter. Maybe this summer will also end up being a good time to resurrect my knitting skills! 

Marisa Torrieri Bloom is the editor and founder of Rockmommy.