I read in a magazine the other day that Christy Turlington Burns curated an album with Starbucks called Every Mother Counts to benefit maternal health organizations. Coffee, moms, and newborns—say no more. So I purchased the CD and was listening to it on the way home when song number 3—”This Woman’s Work” sung by Gwyneth Paltrow—played and I went all weepy.
But why? Is it because I’m jealous of the ubiquitous Gwyneth, who is not only gorgeous and an Oscar-winner, but also got to guest star on Glee and perform on the Grammys with Cee-Lo and the Muppets? And she’s written a cookbook?
Okay, yes, I’m a little jealous. But I googled “A Woman’s Work” and realized it’s The Song from She’s Having a Baby. Do you remember that movie? It came out in 1988 and was directed by John Hughes of The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off fame. It stars Elizabeth McGovern and Kevin Bacon, who’s kind of an idiot until he slams up against real life when his wife and baby nearly die during childbirth. “A Woman’s Work” gets you right in the solar plexus as it plays throughout the entire painful—but ultimately uplifting—birth scene.
I had barely recovered from that song when the Dixie Chicks came on with “Lullaby.” I’ve been trying to sing it to the kids for years, but I can’t even make it through the first verse. Seriously, who can sing “How long do you want to be loved? Is forever enough, is forever enough” without melting into a puddle? And don’t even get me started on “Motherless Children” by Roseanne Cash.
Luckily, there are lighter songs by a wide variety of artists including Carla Bruni, Martha Wainwright, Ani DiFranco, Sheryl Crow, and Sinead O’Connor.
I should also mention that the CD is a companion to No Woman, No Cry, Turlington Burns’s 2010 documentary about four women from around the world with at-risk pregnancies. Turlington Burns was inspired to create the film after learning that more than 500,000 women die each year during childbirth, and that 90 percent of these deaths are preventable. I’m putting that on the list of films I need to see (along with Food, Inc.). Starbucks is donating $8 from every CD sale to the Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE), a partner in action with Every Mother Counts, for maternal health-relief efforts worldwide. Click here if you’d like to read more about the CD and how these organizations are helping moms and babies in the U.S. and around the world.
I think this CD would make a great Mother’s Day gift, don’t you?
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