'Star Wars' Theme Song Has Magical Powers for Crying Baby
It's an iconic theme song of a grand melodic score meant to bring to musical life the story of farm-boy Luke Skywalker's joining with the rebel forces to save Princess Leia and the entire galaxy from the evil grasps of Darth Vader and Death Star.
But the "Star Wars" theme song as a lullaby?
For 7-month-old Sebastian Leyack of Santa Rosa, Calif., yes, it is. You could say "the force" is with tiny Sebastian, who appears to only have ears for the internationally known score to the famous movie trilogy, something his parents discovered by accident.
"We were driving down to visit my parents and I wasn't in a place where I could stop safely and he was crying and crying," Sebastian's mom, Amy Leyack, said. "We had just left the house and he was fed, had a clean diaper and a nap so there was nothing wrong but he was upset and I couldn't stop.
"I turned on the radio and that ['Star Wars'] was the first song and he stopped crying," she said. "I changed it to other music and he started crying, so I went back and he stopped."
Leyack couldn't believe that, first, the music had soothed him so quickly and that, second, it was "Star War"s music that did it.
"His dad is a big 'Star Wars' fan," she said.
Such a fan that Amy and husband Gaston had watched the movies and listened to the music while Sebastian was in utero, and the "Star Wars" theme happened to be the only song that Leyack had downloaded on her phone.
"Every time after that it worked," she said of using the song to soothe Sebastian. "Lady Gaga makes him cry more. I've tried other classical works like Beethoven and Mozart and even polka … and nothing else seems to work."
Leyack first discovered Sebastian's ear for "Star Wars" when he was around 2 months old and now, five months later, it's still working.
"That's the only song I have downloaded on my phone," she said. "I have it available all the time. On long trips we'll be listening to that on loop because that's the only song that calms him down."
Gaston Leyack's family lives in Argentina so, in order to keep in touch, the couple posts videos of Sebastian on YouTube for his family to see. The video of Sebastian being soothed by "Star Wars" has quickly gone viral with more than 100,000 views in four days.
The father-son "Star Wars" bond has also elicited a bit of father-son pride.
"He was like, 'That's my boy,'" Leyack said of her husband's reaction. "I don't know that it gets a lot better. How much more can you be proud about for a 4-month-old? They don't do a lot so it was definitely a moment of pride."
It was also the excuse for the perfect Halloween costume, with a near guarantee that Sebastian won't shed a tear, no matter how uncomfortable the costume.
"He'll be dressing as Yoda for Halloween," Leyack said of her son. "And Gaston as Hans Solo."