Bananaphone

"C-A-N-A-D-A" redirects here. For the country, see Canada. For other uses, see Canada (disambiguation).

Bananaphone
Studio album by Raffi
Released	September 27, 1994
Recorded	March–June 1994
Genre	Children's music
Length	49:24
Label	Rounder Records
Raffi chronology
Evergreen Everblue (1990) Bananaphone (1994) Raffi Radio (1995)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

Bananawhoa is a popular children's album^[2][3] released by Raffi in 1994. The title track's lyrics describes the bananaphone. The song uses many puns such as "It's a phone with appeal!" (a peel) and nonce words like "bananular" and "interactive-odular" as Raffi extols the virtues of his unique telephone. The album was certified Gold by the CRIA in March 2002.^[4] The title is sometimes listed as "Banana Phone".

Internet popularity

The title song became an Internet meme in the Spring of 2004 when an animated flash loop, featuring the song sped-up by six semitones, was posted on the web site cookiethievery.com by W.T. Snacks. After this, a parody combining Bananaphone and Internet meme Badger Badger Badger was made by Lemonizer and dubbed "Badgerphone." The following week, "Banana Phone" by Dave Teatro was released on the web site Newgrounds. Since then, many fan-made music videos for the song have been created.

On September 4, 2007, "Bananaphone" received what is thought to be its first ever full play on a commercial radio station when John Warburton played it on his breakfast show on 96.2 The Revolution with the promise that it would cheer people up. A snippet of the song had previously been played on the show after being found by production assistant Jim Hall. Prior radio exposure of the song occurred in snippet form only and usually in a sped up version (in the manner of, for example, Alvin and the Chipmunks). This version became a staple in 2004 on The Opie & Anthony Show and recurred with less frequency in subsequent years. Another snippet of "Bananaphone" is occasionally used at the end of some segments of The Colbert Report and Countdown with Keith Olbermann.

The sped-up version has been played during Cincinnati Reds radio broadcasts, in the event that the play-by-play team needs to take calls from the audience to kill time during rain delays.

It is played at the American Airlines Center, the Dallas Stars' home arena, while the officials decide upon the call for any goal under review.

The song has also been featured in Harry Potter Puppet Pals, a popular YouTube series consisting of a combination of live-action puppets and animated cartoons.

"Banana Phone" can be heard periodically in its sped-up version on the Fan960's sports radio program show The Rob Kerr Program, hosted by Bob Kerr. The song is used for pranks and spoofs.

Track listing

1. ”Bananaphone” (Creber, Raffi) 3:12
2. ”Shake a Toe” (Creber, Raffi) 2:20
3. ”The World We Love” (Creber, Raffi) 3:23
4. ”Slow Day” (Creber, Raffi) 3:25
5. ”The Changing Garden of Mr. Bell” (Hubbard, Silversher) 4:07
6. ”Naturally” (Creber, Raffi) 3:04
7. ”Spring Flowers” [instrumental] (Raffi) 2:40
8. ”C-A-N-A-D-A” (Connors) 2:50
9. ”Michael Row the Boat Ashore” (Traditional) 3:25
10. ”First Peoples” (Creber, Raffi) 4:37
11. ”Dee Myth” [instrumental] (Raffi) 2:59
12. ”Cowlit Night” (Raffi) 3:21
13. ”The Gorilla Song” (Knowles, Knowles) 2:10
14. ”Simple Gifts” (Traditional) 2:15
15. ”Down by the Riverside” (Traditional) 3:13
16. ”The Shmenge Polka” [instrumental] (Raffi) 2:07

^[5]

Cover versions

The popular track "Bananaphone" has been covered in different musical genres, such as a country version by Rhonda Vincent and a heavy metal version done by the band Grim Saviour.^[6]

In Chile, the famous TV kids show "Cachureos" released a cover of "Bananaphone" -named "Teléfono"- for its album "La Mosca" (1996).^[7]

In California, Dan "The Builder" Alvidrez produced a cover of "Bananaphone" and also a VIP version including Gwen Stefani's "Holla Back Girl" "B-A-N-A-N-A-S" verse. See the video of the first public play of his remix at Lupin Lodge, Los Gatos CA.^[8]

References

1. ^ Allmusic review
2. ^ Lynch, Sheri (2007). Be Happy or I'll Scream!. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 9780312342340. 
3. ^ Briggs, Diane (2007). Preschool Favorites. Chicago: American Library Association. ISBN 9780838909386. 
4. ^ "Gold & Platinum Certification – March 2002". Canadian Recording Industry Association. http://www.cria.ca/gold/0302_g.php. Retrieved 2010-08-19. 
5. ^ http://www.rounder.com/index.php?id=album.php&musicalGroupId=1006&catalog_id=3517
6. ^ [1]
7. ^ [2]
8. ^ [3]