Bananaphone facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bananaphone
Studio album by Raffi
Released	September 27, 1994
Recorded	March–June 1994
Genre	Children's, traditional pop, jazz
Length	49:24
Label	MCA Records Rounder
Raffi chronology
Evergreen Everblue (1990) Bananaphone (1994) Raffi Radio (1995)

Bananaphone is a super fun children's album by Raffi and Michael Creber. It came out in 1994. This album is most famous for its main song, "Bananaphone." This catchy song uses clever wordplay, like "It's a phone with appeal!" (like a banana peel!). It also has made-up words, like "bananular," to describe a very special telephone.

The album was very popular. It was even certified Gold by the CRIA in March 2002. This means it sold a lot of copies!

Exploring the Album's Songs

The Bananaphone album features a variety of songs. Each one tells a unique story or shares a fun idea.

Famous Tracks and Their Origins

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

One of the songs on the album, "C-A-N-A-D-A," was originally recorded by a famous Canadian singer named Stompin' Tom Connors. He called his version "Cross Canada."

How Songs Get Reimagined: Cover Versions

A "cover version" is when a different artist performs a song that was originally released by someone else. The main song from the Bananaphone album has been covered in many cool ways!

Different Musical Styles

People have sung "Bananaphone" in lots of different music styles. These include:

• A barbershop version, which uses close harmonies.
• Several heavy metal versions, which are often loud and powerful.
• A dubstep version, which uses electronic sounds and strong bass.
• A bluegrass/country version by Rhonda Vincent. This version appeared on the album Sing Along with Putumayo by Putumayo World Music.

International Covers

The song "Bananaphone" even became popular in other countries. For example, the children's TV show Cachureos from Chile made their own cover. They called their version "Teléfono" and released it on their 1996 album, "La Mosca."