R. O. pre-K.

This time out we have a bunch of…well, a bunch of “songs.” All that really ties them together is that they are a lot of fun to sing and they all have the word “song” in their title. So, grab yourself a pickle, a banana, and a fishing pole, then find someone to clap hands with and crank up the volume! Just make sure to watch out for the tornados…

“The Clapping Song (Clap Pat Clap Slap)” by Shirley Ellis
From the album The Name Game
Written by Shirley Ellis and Lincoln Chase, 1965
“The Clapping Song (Clap Pat Clap Slap)” lyrics

This song is just great. Fun, catchy, and funky, it’s the kind of song you can listen to a few times in a row. Believe it or not, this isn’t even Shirley Ellis’s most famous song. That honor goes to “The Name Game” (“John, John, bo bohn, banana fana fo fohn, fee fi fo fohn, John!”) which is such a classic song, you almost thing that it has been passed down from kid to kid for hundreds of years.

“Tornado Song” by King Kong
From the album Funny Farm
Written by Ethan Buckler, 1993
“Tornado Song” lyrics

While King Kong pretends to be a band for adults, they are not fooling anyone. Their leader Ethan Buckler quit the band Slint (who have since become something of an underground legend) so that he could focus on his own stuff, with the aim of creating goofy dance music like the B-52’s. One of their best-known releases (Me Hungry) is a full record that tells the story of a caveman and a yak as they navigate the ice age.

“The Crawdad Song” by The Meat Purveyors
From the compilation The Bottle Let Me Down
A traditional song (meaning that no one knows who wrote it)
“The Crawdad Song” lyrics

Unlike “The Name Game”, The Crawdad Song is a song that has been passed down from generation to generation (“crawdad” is another name for crayfish, which are like little lobsters, and completely delicious!). The album that this version is from is a great record for kids, featuring lots of underground country(ish) bands.

“The Motorcycle Song” by Arlo Guthrie
From the album Alice’s Restaurant
Written by Arlo Guthrie, 1967
“The Motorcycle Song” lyrics

Arlo Guthrie is the son of Woody Guthrie, who wrote “This Land is Your Land” as well as many other classic American folk songs. Arlo is a well-known singer in his own right; if your parents are old enough, they probably know his song “Alice’s Restaurant”, a funny story about littering on Thanksgiving.

“Day-O (Banana Boat Song)” by Harry Belafonte
From the compilation My Greatest Songs
A traditional song (another one that no one knows who wrote it)
“Day-O (Banana Boat Song)” lyrics

This one is a traditional song from Jamaica, sung by the men who worked all night picking bananas.