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  |writer = Joe Hawley
  |writer = Joe Hawley
  |singer = [[Joe Hawley]]
  |singer = [[Joe Hawley]]
  |album = Banana Man (Single), [[Complete Demos]], [[Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum (Album)|Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum]]
  |album = Banana Man (Single), [[Party Boobytrap]] (Variant 3), [[Complete Demos]], [[Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum (Album)|Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum]], [[Admittedly Incomplete Demos]]
  |language = English
  |language = English
  |genre = Rock
  |genre = Rock
  |externalLinks = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRD9BqjIk-E Youtube]<br>[https://open.spotify.com/track/1rbieHTuGFWstwVk9o7Fgr?si=4fbcc85ac9ca4c47 Spotify]<br>[https://needlejuice.bandcamp.com/track/banana-man Bandcamp]<br>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yModCU1OVHY Demo (Youtube)]<br>[https://tallyhall.bandcamp.com/track/banana-man-demo Demo (Bandcamp)]<br>[https://tallyhall.bandcamp.com/track/banana-man-lounge-version Lounge Version (Bandcamp)]
  |externalLinks = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRD9BqjIk-E Youtube]<br>[https://open.spotify.com/track/1rbieHTuGFWstwVk9o7Fgr?si=4fbcc85ac9ca4c47 Spotify]<br>[https://needlejuice.bandcamp.com/track/banana-man Bandcamp]<br>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yModCU1OVHY Demo (Youtube)]<br>[https://tallyhall.bandcamp.com/track/banana-man-demo Demo (Bandcamp)]<br>[https://tallyhall.bandcamp.com/track/banana-man-lounge-version Lounge Version (Bandcamp)]
}}  
}}  
'''Banana Man''' is a song by [[Joe Hawley]].
'''Banana Man''' is a song by [[Joe Hawley]] appearing on [[Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum (Album)|Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum]].


== History ==
== History ==
Joe states that the song came from a time that he awoke in the middle of the night during his high school years to the sound of African villagers chanting on his TV (He thinks it may be due to his Samsung GXTV's timer). Later, at one of his younger sister's dance competitions in Myrtle Beach, he wrote the lyrics alone in their hotel room.<ref>[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g7t-2gaQxO0wZ187M5epjiocUdbZs8alQysD7H71xPg Joe Hawley Email Interview. October 2019.]</ref>
Joe states that the song came from a time that he awoke in the middle of the night during his high school years to the sound of African villagers chanting on his TV (He thinks it may be due to his Samsung GXTV's timer). Later, at one of his younger sister's dance competitions in Myrtle Beach, he wrote the lyrics alone in their hotel room.<ref>[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g7t-2gaQxO0wZ187M5epjiocUdbZs8alQysD7H71xPg Joe Hawley Email Interview.] October 2019.</ref>


Banana Man was recorded by [[Tally Hall]] in November of 2003 and first released as a single in the same year.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20040607013914/http://www.talentmatch.com/search/allview.asp?PID=59562&entry=tmurl# TalentMatch Tally Hall website archive]</ref> It was later released on [[Complete Demos]] in 2004.<ref>[https://tallyhall.bandcamp.com/track/banana-man-demo Banana Man (Demo). Bandcamp.]</ref> This demo included an extended whistling bridge and had a general rougher feel to it.  
===Recording===
Banana Man was recorded by [[Tally Hall]] in November of 2003 and released on a variant of [[Party Boobytrap]] and as a single in the same year.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20040607013914/http://www.talentmatch.com/search/allview.asp?PID=59562&entry=tmurl# TalentMatch Tally Hall website archive]</ref> It was later released on [[Complete Demos]] in 2004.<ref>[https://tallyhall.bandcamp.com/track/banana-man-demo Banana Man (Demo).] Bandcamp.</ref> This demo included an extended whistling bridge and had a general rougher feel to it.  


Banana Man was later recorded for [[Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum (Album)|Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum]] the next year. In 2007, the song would be remixed and partially re-recorded for [[Atlantic Records]]. The intro vocals would be re-recorded, and the guitar and harmonies are mixed louder.
Banana Man was later re-recorded for [[Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum (Album)|Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum]] the next year. In 2007, the song would be remixed and partially re-recorded for [[Atlantic Records]]. The intro vocals would be re-recorded, and the guitar and harmonies are mixed louder.
 
A "lounge" version of Banana Man was included on [[Admittedly Incomplete Demos]], which was recorded for the [[Taken For A Ride (T.H.I.S. Episode)|Taken For A Ride]] episode of [[Tally Hall's Internet Show]].
 
===Airplay===
On June 3rd, 2005 Banana Man was played on the Steve Dahl show on Chicago's WCKG (105.9) radio.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20060221073243/http://www.dahl.com/show_logs/2005/06/03.asp] The Steve Dahl Show. June 3rd 2005. (Captured 21st February 2006). Archived Via The Wayback Machine.</ref> In the transcript they remarked:
<blockquote>"Steve's not sure if that band is actually from Chicago. He went to their site and it looks like they might be from Ann Arbor. That's pretty much a suburb of Chicago.
As near as Steve can figure, that band Tally Hall is based out of Ann Arbor. It seems like the concept of the segment, Stever's LOCAL Band-Aid, would exclude them from being played. It was a good song though and they'll probably get a local booking off it from which Steve will take his standard 50% fee."</blockquote>


==Song Meanings==
==Song Meanings==
Line 22: Line 30:


==Music Video==
==Music Video==
Banana Man's music video was created as a class project for Jennifer Hardacker’s Video Art II class at the University of Michigan<ref>[https://whalejoey.com/about WhaleJoey.com. About page.]</ref>, being directed and edited by Joe Hawley.<ref>[http://www.jonkmusic.com/2006/09/tally-hall/ Jonk Music Tally Hall article]</ref> The video stars Joe Hawley as himself and the titular character of Banana Man, with the other members of Tally Hall (as the Zimbabwe songbirds) and friends from U of M. The video won "Best Music Video" at the 2004 Flint Film Festival.<ref>[https://www.pingry.org/uploaded/2016_Our_Community/Students/Publications/Pingry_Record/record-apr292005.pdf Pingry Record April 29th 2005]</ref> The video was later uploaded to tallyhall.com where it could be streamed and downloaded.
The music video for Banana Man was created as a class project for Jennifer Hardacker’s Video Art II class at the University of Michigan<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20230819234748/https://whalejoey.com/about WhaleJoey.com. About page.] Archived via The Wayback Machine.</ref>, during November or December of 2003.<ref>[http://www.jenhardacker.com/wp-content/themes/blankslate/HardackerVita.pdf Jennifer Hardacker resume]</ref> It was directed and edited by Joe Hawley.<ref>[http://www.jonkmusic.com/2006/09/tally-hall/ Jonk Music Tally Hall article] Jonk Music.</ref> The video stars Joe Hawley as himself and the titular character of Banana Man, with the other members of Tally Hall (as the Zimbabwe songbirds) and friends from U of M. The video won "Best Music Video" at the 2004 Flint Film Festival.<ref>[https://www.pingry.org/uploaded/2016_Our_Community/Students/Publications/Pingry_Record/record-apr292005.pdf Pingry Record April 29th 2005]</ref> The video was later uploaded to tallyhall.com where it could be streamed and downloaded.


On March 5th 2005, the video would make its way onto AlbinoBlackSheep, a website for videos and animations by internet creators.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20050401011922/http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/ AlbinoBlackSheep 2005 archive]</ref> There, it would gain immense popularity, becoming the most popular video on the site for a time. The video would reportedly be downloaded over 2 million times<ref>[http://tinawhelski.blogspot.com/2006/08/tally-halls-joe-hawley-interview.html TINA WHELSKI AUGUST 9, 2006 Joe Hawley Interview]</ref> and go on to accumulate 4.6 million views on YouTube as of April 2022.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yModCU1OVHY Tally Hall - Banana Man. YouTube.]</ref>
On March 5th 2005, the video would make its way onto AlbinoBlackSheep, a website for videos and animations by internet creators.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20050401011922/http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/ AlbinoBlackSheep 2005 archive] Archived Via The Wayback Machine.</ref> There, it would gain immense popularity, becoming the most popular video on the site for a time. The video would reportedly be downloaded over 2 million times<ref>[http://tinawhelski.blogspot.com/2006/08/tally-halls-joe-hawley-interview.html TINA WHELSKI AUGUST 9, 2006 Joe Hawley Interview]</ref> and go on to accumulate 4.6 million views on YouTube as of April 2022.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yModCU1OVHY Tally Hall - Banana Man on YouTube.] YouTube.</ref>


Banana Man also saw small success on television, being used in the MTV show "The Real World: Key West" as the theme song for Johnny Bananas.
Banana Man also saw small success on television, being used in the MTV show "The Real World: Key West" as the theme song for Johnny Bananas.{{cn}}


==Trivia==
==Trivia==
* The line "And then forget about de yellow from de beckoning man" originally said "colorful man".
* The line "And then forget about de yellow from de beckoning man" originally said "colorful man".
* On the YouTube content ID system, they credit "Clifton Chenier" as the sole writer of Banana Man. Clifton Chenier was a musician that played zydeco, a combination of blues and indigenous music of the Louisiana Creoles. It's possible he was a big influence on the song and Joe himself.
* On the YouTube content ID system, they credit "Clifton Chenier" as the sole writer of Banana Man. Clifton Chenier was a musician that played zydeco, a combination of blues and indigenous music of the Louisiana Creoles. It's possible he was a big influence on the song and Joe himself.
* Joe mentions the existence of a "Dance Dance Revolution-style Playstation game influencer somewhere", but he doesn't remember the name.
* Joe mentions the existence of a "Dance Dance Revolution-style Playstation game influencer somewhere", but he doesn't remember the name.{{cn}}
* There is a silent (1, 2, 3, 4!) Before the second verse and the music pops in.
* There is a quiet, (1, 2, 3, 4!) before the second verse and the music pops in.
* There are whispers during the instrumental section of the bridge, the demo version being transcribed by Skye and Andre.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPGVLt6PY_0 Video of isolated whispers in the song's bridge.]</ref>
* There are whispers during the instrumental section of the bridge, the demo version being transcribed by Skye and Andre.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPGVLt6PY_0 Video of isolated whispers in the song's bridge.]</ref>
* Turn The Lights Off animator Drew Mokris owns the Zimbawae songbirds and cage from the music video.<ref>[https://twitter.com/drewmo/status/243157273084575745/photo/1 Drew Mokris tweet]</ref>
* Turn The Lights Off animator Drew Mokris owns the Zimbabwe songbirds and cage from the music video.<ref>[https://twitter.com/drewmo/status/243157273084575745/photo/1 Drew Mokris tweet] [[Twitter]].</ref>
* In 2009, a man named Vaughn English performed the song as a contestant on the show American Idol. He was eliminated shortly after.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htkFh6qLehU Video of Vaughn's performance] YouTube.</ref>


{{Magic Lyrics}}
{{Magic Lyrics}}
Line 40: Line 49:
==Tabs/Chords==
==Tabs/Chords==
Unavailable, if you have made tabs or chords of the song please add them!
Unavailable, if you have made tabs or chords of the song please add them!
==Personnel==
'''Music & Lyrics:''' Joe Hawley<br>
===Studio Version===
'''Vocals:''' Joe Hawley<br>
'''Additional Vocals:''' [[Rob Cantor]], [[Zubin Sedghi]]<br>
'''Electric Guitars:''' Rob Cantor, Joe Hawley<br>
'''Bass:''' Zubin Sedghi<br>
'''Piano & Keys:''' [[Andrew Horowitz]]<br>
'''Drum Kit & Percussion:''' [[Ross Federman]]<br>
'''Choir Vocals:''' Jason Ceo, Greg Jaffe, [[Bora Karaca]], Donald Milton III, Michael Steelman, Victor Szabo, Brett Trzcinski, Tim Wagner, Jon Zande<br>
'''Trombone:''' Steve Peterson<br>
'''Trumpet:''' David Tenerelli<br>
'''Tuba:''' Matt Lyon<br>
'''Whistling:''' Bora Karaca<br>
===Complete Demos Version===
'''Vocals:''' Joe Hawley<br>
'''Additional Vocals:''' [[Rob Cantor]], [[Zubin Sedghi]]<br>
'''Electric Guitars:''' Rob Cantor, Joe Hawley<br>
'''Bass:''' Zubin Sedghi<br>
'''Piano & Keys:''' [[Andrew Horowitz]]<br>
'''Drum Kit & Percussion:''' [[Steve Gallagher]]<br>


==References==
==References==
[[Category:Songs with Music Videos]]
<references/>
 
{{Party Boobytrap}}
{{Complete Demos}}
{{MMMM}}
{{Admittedly Incomplete Demos}}
{{Singles|image=[[File:GoodDay_singleCover.jpg|195px|left]]}}
 
[[Category:Songs with Music Videos]] [[Category:Singles]]

Latest revision as of 18:09, 7 August 2024

Banana Man
MMMM08.jpg
Written by Joe Hawley
Appears on Banana Man (Single), Party Boobytrap (Variant 3), Complete Demos, Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum, Admittedly Incomplete Demos
Sung by Joe Hawley
Genre Rock
Language English
Links: Youtube
Spotify
Bandcamp
Demo (Youtube)
Demo (Bandcamp)
Lounge Version (Bandcamp)

Banana Man is a song by Joe Hawley appearing on Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum.

History

Joe states that the song came from a time that he awoke in the middle of the night during his high school years to the sound of African villagers chanting on his TV (He thinks it may be due to his Samsung GXTV's timer). Later, at one of his younger sister's dance competitions in Myrtle Beach, he wrote the lyrics alone in their hotel room.[1]

Recording

Banana Man was recorded by Tally Hall in November of 2003 and released on a variant of Party Boobytrap and as a single in the same year.[2] It was later released on Complete Demos in 2004.[3] This demo included an extended whistling bridge and had a general rougher feel to it.

Banana Man was later re-recorded for Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum the next year. In 2007, the song would be remixed and partially re-recorded for Atlantic Records. The intro vocals would be re-recorded, and the guitar and harmonies are mixed louder.

A "lounge" version of Banana Man was included on Admittedly Incomplete Demos, which was recorded for the Taken For A Ride episode of Tally Hall's Internet Show.

Airplay

On June 3rd, 2005 Banana Man was played on the Steve Dahl show on Chicago's WCKG (105.9) radio.[4] In the transcript they remarked:

"Steve's not sure if that band is actually from Chicago. He went to their site and it looks like they might be from Ann Arbor. That's pretty much a suburb of Chicago. As near as Steve can figure, that band Tally Hall is based out of Ann Arbor. It seems like the concept of the segment, Stever's LOCAL Band-Aid, would exclude them from being played. It was a good song though and they'll probably get a local booking off it from which Steve will take his standard 50% fee."

Song Meanings

When asked about its meaning in a 2005 chat on thecarpetedwall.com (Coz Baldwin's website), Joe stated "there is no hidden secret meaning, work vs. play".

Music Video

The music video for Banana Man was created as a class project for Jennifer Hardacker’s Video Art II class at the University of Michigan[5], during November or December of 2003.[6] It was directed and edited by Joe Hawley.[7] The video stars Joe Hawley as himself and the titular character of Banana Man, with the other members of Tally Hall (as the Zimbabwe songbirds) and friends from U of M. The video won "Best Music Video" at the 2004 Flint Film Festival.[8] The video was later uploaded to tallyhall.com where it could be streamed and downloaded.

On March 5th 2005, the video would make its way onto AlbinoBlackSheep, a website for videos and animations by internet creators.[9] There, it would gain immense popularity, becoming the most popular video on the site for a time. The video would reportedly be downloaded over 2 million times[10] and go on to accumulate 4.6 million views on YouTube as of April 2022.[11]

Banana Man also saw small success on television, being used in the MTV show "The Real World: Key West" as the theme song for Johnny Bananas.[citation needed]

Trivia

  • The line "And then forget about de yellow from de beckoning man" originally said "colorful man".
  • On the YouTube content ID system, they credit "Clifton Chenier" as the sole writer of Banana Man. Clifton Chenier was a musician that played zydeco, a combination of blues and indigenous music of the Louisiana Creoles. It's possible he was a big influence on the song and Joe himself.
  • Joe mentions the existence of a "Dance Dance Revolution-style Playstation game influencer somewhere", but he doesn't remember the name.[citation needed]
  • There is a quiet, (1, 2, 3, 4!) before the second verse and the music pops in.
  • There are whispers during the instrumental section of the bridge, the demo version being transcribed by Skye and Andre.[12]
  • Turn The Lights Off animator Drew Mokris owns the Zimbabwe songbirds and cage from the music video.[13]
  • In 2009, a man named Vaughn English performed the song as a contestant on the show American Idol. He was eliminated shortly after.[14]


Lyrics

Ladies and gentlemen, Colonel P.T. Chester Whitmore is proud to present
Bung Vulchungo and the Zimbabwe Songbirds!

Do you see banana man
Hopping over on de white hot sand
Here he come with some for me
Freshly taken from banana tree (1,2,3,4!)

Banana man me want a ton
Gimme double and a bonus one
Gimme more for all me friends
Dis banana flow will never end

Do you want a banana?
Peel it down and go
Mmm mmm mmm mmmm
Do you want a banana?
Dis banana for you

Tonight we dance around de flame
Then we get to play de spirit game
Spirit names we shout out loud
Shake de thunder from de spirit cloud

All de songbirds in de tree
Chant a tune to let de spirits free
Then we see them in de night
Spirits jumping by de fire light

Do you want a banana?
Peel it down and go
Mmm mmm mmm mmmm
Do you want a banana?
Dis banana for you

Look you
You too uptight, you know
You could laugh and kick it back and go (wheee)
But without a rhythm or a rhyme
You do not banana all de time
Fly away from city on de run
Try to make a little fun

Look you
Come to de bungalow
African't you tell me told you so
Don't you love de bumping of de drum
Make you shake until de bum go numb
Let de bongo play you 'til you drop
Dis banana never stop

Forget all your troubles and go with the flow
Forget about whatever you may never know
Like whether whatever you doing is whatever you should
And whether anything you do is ever anything good
And then forget about banana when it stick in your throat
And when it make you wanna bellow but you stuck in a choke
And then forget about de yellow from de beckoning man
Who make you take another one and make a mock of your plan

Bungalay
Bungalow
Make up your mind
And tell me no

Well it's nine o'clock
And it's getting dark
And the sun is falling from the sky
I've never left so early
And you may wonder why

Tomorrow morning on de plane
No banana make you go insane
Floating back to busy town
No banana make you want to frown

Do you want a banana?
Peel it down and go
Mmm mmm mmm mmmm
Do you want a banana?
Dis banana for you

Tabs/Chords

Unavailable, if you have made tabs or chords of the song please add them!

Personnel

Music & Lyrics: Joe Hawley

Studio Version

Vocals: Joe Hawley
Additional Vocals: Rob Cantor, Zubin Sedghi
Electric Guitars: Rob Cantor, Joe Hawley
Bass: Zubin Sedghi
Piano & Keys: Andrew Horowitz
Drum Kit & Percussion: Ross Federman
Choir Vocals: Jason Ceo, Greg Jaffe, Bora Karaca, Donald Milton III, Michael Steelman, Victor Szabo, Brett Trzcinski, Tim Wagner, Jon Zande
Trombone: Steve Peterson
Trumpet: David Tenerelli
Tuba: Matt Lyon
Whistling: Bora Karaca

Complete Demos Version

Vocals: Joe Hawley
Additional Vocals: Rob Cantor, Zubin Sedghi
Electric Guitars: Rob Cantor, Joe Hawley
Bass: Zubin Sedghi
Piano & Keys: Andrew Horowitz
Drum Kit & Percussion: Steve Gallagher

References

Party Boobytrap
Partyboobytrap 1.pngPartyBoobytrap new.png

Variants 1 & 2

Partyboobytrap-variant3.jpg

Variant 3

Complete Demos
Completedemos.jpg
Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum
MMMM08.jpg
1. Good Day
2. Greener
3. Welcome To Tally Hall
4. Taken For A Ride
5. The Bidding
6. Be Born
7. Banana Man
8. Just Apathy
9. Spring And A Storm
10. Two Wuv
11. Haiku
12. The Whole World And You
13. 13
14. Ruler of Everything
15. Hidden In The Sand (hidden track)
16. Mucka Blucka* (bonus track)
17. Dream* (bonus track)
18. Just a Friend** (bonus track)
Good Day (Simlish) (pre-gap bonus track, CD/digital only)
* indicates tracks only available with 2008 digital downloads, a download code or with the 2021 non-vinyl releases
** indicates tracks only available with a download code or on the 2021 non-vinyl releases
Admittedly Incomplete Demos
Admittedly incomplete demos cover.jpg

1. Another Minute (Live at the Frieze Basement, December 2002)
2. Mobile Phone Premonition (Live at the Frieze Basement, December 2002)
3. Welcome to Tally Hall (Acoustic Demo)
4. Marvin's SFX - Bohemian Rhapsody (Sample)
5. Banana Man (Lounge Version)
6. Blind Pig Introduction (January 2008)
7. Spring and a Storm (Original Demo feat. Ryan Scott)
8. Two Wuv (Alternate Bridges)
9. The Whole World and You (Punk Rehearsal)
10. Just a Friend
11. Songy Song
12. Keep Up The Good Work! Theme
13. Sea Cucumber (Demo)
14. Tally Hall's Internet Show Theme
15. Spiced Rum Commercial (Demo)
16. You & Me (Zubin Lead Vocal Rehearsal)
17. Cannibal (Demo)
18. Who You Are (Demo)
19. Sacred Beast (Demo)
20. Hymn For A Scarecrow (Demo)*
21. A Lady (Demo)
22. The Trap (Demo)
23. Turn the Lights Off (Alternate Bridge)
24. Out in the Twilight (Demo)
25. Fate of the Stars (Demo)
26. Light & Night (Demo)
27. Love Track (Rehearsal)
28. Go (Demo)
29. Color Be Gone (Demo)
30. The Minstrel Boy
31. Welcome To Tally Hall (Reprise) (Demo)*

* indicates tracks added on April 15th, 2022

Singles
GoodDay singleCover.jpg
Banana Man (Demo) · Ruler Of Everything (Demo) · Good Day · Welcome To Tally Hall · Light & Night · You & Me · & · Nathan Naimark · Club Can't Handle Me (featuring Casey Shea) · Just a Friend · Turn The Lights Off (b-side: Light & Night)