I have been thoroughly enjoying several of the songs on the Barenaked Ladies' Snack Time. The rhymes and rhythms are awesome. It's fun that different members of the group sing on different tracks. And the tone is happy and, to use a great word from a recent message, wry.I never really got into BNL's "adult" albums; I thought they were trying to be too clever with their lyrics and therefore became, in an odd way, musically pretentious. But their style works just perfectly on children's songs, and it makes me think that maybe I should give some of their other albums a re-listen.
My favorites are "Raisins," "Louie Loon," and "Here Come the Geese." Here's an excerpt from Raisins:
Raisins come from grapes
People come from apes
I come from Canada
I came in first place
In a non-existent race
To rebuild the Parthenon
The Parthenon's in Greece
Or was it in Grease 2
I can't keep my movies straight
When I make mistakes
I use a lot of salt
Cause salt makes m'steaks taste great
People come from apes
I come from Canada
I came in first place
In a non-existent race
To rebuild the Parthenon
The Parthenon's in Greece
Or was it in Grease 2
I can't keep my movies straight
When I make mistakes
I use a lot of salt
Cause salt makes m'steaks taste great
It's music to make you get up and bound!
Then there's the sweet melancholy in "Here Come the Geese":
Then there's the sweet melancholy in "Here Come the Geese":
Look up in the sky, they said on the radio station
They're up quite high, flying in a V formation
They're up quite high, flying in a V formation
Here come the geese.
Now they're on lawns, the patios and ponds
Now they're on lawns, the patios and ponds
On the sidewalks, on the rooftops
On the hillside, on the playground slide.
I also came across a Bill Staines album called One More River that is vintage, fantastic Bill Staines. "The Fox" and "So Sang the River" are gems and his voice has got to be one of the most calming and soothing of any singer's I can think of.
