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Banana Land by J.A.Stewart [Email]
Genre: Other

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SONG STATS:
Hits: 4044
Comments: 31
Votes:
Plays: 1251
Last Played: Oct 13, 2008 - 04:06:16 PM
Downloads: 107
Fans: 7
Uploaded: May 24, 2005 - 08:51:34 AM
Last Updated: Jan 25, 2006 - 10:01:56 PM
Fan List
Keywords:
King Kong (2), rap (176), banana (4), rock (1112), harmony (56), jungle (30), theremin (8), drum (47)
Description:
Kong Is Koming!

Inspired by the reports of Peter Jackson's new version of the classic movie, I’ve created this tribute to my favorite giant simian, King Kong.

It’s called “Banana Land” and it’s like nothing I’ve ever done before (and probably won’t dare do again).

You can listen and get the inside scoop about the ongoing production of Jackson’s remake here:

http://www.kongisking.net/index.shtml

Lyrics:
Banana Land
©2005 By J.A. Stewart
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Performed By Joe Hollywood

Intro…

Verse 1:
They say King Kong got bored one day and so he took a stroll…
To a legendary secret place, beyond the Great Atoll.

A friendly stranger told the tale, of this island run by beasts... where
Gorillas, monkeys, apes and chimps played in harmony and peace.

Where no one ever judged you, by your color, size, or shape...
No, in that land there’s no pecking order, for gorilla, chimp, monk, or ape.
(You know what I’m sayin’?)

Chorus:

He just hopes for the chance — to do all the things that he can —
— Now, surely he’ll get it — Here, in BananaLand ---------

Verse 2:
As Kong walked across the water, he imagined how it’d be...
To live somewhere he could be himself, without no enemies.

He finally reached a golden shore and walked along the sand...
Until he spied some spider monkeys and an old Orangutan.

The old one first approached him, spoke a tongue he’d understand...
She said: “Welcome, friend... to journey’s end... You’ve found BananaLand.”

Verse 3:
Kong stayed and made a home there and joined the community...
He did his part, creating works of art that hung on ev’ry tree.

Some really liked his paintings and praised the things he drew...
but others just saw what they chose to see and ignored another point of view.

This made old Kong unhappy, and so one afternoon...
To ease the pain and frustration, he got jiggy with a blonde baboon.
(You know what I’m sayin’?)

Chorus…

Verse 4:
The romance was a brief one, as you might easily have guessed...
It left the poor blonde crushed and limp, quite thoroughly depressed

Poor Kong, he didn’t mean to... They saw him shed a tear...
But it really don’t matter, ‘cause now they run and scatter, ev’ry time
when he walks near.

Chorus & Fade…

Hardware:
G4 iMac 800 MHz, M-Audio Mobile-Pre

Software:
GarageBand; Mastered in T-RackS
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good song &mdash 05/24/05 - 01:21:07 PM
i liked the song very much. very original. those synths are a true 80's tribute!

[ Reply to This ]
good song &mdash 05/25/05 - 09:39:21 PM
Thanks! I started off with those synths in the 70s and moved 'em up into the
80s. :)

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Epic &mdash 05/24/05 - 10:48:09 PM
This is great, a lot of work has gone into this beast.
Excellent in every respect. 8s DL

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Epic &mdash 05/25/05 - 09:43:51 PM
I'm glad you liked it. I just hope Kong does, as well. That big ape is a
mean drunk when he's pissed. :D

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hints of.. &mdash 05/26/05 - 08:07:44 AM
Zappa :-) Cool tune.

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hints of Zappa... &mdash 05/26/05 - 11:35:57 AM
Thanks...

"High" praise, indeed.

Maybe now I can get Flo & Eddie to do my backup vocals. :D

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Very Pro &mdash 05/26/05 - 09:34:42 AM
mix here. Love the fx sounds at the beginning to set the
scene!.
Great original lyrics and I like the vocal delivery. Great
harmonies.
Cool track.

SlimGirlFat


[ Reply to This ]
Very Pro Mix &mdash 05/26/05 - 11:42:17 AM
Thanks for your feedback.

I've always loved the idea of using SFX in music. This tune seemed like the
perfect opportunity to try some.

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Ray Stevens of the Jungle &mdash 05/26/05 - 10:29:17 AM
Ray Stevens with Zappa harmonies. Very fun lyrics,
especially "left the poor blonde crushed and limp, quite
thoroughly depressed." Very sweet mix on the vocals, rich
and embracing. Fun, hip and entertaining.

[ Reply to This ]
Ray Stevens of the Jungle &mdash 05/26/05 - 11:47:23 AM
Excellent ear! my friend.

Ray Stevens was in the back of my mind when I wrote Banana Land and
Zappa's unusual, sometimes unlikely harmonies played a part, as well.

Thanks for listening and for the feedback.

[ Reply to This ]
this music is valuable &mdash 05/27/05 - 11:06:26 PM
thanks for sharing


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this music is valuable &mdash 05/28/05 - 01:18:04 AM
Thanks for listening.

I'm glad you find Banana Land a"peel"ing. ;-)

[ Reply to This ]
Nice... &mdash 05/30/05 - 09:02:28 AM
I like the whimsy of the lyrics, excellent voice and
production on this piece. Just excellent all the way
around!

Thanks for sharing your music here :)



[ Reply to This ]
Send this to Peter Jackson! &mdash 06/05/05 - 01:08:55 AM
He'd love it. He'd have to. Great crazy sound you have here. Your storytelling voice is so charismatic! I love how you just go all out. This is going to be in my head all night.

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"Kong is coming..." &mdash 06/05/05 - 01:13:00 AM
On a second listen, I wonder...would you consider "overproducing" the "Kong is coming" part? Like deeper, with more of an echo...just more extreme in some way? Jungle-shattering, you know.

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Send this to Peter Jackson! &mdash 06/05/05 - 02:31:19 AM
Thanks, Magritte.

I actually thought about sending the link to the fan site, but never considered
sending it to PJ, himself. (Do you have his email adress?) ;-)

This version was never meant to be the final one. It was mixed on a boombox
and/or headphones. I had all my studio stuff packed for a move. You're
absolutely right, though — tweaking and beefing up the "Kong Is Coming"
line is on the agenda.

I'm glad you got a kick out of Banana Land. Sweet dreams.

[ Reply to This ]
monkey rock &mdash 08/22/05 - 08:24:24 AM
Hey Joe,
this is a really fun tune with nice old
school synth sounds.
Great words and vocals, like the "muffled"
sounding guitar licks.
Cool Banana.

Cheers

[ Reply to This ]
monkey rock &mdash 03/02/06 - 08:11:42 AM
Hey, Kat...

Sorry I'm tardy on this reply, it somehow managed to slip in under the radar.

Glad you liked it. It was meant to be fun. Thanks for listening and commenting.

---
Hollywood 'Ape-Peel': <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/10304">Banana Land</a>

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You are, "The Gruv Dude"... &mdash 03/02/06 - 01:20:16 AM
Man, you are very creative soul - This shouldn't surpise me, since are
quite the word-smith... You're rappin dude. No denying that... And
very well done, I might add.

Dude, we gotta make some money off of you. Your talents are too phat
to be on hiatus from a commercial market.

All of your productions are very polished. (certainly, you've heard all of
this before) Everything about this is 'right on'. i like the 'big monkey'
shout in this... Very cool.

I'm glad to know ya mister, and somewhat proud. Thanks for sharing -

Later Gruv Dude - Dion

[ Reply to This ]
You are, "The Gruv Dude"... &mdash 03/02/06 - 09:03:04 AM
*Gruv Dude*? *Rappin Dude*?

My son should get a kick out of these titles. He sort of rolled his eyes when
he first heard this tune, although he did eventually warm up to it. (He
wants to rearrange ALL my tunes to be hip-hop numbers.) ;-)

Thanks for all your kind comments, Dion. Making some extra money from all
this would be nice, but at this stage of my life it would only be gravy. Making
music is my refuge. I much prefer it as a hobby than as a career.

When I first started playing in bands, I could throw all my equipment in the
trunk of my car; by the end of my music career, we were talking
about 18-wheelers. Those accommodations are somewhat symptomatic of
the broader demands of such a professional career. It was a lot of fun when I
was younger, but no longer has the same appeal. ;)

---
Hollywood 'Ape-Peel': Banana Land

[ Reply to This ]
This song has a lot of appeal &mdash 03/19/06 - 09:07:37 PM
The rhythm guitar is especially good. Your vocals and lyrics remind me
of Frank Zappa others have mentioned.

Good job, for a homo sapien.

[ Reply to This ]
This song has a lot of appeal &mdash 03/20/06 - 08:29:56 AM
Thanks. All Zappa comparisons are kindly accepted with relish... and mustard.

---
Hollywood 'Ape-Peel': <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/10304">Banana Land</a>

[ Reply to This ]
im not high &mdash 05/23/06 - 07:27:22 PM
dont like it

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im not high &mdash 05/29/06 - 09:28:10 PM
I'm not sure what not being high has to do with anything, but oh well.

---
'Gone' Hollywood: <a href="http://www.macjams.com/artist/j.a.stewart">J.A. Stewart Music</a>

[ Reply to This ]
Wow! &mdash 11/27/07 - 06:35:35 AM
So awesome, Joe! I love the different layers of sound you have going on here. That jungle drum that keeps the steady beat keeps it all together when the other sounds are all over the place. Perfect!

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Re: Wow! &mdash 11/27/07 - 10:17:39 AM
Thanks, Marcus.

I'm glad you enjoyed the trip to Banana Land. Yes, when you *peel* back all the layers, the big jungle drum is there holding all the musical and sonic anarchy together. ;)

--- Joe

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Do it again &mdash 05/31/08 - 04:01:54 AM

Great production , mix ,and vocals .
It's also very funny .
Please more like this :-)

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Re: Do It Again... &mdash 05/31/08 - 11:50:04 AM
Thanks, Henri. I'm glad you liked it.

More like this? I don't know. I sort of stepped out of my element on this one. But, perhaps a... Banana Land Part II someday when I feel like... monkeying around. ;)


--- Joe


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Delightfully crazy &mdash 06/29/08 - 09:31:39 AM
hip hoppity hip hop meets George of the Jungle and other stuff like that...Phil Collins comes to mind ...cool and wacky.........Jarvoid

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Re: Delightfully crazy... &mdash 06/29/08 - 10:07:25 AM
Haha, thanks, Chris. Ironically, to friends who have, over the years opined that I might be a little bit crazy, I reply, "No, I'm just delightfully eccentric."

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. ;)

My son, who performed some rap and hip-hop during his teen years, was always after me to re-arrange some of my old tunes as hip-hop pieces. This was my tongue-in-cheek response to his nudgings. He rolled his eyes when he first heard it, but has grown to like it a lot. ;)


--- Joe

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Eyup ,tell &mdash 06/29/08 - 10:43:17 AM
thee friends there's nowt wrong wi' being delightfully eccentric.some of the best buggers I've known as all been delightfully eccentric...........Jarvoid

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