Monkeys is the third song on the Here We Go CD. It's a song about...well...being a monkey...or at least the fun parts of being a monkey. (I'm sure they have their bad days too). This song came from a piece of music that had been on the back burner for a LONG time. I had almost finished it a few times through the years, but I just couldn't seem to write any lyrics that would fit. I had been trying to make it a SERIOUS song...but the music didn't sound serious at all. I wasn't sure how it could ever be whatever it was that it was meant to be...that is until I started writing "kids' music".
Doing this CD opened up a whole new world to me. I felt like my rule book had been thrown out the window. I really could do anything, as long as it was fun. If it would be fun to put in a tuba part, or a ukulele part...well...I could!! A broken Speak and Spell voice spelling the word M.O.N.K.E.Y...why not? I guess the best way to describe it is that I felt like a kid again. It taught me a great lesson that has taken off a lot of the pressure of creating something fun for kids: just have fun!! Simple as that.
It's not that there isn't a lot of hard work involved. There are a lot of steps in the process which are really tedious. But there is something really refreshing about doing something silly. Even just for a moment. Making yourself smile...even if it's at yourself. And if someone is watching, they'll probably get a smile out of it too.
I guess that's what this song is about. Just swing from trees and always eat...bananas, bananas, bananas.
You can listen to a clip of the song, "Monkeys", here.
- Phil
