"The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana)" is a 1968 pop song, which was the theme song for the children's television program ''

The Banana Splits Adventure Hour ''The Banana Splits'' is an American children's television variety show produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and featuring the Banana Splits, a fictional rock band composed of four costumed animal characters in red helmets with yellow crests. ...

''.CD liner notes: Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits, 1995 MCA Records Originally released by

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

on the album titled ''We're the Banana Splits'', the single release peaked at No. 96 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on February 8, 1969, and No. 94 in Canada, on January 20, 1969. The writing of the song is credited to

Mark Barkan Marcus Barkan (July 4, 1934 – May 8, 2020) was an American songwriter and record producer. He was also a Music director, musical director for the television show ''The Banana Splits, The Banana Splits Adventure Hour'', which aired between Sept ...

and Ritchie Adams, who were the show's music directors. However, there are claims that the theme was written by

jingle A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meanings that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually ...

writer N. B. Winkless Jr. of the Leo Burnett Agency, but was credited to Adams and Barkan for contractual reasons. This was confirmed by Winkless’s son

Terence Publius Terentius Afer (; – ), better known in English as Terence (), was a playwright during the Roman Republic. He was the author of six Roman comedy, comedies based on Greek comedy, Greek originals by Menander or Apollodorus of Carystus. A ...

, who played Bingo on the show, in his 2020 memoir ''From the Inside: My Life As Bingo of the Banana Splits''. “In no uncertain terms, the Tra-La-La song was written by my dad on the slightly out of tune upright piano in our living room in Kenilworth, Illinois.” In 1995, Hollywood Library released the 1,000-copy limited-edition CD reissue ''We're the Banana Splits/Here Come the Beagles'' which, in addition to the original album version, included an alternate version of the song.

Cover versions

American

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band

The Dickies The Dickies are an American punk rock band formed in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, in 1977. One of the longest tenured punk rock bands, they have been in continuous existence for over 40 years. They have consistently balanced catchy mel ...

made the song a hit in the United Kingdom in 1979 with their cover version, marketed by

A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...

as "Banana Splits (Tra La La Song)". The record reached No. 7 in the UK Singles Chart. A version by

Liz Phair Elizabeth Clark Phair (born April 17, 1967) is an American rock singer-songwriter and musician. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Phair was raised primarily in the Chicago area. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1990, she attempted to sta ...

with

Material Issue Material Issue was an American power pop trio from Chicago, Illinois. The band's trademark is pop songs with themes of love and Broken heart, heartbreak. A number of their song titles used women's first names. History Material Issue was formed ...

was the first track included on the 1995 album Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits, which peaked at 67 on The

Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists. Sometimes, a rec ...

. English singer-songwriter Jamie T utilized the theme song by interpolating it with the melodic hook of his single, " Chaka Demus", from his 2009 sophomore album, '' Kings & Queens''. American rock band

Fall Out Boy Fall Out Boy is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer A ...

made a cover version for the 2019 comedy horror adaptation ''

The Banana Splits Movie ''The Banana Splits Movie'' is a 2019 American comedy horror film directed by Danishka Esterhazy from a screenplay written by Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas. It serves as a horror reimagining of Hanna-Barbera's 1968 children's television series '' ...

'' in the end credits.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana), The 1969 singles 1979 singles Children's television theme songs Songs written by Mark Barkan 1968 songs Songs written by Ritchie Adams The Banana Splits