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Bananaphone

album by Raffi

Manuscripts, fine bindings, an engraving plate and preserved performance ephemera
Arts and lettersInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJul 4, 2026
Entity authorityQ2390129
Source-derived summary

Bananaphone is a children's album released by Raffi and Michael Creber in 1994. The album is best known for its title track, which uses puns such as "It's a phone with appeal!" (a peel) and nonce words like "bananular" and "interactive-odular" as Raffi extols the virtues of his unique telephone.

The song "C-A-N-A-D-A" was originally recorded by Stompin' Tom Connors under the title "Cross Canada".

The album was certified Gold by the CRIA in March 2002.

Track listing

"Bananaphone" (Creber, Raffi) 3:12

"Shake a Toe" (Creber, Raffi) 2:20

"The World We Love" (Creber, Raffi) 3:23

"Slow Day" (Creber, Raffi) 3:25

"The Changing Garden of Mr. Bell" (Hubbard, Silversher) 4:07

"Naturally" (Creber, Raffi) 3:04

"Spring Flowers" [instrumental] (Raffi) 2:40

"C-A-N-A-D-A" (Connors) 2:50

"Michael Row the Boat Ashore" (Traditional) 3:25

"First Peoples" (Creber, Raffi) 4:37

"Dee Myth" [instrumental] (Raffi) 2:21

"Cowlit Night" (Raffi) 3:21

"The Gorilla Song" (Knowles, Knowles) 2:10

"Simple Gifts" (Traditional) 2:15

"Down by the Riverside" (Traditional) 3:13

"The Shmenge Polka" [instrumental] (A Tribute to the late John Candy) (Raffi) 2:07

Cover versions

The album's title track has been covered in several different musical genres. Examples include a barbershop version, several heavy metal versions, a dubstep version and a bluegrass/country version by Rhonda Vincent released on the album Sing Along with Putumayo released by Putumayo World Music.

The Chilean children's show Cachureos released a cover of Bananaphone called "Teléfono" on its 1996 album, "La Mosca".

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Bananaphone” as album by Raffi. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA productive route into publication, performance and collection histories when the underlying object or edition remains clearly identified. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1994, 2002, 1996—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1994. The account is most persuasive where Bananaphone, album and Raffi can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as album by Raffi. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 4, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2390129. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1994, 2002 and 1996.

Critical limits

Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.

Best used for
  • Identifying works and editions
  • Tracing reception history
  • Finding collection records
Verify next

The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Bananaphone”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Bananaphone primary sources, Bananaphone archive and Bananaphone research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Bananaphone”?
  2. Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
  3. Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Bananaphone” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.