Arthur Askey – I Want A Banana
June 28, 2007
Arthur Askey – I Want A Banana (Chords)
Whether it was the wartime rationing, it’s phallic nature, or the fact that bananas have no bones; the banana was something of an obsession in wartime songs. If you hadn’t guessed by the title, the hat and the mid-YMCA pose, this is a novelty song. As with any good novelty song, this burrows into your head so deeply it would take a drill to get it out. And after having it rotate in my brain for an hour today, the drill option looked quite appealing.
In the verses, it’s worth emphasizing the melody notes of the chords (usually the note on the highest string) and you might need this little beauty:
Requested by Bromley Plonker
I can confirm the wartime preocupation with bananas. I was born in 1938, and can remember vividly the first time I ever saw one in the flesh. I must have been about eight years old. I’d seen many illustrations, and heard several comic songs. I must admit I was a bit disappointed. It seemed to be quite different from my expectations – whatever they were at the time.
Good old Arthur!
I had a similar experience with passion fruit. From the name I’d imagined them to be exotic and enchantingly beautiful. Then I got my hands on one and it was a purple lump with goo inside. They are tasty, though.
ii was born in london in 1929 and during the war i was a patient b n conaught hospital walthamstow now waltham foreat ,at that time arthur askey ran a club for the child patients,most of whome were war casualties like myself this club was called the cheery bug cluband he would entertain us even in the air raids there must be e mailers out there who remember those times or have they all gone on before me tom norris
I’m a Londoner, born 1930 in Battersea. I well remember Arthur Askey, used to listen to him on the wireless, a show called “Monday Night at Seven” his catch phrase was “I Thank Yeow” in a cockney accent. As far as bananas go, I never saw one until after the war, the Yanks sent over a gross thing that when put in water it swelled up, it looked like an over ripe banana and smelled like one, but that was as close as I got to the real thing. The Yanks also sent us another concoction called Dried Egg, we couldn’t get real eggs. Although we were ‘bombed out’, my Mum, myself and 4 siblings managed to stay alive. Bob Englefield
Bob and Thomas: Thanks for your recollections. That’s really interesting to hear.