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I've Got a Dinosaur On My Head! (AKA "The Dinosaur Song";sing-along)

This song was inspired by a goofy green dinosaur hat in the Apel house.   With a simple, catchy melody, fun animal sounds, and accelerating tempo, it has become a kid favorite and is requested at every live performance.

Peter recalls that he was roaming around the house, guitar in hand and a new dinosaur hat (prop) on his head, when he approached the bedroom where his wife and 2-year old son were working.  "I started with a simple guitar accompaniment, and the first words just popped out," Peter says.   He says his family looked at him with a stunned, "here we go again!" look that he interpreted as "positive feedback," and that was all the encouragement he needed to then add verses with chickens, cats, dogs, and frogs into the song.  Because of the large number of kids that like to sing along, this is one of Apel's favorite songs to perform live.


The Laughing Song (sing-along; works as a movement song)
This one was inspired by nieces and nephews in a kind of spontaneous living room sing-along session before Peter had children of his own. The full song evolved over time.   The forward and backward counting were thrown in for fun and to add just a touch of educational quality to the song.  The younger kids enjoy listening, and the older ones have fun singing along and counting backward at a quick tempo.   The actual laughing?  That's Peter's son (when he FINALLY recorded the song, his nieces and nephews were grown and "Uncle Pete" was now a father).  Note: The material on this music CD was collected over many years.

Sometimes I Have Oatmeal For Breakfast (AKA "The Oatmeal Song"; sing-along)

At Fred Pinsocket Productions, we want to be sure that we're properly addressing important and relevant world topics. We want to do our part to help others gain a deeper understanding of this complex world in which we live.  Of course, in our songwriter's house, the kids play a very key part in song-writing activities, so they also influence the selection of topics. In this case, the important topic is breakfast cereal.

Peter: "Son, we need a new song. What should our next song be about?" 
Son: "Ummmm. How about a song about...oatmeal!?"
Peter: "That's a great idea!  Sometimes I have oatmeal for breakfast. Sometimes I .... etc"
Son: "That's a good song, Papa." 

They collaborated to decide what should go on the oatmeal next. This time Peter had a flamenco/classical guitar in hand. He used that inspiration to build the foundation of the tune, which led to a much different feel from some of the other songs.

Walking in a Circle (movement song category)
This is a song to help get those kids up and moving around.  This was updated with suggestions from my pre-school teacher wife and some other teacher friends.  It starts with the kids sitting down. In the middle they get to stretch, stomp, walk, hop, and clap.  By teacher request, I ended the song by having the kids slow down and sit down again.


I Once Had a Balloon (But Then It Popped)
The idea was to try to do a tragic (but corny) love song to which kids could relate.  The result is a slow country waltz for kids (and their parents of course).  Sometimes we grow attached to people (or things) in our lives. The loss of that item (or person, or relationship) can be a struggle for us even if others don't share or understand our sense of loss.  This song acknowledges that kids might actually go through these ups and downs just like the rest of us.  Don't worry; the ending is not so sad.  Well, it is, but the idea is to understand that there is comedy in some our own misfortunes...to be able to laugh at yourself once in a while   

Blue Beef Broth (musical tongue twister)
This is a homemade tongue twister that evolved into a short musical story. Try to sing along as you hear how Grandma, Grandpa, and kids accidentally create this new concoction.

Eensy Weensy Spider (Traditional)
Peter's rendition of the standard includes a pleasant guitar arrangement and multi-part vocal harmony.  Like parent's around the world, Peter would regularly sing this to his kids. Of course, there are advantages to having a music-artist father.  Peter customized this for his son (in the 2nd verse the spider gets a name), and included this track on the album for obvious sentimental reasons. 

Train Whistles A Sound effect that your kids may enjoy. The train crosses slowly from the left to the right as you listen. Big Locomotive (movement song, educational) Take a short rhythmic journey down the tracks and through a tunnel. Learn a bit about the types of cars on a railroad.

 





Peacocks Don't Lay Eggs
("AKA The Peacock Song"; sing-along, science/educational)

Most people respond, "They don't?"
This song was inspired by daily peacock conversations after my son heard the peacock's eerie call from his uncle's front porch. Somehow these birds worked their way into our bedtime stories, and then into the song (our bedtime stories go all over the place).  Of course the old peacock/egg  joke was a contributing factor.  Just for fun and education, we've created a special page of interesting peacock information here.

I Love Bananas (AKA "The Banana Song"; sing-along, nutrition)
A little spaceman named Fred flies down to earth and sings his favorite song about bananas. 
Our company, Fred Pinsocket Productions, was named after Fred.  Fred, the cartoon has been around as a baseball player for a while, but with this new album, Fred finally got a voice and a new spaceman outfit and made it onto  track 11 as a little spaceman that sings about his favorite food. You can also hear brief guest appearances by Fred in "Sometimes I Have Oatmeal for Breakfast" and "Walking in a Circle."

Other info on Fred, see Who is Fred?  and  World-wide Banana Shortage Caused by Spaceman? 


Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (Traditional)
Everybody knows Twinkle Twinkle the traditional way.    Peter capitalizes on every young kid's desire to sing along even when they're not really sure of the words. Is it "up above the" or "hubba bubba"?  You decide. Once you hear this version (or even better, see your kids' reactions in a live performance), it will be hard to sing it the old way again.   Peter's "hubba bubba version" is highly requested at live performances. 

We love to answer questions. Let us know if you'd like to know more about a song or the album.

Get your copy of "I've Got a DINOSAUR on My HEAD!" at the Peter Apel music store.