In kids’ music or comedy songs we can have a lot of fun with the sound of words. But here, more than ever, it’s important to write so that every syllable rolls out with no chance of tripping the tongue.

Sometimes that means we need to spell out some words phonetically. In Ants’hillvania II the villagers sing to Antony:

Ant-tony! Oh you kid!
What a treat to see ya dance and prance about!
Ya gotta lotta what an ant should dance about!
Oh! Oh! You’re our favorite!

Notice that twice we‘ve written the little word “ya” instead of “you” or “you’ve”. This is because these occur on little unaccented pickup notes, and both “you” and “you’ve,” are too broad to fit these unaccented spots at a fast tempo, without feeling awkward to sing and understand.

Say them over rhythmically and you’ll see.

Though not comedy music, we did the same sort of thing in the opener to Come Together – We spelled out “Let-ch’r light shine!“Let your light shine!” would have sounded stiff and uncharacteristic in that style and at that tempo.

Writing for Snakes

In Ants’hillvania II our villain, Snakespeare, the serp-ant, who uses words like “Gadzooks” and “forsooth,” is boasting to his sycophantic followers, the felonious fireflies, of how he plans to pull a scam on the Ants’hillvanians.

He talk-sings (Talk-singing is really a kind of rap which goes back at least as far as Vaudeville). In one long run-on line he throws in inner rhyme, frequent chimes, alliteration, everything he can think of as he exults in a medium-up 4/4 tempo:

With my /wily smiles and smiley wiles I’ll /wow ‘em and be miles away be/fore they even realize I’ve /got their goods and gone!

Say the line aloud and see how the sounds feel in the mouth. Is the overall sound of the line bright, or dark? It has nine long i sounds in it, to accentuate the bantering boastfulness of the comic villain.

The first half of the line contains six w sounds, which adds to the silly wahwahwah sound, sort of like a horn played with a wahwah mute.

The song was a lot of work because it’s a long one and carries the plot. But whatta lotta fun to do!

Written by : Jimmy & Carol Owens

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

BE NOTIFIED ABOUT BOOK SIGNING TOUR DATES

Thank you for your message. It has been sent.
There was an error trying to send your message. Please try again later.