Now you might think that a dog couldn't play the piano. They have paws and not fingers, and they

have little tiny dog brains. But you would be wrong about that. One of my favorite bandleaders

and pianists as a dog, he actually recorded the piano on this theme song.

Welcome to Strong Songs, a podcast about music.

I am your host, Kirk Hamilton, and I'm so glad that you've joined me to talk about songs played by Rolf the Dog, songs written by Rolf the Dog, and sometimes songs

that were just inspired by Rolf the Dog.

Say Rolf the Dog 10 times past.

This is a listener-supported show.

It's just me, and I'm making it for all of you with no one in between to chip in and keep that going.

Go to patreon.com slash strong songs or make a one-time donation at the link in the show notes.

On this episode, we're boarding a ship to a totally different musical universe,

where frogs play banjo, dogs lead bands, and pinball machines count all the way to 12.

It's going to be so much fun, and I can't wait to get into it.

So, let's get the band together, drop the curtain, and start the show.

Music draw up the curtain and start the show. There is something special about the relationship that kids have with music.

We forever love the music that we grow up listening to because music connects so powerfully to who we are as kids.

We can dance sometimes before we can talk.

And even if we don't understand the words that we're hearing or have any sense of the instruments or the types of harmony of a given song,

we know if we like it, if it moves us. And in some ways, those first songs that we hear in our

first few years stick with us for the rest of our lives.

And while it's true that kids can like simple, repetitive songs,

I think it'd be a mistake to assume that every song written for kids needs to be basic,

...