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Working: How Raffi Makes Kids Music That’s Actually Good

Slate Daily Feed

Slate

Business, News, Society & Culture

3.91.1K Ratings

🗓️ 26 March 2023

⏱️ 51 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week, producer Cameron Drews talks to the legendary children’s musician Raffi Cavoukian, who’s best known for songs like “Baby Beluga” and “Bananaphone.” In the interview, Raffi discusses his pivot to kids music in the mid-’70s and the creative choices that went into one of his most beloved albums, Singable Songs for the Very Young. He also talks about his decision not to market directly to kids, his climate activism, and a philosophy he developed called “Child Honoring.”  After the interview, Cameron and co-host Karen Han discuss how artists can follow their instincts while keeping their audience in mind.  Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com or give us a call at (304) 933-9675. Podcast production by Cameron Drews.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Working. Sign up now at slate.com/workingplus to help support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:42.0

I instinctively felt I didn't want to do any song that I didn't have a feeling for. I wasn't going to do a song just because I was suggested I should do it.

1:01.0

So I let that feeling guide me just do what feels right you know and what feels fun and we never took a formulaic approach.

1:12.0

Welcome back to Working. I'm your host Karen Han.

1:15.0

And I am usually your producer but today I'm your other host Cameron Drew's.

1:20.0

Hi Cameron, so who did you talk to for this week's episode?

1:24.0

So the voice we heard at the top of the episode may be familiar to some it belongs to none other than the legendary children's musician Rafi.

1:34.0

Karen, are you familiar with Rafi's work at all?

1:38.0

Oh my gosh, yes. Although that said I don't know that I can name too many of his songs beyond maybe like banana phone and like baby beluga.

1:47.0

Yeah, I would say that baby beluga which is a song that came out in 1980 is probably his most famous song.

1:57.0

Baby beluga baby beluga is the water one is your mama home with you so happy.

2:11.0

Nice little song right. It's so nice. It's so like instantly like groovable.

2:17.0

I know it kind of reminds me of some of like Paul McCartney's songs for the Beatles that kind of sound like they could be for kids like when I'm 64.

2:27.0

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

2:29.0

So Rafi has been a children's musician for the past four going on five decades.

2:41.0

His first kids album came out in 1976. So multiple generations of kids have grown up with this music.

2:48.0

I was listening to him in the 90s. It was some of the first music I ever connected with period.

2:55.0

And I should also say that I got the idea to interview Rafi a while back many many months ago working co-host Isaac Butler mentioned that his daughter had been listening to a song called the gummy bear song over and over and over and he couldn't take it anymore for reference that song sounds like this.

...

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