Song

Neko Funjatta is a Japanese children’s song about stepping on a cat.

Context

I collected this from my Japanese friend that I befriended during my times studying abroad in Shanghai, China. She learned of Nekko Funjatta while learning the piano from her mother during her childhood. It is significant to her because as an avid piano player to this day, it is one of the first pieces of music that she could play and sing along.

Analysis

The Nekko Funjatta is sung over the tune of Der Flohwalzer (Flea Waltz). Unlike the German version however, the Japanese version has lyrics. Although the tune is renown over the world, in Japan, people know of Nekko Funjatta over Flea Waltz because the lyrics of the song is valued as somewhat of a tradition. One of the first pieces that children will perform to their parents is this song due to its easy to recognize and play tune as well as its playful and repetitive lyrics. This is how, through adding a verbal aspect to the song, the Japanese elevated the already renowned tune into a cultural song of their own.

Annotate

Other examples similar to Nekko Funjatta are Der Flohwalzer (Flea Waltz) in Germany and Kissanpolkka (Cat’s Polka) in Finland

Song

Ice Cream Man is a parody song of Iron Man by the band Black Sabbath. The lyrics goes as follows:

I am Ice Cream Man

Running over fat kids with my van

When I ring my bell

All the fat kids run like hell

Context

I collected this from my friend that I made in university. He is Asian American and grew up in the city of Walnut his whole life. This parody song is significant as it was an immature song that was popular at the same time of our lives, despite him present in America and me in China. What was also significant was that despite there being many different versions of the Ice Cream Man song, we both knew of this exact version of the song when we were on the opposite side of the globe. Additionally, he mentions that the song was popularized by word of mouth in his school, rather than a video going viral.

Analysis

When looking up examples of the Ice Cream Man song, there were all different to the one my friend and I knew. One example has the same first stanza as the one presented above. However, the song is extended to 6 minutes, with additional lines such as “Watch them run in fear” and “As I shift to Reverse Gear”. Another example only had one stanza like the example provided above, but the last two lines were “if I don’t hit them at first” and “I will surely hit them in reverse”. It is interesting to see another example of the same music have the same lyrical elements, but structured differently.

This parody song is folk music because in this situation, the folk refers those who are the same generation that can identify and perform the song. Despite being based on authored material, Iron Man by Black Sabbath, the parody song has numerous evidence for oikotypical variation.

Main piece:

“We like to drink with (person’s name), cause (person’s name) is our mate! And when we drink with (person’s name), she gets it down in 8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1!”

Background:

Informant is a first year student at the University of Southern California who grew up in Henley on Thames, England. As the drinking age is 18 in England, she has experienced the British bar scene with her friends.

Context:

The informant shared this song one night that she sang back home with her friends.

Commentary:

This song is well-known in England, and while it might not be as common in American culture, its simple nature makes it quite easy to join in even without knowing it. Since “mate” is more of a British term, it allows the song to rhyme in a way that wouldn’t be possible using “friend” or any other variation, but it is still understandable across cultures.