The Electric Banana Band



The Electric Banana Band is a Swedish children's jazz/rock band formed in 1977.

In 1976, Lasse Åberg was given the task of making a series of children's shows on behalf of SVT ('Sveriges Television' or 'Swedish Television'). The result was Trazan Och Banarne -- Lasse and Klasse Möllberg remade the studio into a jungle motif, and hosted the show themselves. It became a bang hit, but when the first season was going to be reprised, SVT discovered the tapes had been wiped accidentally, having confused the number for that show with another.

Undaunted, Åberg and Möllberg decided to do an entirely new show, which was broadcast in 1980. For this show, they created a band -- The Electric Banana Band. Janne Schaffer was there as well, under the stage name 'The Zebra', whereas Åberg called himself 'The Tiger'. They played their music as the characters they played, and it worked out very well for them -- they accomplished hits very quickly (Banankontakt, Zwampen, etc). Usually, Åberg does the lyrics, and Schaffer does the music.

In the 2006 Melodifestivalen, they appeared with their song "Chameleon", not having equal success there -- they lost after two rounds.

Tropes that apply to them are...

 * Animal Motifs: Well, obviously.
 * Cloudcuckoolander: If the band themselves don't qualify, then many of the characters from their songs should. A man who wants to overcome his hydrophobia, because he "wants to be like a wonderful dolphin". A boy who rejects becoming a fireman in favor of being a bureaucrat.
 * Crowning Music of Awesome: Many of the melodies of their most well-known songs? All flowing together in one piece? Played by a symphony orchestra? You're looking at Banana Split, my friend, and it was wonderful.
 * Ear Worm: Many of their songs, though the gravest offenders are their nonsense songs. Banana bwana tjosalabing, bambana...
 * Femme Fatale: Fröken Öken ('Miss Desert') and Sahara Sara are about these kinds of women -- both controlling the desert.
 * Green Aesop: Most of their songs are simply about the jungle and animals, and are generally quite cheery -- but then came Rör Inte Vår Fina Skog ('Don't Touch Our Beautiful Forest'), a hauntingly serious bit which delivered a Green Aesop (well, more of a Green Suggestion -- 'get your hands off our forest').
 * Long Runner: 30+ years, and still popping up to perform every now and then.
 * Lyrical Dissonance: Pelikanen ('The Pelican'), a cheerful song about a pelican eating garbage in the city.
 * Nightmare Fuel or Fridge Horror: Olyckan("The Accident" in english) was a cheerful lunatic that sang about how he loved when things crashed and people got hurt. While he apparently couldn't actively cause accidents, he basically salivated at possible death scenarios. He's the incarnation of accidents. This means that the accident that kills or maim people is feeling exstatic joy due to it. Worst thing is how catchy his song is.
 * Parental Bonus: The Electric Banana band.