Over the hedge

A mom's remake of a familiar Billy Joel tune became a hit with the kids.

from the November 28, 2008 edition

When my children were small, I used to put my own words to popular songs and sing to them (off-key). Using "Piano Man" by Billy Joel, I would substitute: "Sing me a song I'm the banana man. Sing me a song tonight. Oh, we're all in the mood for fruit salad. But we're having bananas tonight."

I think my version was created while I was feeding my son a mouthful of mashed bananas, but I'm not sure. Maybe he was fussing; maybe not. All I remember is that it was a song that made my children laugh, and we sang it a lot around our house.

One day, while observing my children playing with LEGOs while I was preparing their dinner in the adjoining room, the original Billy Joel version of "Piano Man" came on the radio.

Both of my sons began singing along with it, but they used the words to the "Banana Man" version.

I walked into the room to watch this special moment when my older son said, "That man is singing your song, Mommy."

Before I had a chance to explain, my younger son said, "But Mommy's words are so much better."

Felice Prager

Scottsdale, Ariz.