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| Did the Banana Splits inspire Bob Marley? | Did the Banana Splits inspire Bob Marley? |
| (about 17 hours later) | |
| WHO, WHAT, WHY? The Magazine answers... The children's TV classic the Banana Splits is getting a modern makeover, reviving memories of its sing-a-long theme tune. But have you ever noticed the startling similarity between it and Bob Marley's hit Buffalo Soldier? | |
| Listen to Buffalo Soldier - key lyric "Woy yo yo" - and The Tra La La Song, and it might seem like there is an echo in the room. | Listen to Buffalo Soldier - key lyric "Woy yo yo" - and The Tra La La Song, and it might seem like there is an echo in the room. |
| But while the Banana Splits came onto the scene in 1968 as hosts of The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, Bob Marley & the Wailers' Buffalo Soldier did not appear until the posthumous release of Confrontation in 1983. | But while the Banana Splits came onto the scene in 1968 as hosts of The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, Bob Marley & the Wailers' Buffalo Soldier did not appear until the posthumous release of Confrontation in 1983. |
| So did NBC's costumed rock band of Fleegle the dog, Drooper the lion, Bingo the gorilla and Snorky the elephant influence one of the greatest reggae artists of all time - and if so, does it amount to plagiarism? | So did NBC's costumed rock band of Fleegle the dog, Drooper the lion, Bingo the gorilla and Snorky the elephant influence one of the greatest reggae artists of all time - and if so, does it amount to plagiarism? |
| According to the Bob Marley Foundation in Jamaica, the reggae legend would probably never have heard of the Banana Splits, let alone be inspired by them. | According to the Bob Marley Foundation in Jamaica, the reggae legend would probably never have heard of the Banana Splits, let alone be inspired by them. |
| Spokesman Paul Kelly says he is unfamiliar with the TV show, and nor has he dealt with other inquiries about the Banana Splits. | Spokesman Paul Kelly says he is unfamiliar with the TV show, and nor has he dealt with other inquiries about the Banana Splits. |
| Buffalo Soldier is "Jamaican style straight up," he says. | Buffalo Soldier is "Jamaican style straight up," he says. |
| "Ye man, it's reggae - it's got the 'one drop beat' of the bass guitar and drums. The Wo yo yo is just Bob Marley being creative, it is Jamaican slang, an exclamation, a joyful noise the Jamaicans make when they laugh at a joke." | "Ye man, it's reggae - it's got the 'one drop beat' of the bass guitar and drums. The Wo yo yo is just Bob Marley being creative, it is Jamaican slang, an exclamation, a joyful noise the Jamaicans make when they laugh at a joke." |
| THE ANSWER Bob Marley Foundation doubts itBut musicologist says songs are "strikingly similar" One issue is whether Marley had access to the Banana Splits | THE ANSWER Bob Marley Foundation doubts itBut musicologist says songs are "strikingly similar" One issue is whether Marley had access to the Banana Splits |
| But he says the song has a serious message: "In America, the red Indians used to say the black people resembled buffalos because of their dreadlocks - so 'Buffalo Soldier, dreadlock rasta' - and the song is about them being 'stolen from Africa, brought to America, fighting on arrival, fighting for survival' about 400 years ago." | But he says the song has a serious message: "In America, the red Indians used to say the black people resembled buffalos because of their dreadlocks - so 'Buffalo Soldier, dreadlock rasta' - and the song is about them being 'stolen from Africa, brought to America, fighting on arrival, fighting for survival' about 400 years ago." |
| But a musicologist, who asked not to be named for professional reasons, says the songs are "strikingly similar." | But a musicologist, who asked not to be named for professional reasons, says the songs are "strikingly similar." |
| The main differences are in bars two and six, where the timing and inflection in Buffalo Soldier is more jumpy and Marley sings with a groove, whereas the Banana Splits theme song is "straight". And in bars three and seven, a note is gained in Buffalo Soldier or omitted in The Tra La La Song. | The main differences are in bars two and six, where the timing and inflection in Buffalo Soldier is more jumpy and Marley sings with a groove, whereas the Banana Splits theme song is "straight". And in bars three and seven, a note is gained in Buffalo Soldier or omitted in The Tra La La Song. |
| "The other difference is in bar four - where the final note goes down to a C in Buffalo Soldier but up to an E in Banana Splits. In bar eight they both go down." | "The other difference is in bar four - where the final note goes down to a C in Buffalo Soldier but up to an E in Banana Splits. In bar eight they both go down." |
| SPOT THE DIFFERENCE 1. Buffalo Soldier is more jumpy - repeated in bar six2. Buffalo Soldier has an extra note - repeated in bar seven3. Buffalo Soldier goes down to a C, The Tra La La Song goes up to an ENB: The bars are illustrated in the same key for comparison | SPOT THE DIFFERENCE 1. Buffalo Soldier is more jumpy - repeated in bar six2. Buffalo Soldier has an extra note - repeated in bar seven3. Buffalo Soldier goes down to a C, The Tra La La Song goes up to an ENB: The bars are illustrated in the same key for comparison |
| The issue of plagiarism rests to a large extent on whether Bob Marley had access to the Banana Splits' theme song, he says. If he did not, it couldn't be infringement of copyright as the law stands. | The issue of plagiarism rests to a large extent on whether Bob Marley had access to the Banana Splits' theme song, he says. If he did not, it couldn't be infringement of copyright as the law stands. |
| "Then it would be a coincidence - and coincidences do happen." | "Then it would be a coincidence - and coincidences do happen." |
| But if Bob Marley had heard the tune, "there is also always the possibility of subconscious recollection". | But if Bob Marley had heard the tune, "there is also always the possibility of subconscious recollection". |
| BBC 1Xtra's DJ Seani B offers another possible explanation. | BBC 1Xtra's DJ Seani B offers another possible explanation. |
| "It might be that Bob Marley's producer, Chris Blackwell, morphed mainstream sounds from the era into his music to make it more catchy. There is no evidence of this, it's just a conspiracy theory." WHO, WHAT, WHY? A regular feature in the BBC News Magazine - aiming to answer some of the questions behind the headlines | "It might be that Bob Marley's producer, Chris Blackwell, morphed mainstream sounds from the era into his music to make it more catchy. There is no evidence of this, it's just a conspiracy theory." WHO, WHAT, WHY? A regular feature in the BBC News Magazine - aiming to answer some of the questions behind the headlines |
| Having heard other Marley songs years before their commercial release, DJ Seani B says the originals versions were different. | Having heard other Marley songs years before their commercial release, DJ Seani B says the originals versions were different. |
| "There was a watering down from the real authentic reggae, which was more drum and basic, to a more commercial style which would appeal to the masses." | "There was a watering down from the real authentic reggae, which was more drum and basic, to a more commercial style which would appeal to the masses." |
| And although Jamaican music draws inspiration from a wide spectrum of sounds - including country music and R&B - he thinks the cuddly cartoon characters would not have been on Marley's radar. | And although Jamaican music draws inspiration from a wide spectrum of sounds - including country music and R&B - he thinks the cuddly cartoon characters would not have been on Marley's radar. |
| "He was a serious man, I very much doubt that he would have heard of them." | "He was a serious man, I very much doubt that he would have heard of them." |