Cover art illustrations by Sami Melillo.
As silly as this sounds, the biggest thanks has to go to Parker himself!! I know that Parker has existed since the dawn of time, and I am thankful that he came to me in the form of a song, and chose me to bring him to life. To Sami. When I thought my dream of breathing life to Parker in book form would be dashed on the rocks before it even started, you revealed your passion and talent for drawing. Your independent design of the cover for the first Parker book was all the proof I needed that you were the absolutely best illustrator for Parker. No one can ever take your place as the illustrator for the series, but I hope that someone will allow me to continue creating books from the remaining songs on this album. Thank you also for all your great story ideas. I hope I've done them justice! To my Mom. You always said you supported the books not because your son wrote them, or because your granddaughter illustrated them, but because they were really good!! I think the books being created by your descendants helped that decision a bit, but thank you for all the work you've done in spreading the messages of the books as far as you did! To Tommie "Sox" Panazzolo. When it seemed like the universe was conspiring against me to prevent me from finishing the album, you went above and beyond in helping me complete it in a decent amount of time!! We didn't make the Christmas shopping time, but that's a minor point compared to the help you gave me!! To The Wicked Monk. Back in the MySpace days, you rose in droves to praise the first Parker song. You showed me that Parker, and his positive message have a universal appeal, making it a greater set of songs and books for adults and children alike!! To all of Parker's fans. You all share my confidence that, once news of Parker reaches a large enough audience, he and his message will have a great positive effect on the world. Thank you all who have helped me in one way or another to try and make that happen!! Finally, as always, to Janie Barnett, who not only helped me write almost all the songs, but whose help in recording all the songs was immeasurable!! Thanks for helping me get the album out the door!! If you haven't been covered by any of the "thank-yous" above, thank you for listening to this album. However you got it, and whatever you paid for it, thank you for coming along on what Janie refers to as "The Parker Adventure"!! All lyrics, vocals, and harmonica by Joe Melillo. TRACK LIST
PARKER THE PLATYPUSmusic by Joe Melillo and Janie Barnettrecorded at Laughing Buddha Studios Janie Barnett: keyboard This song has existed since the beginning of time. I am honored that it chose me to give it form. When it first tapped me on the shoulder, I couldn't figure out why no one had written ANYTHING (song, story, fortune cookie fortune) about a platypus not fitting into the animal kingdom, and using it to relate to people who don't feel like they fit in to whatever it is they're supposed to fit? It was so clear to me that the writing process for this song was the easiest one I'd ever experienced, to this day!! I knew immediately it would be a children's book, and I am so very proud of my illustrator, my niece Sami Melillo, for wanting to be part of the creative team to create the book! It has certainly been my greatest artistic achievement ever, and I thank everyone who has supported Parker from the day he first tapped me on the shoulder. LYRICS: You see, a platypus is a funny sort Parker had tried to make some friends "I was hatched from an egg," he'd say to them Parker then visited the beavers "You have a weird bill on the front of your face! So Parker walked along by himself A hungry tiger had wandered along He used the barb on the back of his foot Parker soon had a ton of friends PARKER HELPS HUBERT THE HIPPOPOTAMUSmusic by Joe Melillorecorded at Empire State Studios Joe Melillo: keyboard Tommie "Sox" Panazzolo: bass, drum machine Upon the success of Parker The Platypus, I knew the book had to be a series. This was the first song in the series that was centered around an animal that wasn't Parker. I used other animals to help kids deal with problems they might be experencing, especially problems with trying to fit in. It wasn't until I wrote about six or seven Parker songs that I realized that these were problems that *I* dealt with as a child! The book Parker Helps Hubert The Hippopotamus is ALSO now available for purchase! LYRICS: You see, because I'm really chunky, I mean, I'd always exercise, One day, I was crying in the gym, He had a duck bill, but a flat hairy tail! "My name's Parker," the strange guy said, "Well, you're in the gym, so you're very healthy! "My friends and I are playing frisbee "People used to make fun of me, So I met eight of Parker's friends, So now I have a lot of friends, PARKER COACHES CAITLIN THE CATmusic by Joe Melillo and Janie Barnettrecorded at Empire State Studios track composed on Band In A Box As much as I loved swimming pools when i was a kid, I was afraid to go into the deep end. It took me a long time to get up the nerve to learn how to swim. Nowadays, we've learned that babies should learn how to swim soon after birth, since we spend our gestation in liquid. Sami took swimming lessons very early. I imagine, though, that not every baby will have that opportunity, so, just in case there are any children out there who experience the same fear of drowning, we make use of a cat, because of the stereotype that cats hate water. LYRICS: All except poor Caitlin. Dmitri decided He searched high and low Then he found our friend Parker. "Come, Caitlin," he told her, So Caitlin came closer, So Parker jumped in and "As long as you stay calm, So Caitlin tried the lesson Soon Caitlin learned how to swim, "I would never have learned how From your great fear of drowning! PARKER BEFRIENDS BERTRAM THE BATmusic by Joe Melillo and Janie Barnettrecorded at Empire State Studios track composed on Band In A Box Another new animal friend. Another problem Parker will help him overcome. The things that are different are a) I REALLY like the melody Janie and I came up with, and b) I'm pretty sure it's the only children's song in history to make use of the word "stalactite". LYRICS: He finally had to go see Doctor Dachshund, Bertram didn't want to wear his glasses. But he decided to wear them They called him "Four Eyes" and "Soda Bottles" "We're going exploring in the cave, The only one who didn't make fun "I'm going to stay out here with Bertram, So the other animals went into the cave, They finally realized that there was no way "Help us! We're lost! We can't get out! He used his sonar to find his way "You see," Parker said, "everyone has things Everyone had a good time playing cards, PARKER DICTATES WITH DELILAH THE DALMATIANconcept by Mary Luisimusic by Joe Melillo and Janie Barnett recorded at Empire State Studios track composed on Band In A Box My friend Mary owns a stuffed dalmatian whom she named Delilah. She wanted to jump on to the Parker bandwagon, and asked me to write a song featuring Parker and Delilah. Of course, the first question out of my mouth, honestly thinking that Mary had no ready answer, was "What's Delilah's issue?" However, to my surprise, Mary was in fact ready with an answer: "She has a speech impediment." I thought this was a GREAT subject to discuss with children, so it was a done deal. Janie loved the way the song turned out so much that she successfully encouraged me to make it a last-minute inclusion on the album! LYRICS: See, Delilah had a big tongue A lisp is a speech impediment Delilah told a joke to the other animals, The animals started to laugh, Delilah ran away crying, "Why are you running?" asked Parker, "You speak differently," said Parker, "But it's thtill not correct," said Delilah, Parker took Delilah "A lisp is easy to correct," Professor Parrot taught Delilah Parker practiced with her, "I sssssinccccccerely thank you, Professor Parrot! Delilah enjoyed orating, PARKER BIKES WITH BRIAN THE BROWN BEARmusic by Joe Melillo and Janie Barnettrecorded at Empire State Studios track composed on Band In A Box One of the many issues I dealt with as a child was that I was (and still am) a sub-par athlete. As a result, it took me longer than most kids to learn how to ride a bicycle without training wheels. i wanted to capture this for kids who might have the same troubles. the problem I was having is that, while people are familiar with GRACEFUL animals, the knowledge of which animals are CLUMSY isn't as common. I uncovered that the brown bear is notoriously clumsy. Once I had my animal, it was time to write the song!! LYRICS: See, when Brian tried to ride two-wheelers, The other animals made fun of him Parker The Platypus saw all that, "If you pedal fast enough, Parker took the training wheels off, "This is fun," Brian said, Brian looked down and saw that he "Don't get nervous!" Parker shouted, "I can do this!" he said, "I already did! Brian made it all the way home, PARKER FINDS A FAMILY FOR FERNANDO THE DODOmusic by Joe Melillo and Janie Barnettrecorded at Empire State Studios track composed on Band In A Box I'm not sure where the idea of using "The Last Of The Dodos" to illustrate the issues some children might have with not having the traditional family structure, but I do remember wanting to incorporate my harmonica playing in one Parker song. 12-bar blues was a natural pattern to do that, but I didn't want too sad a vibe for the song, since it has a very happy ending! LYRICS: Only one of the animals was sad! Parker had walked by, "What's the matter?" Parker asked, Parker took Fernando Then Parker took Fernando Then Parker took Fernando "A family can have two fathers! Then Parker took Fernando "Thank you, everyone," said Fernando, "See, it doesn't matter," said Parker, PARKER TAMES TIBERIUS THE TIGERmusic by Joe Melillo and Janie Barnettrecorded at Empire State Studios track composed on Band In A Box When Sami came up with this story, all she showed me was a title: Parker And The Tiger's Revenge. Of course, I had to make the title alliterative, but admittedly, I wasn't anxious to write a rematch between Parker and the tiger from the first song/book. It was then that she explained to me that Parker and the tiger become friends. Everything else fell into place!! LYRICS: Balthazar The Beaver But soon they saw four clawed feet, "I just want the platypus," he said, Parker yelled, "You were eating my friends! "But there's no reason for us to fight! The tiger was saying in his mind, "But now it looks like I may not! The tiger took a bit bite of the greens, The tiger said, "My name's Tiberius!" "It would be my honor!" Tiberius roared, Everyone got excited to play PARKER AIDS ALOYSIUS THE ALLIGATORmusic by Joe Melillo and Janie Barnettrecorded at Empire State Studios track composed on Band In A Box This was about as simple a way to get a song idea as there is. I was walking to the dentist for a checkup, and it occurred to me that Parker could help children deal with the very common fear of visiting the dentist. I'm almost ashamed that it took me this long to come up with this concept!! LYRICS: One day Aloysius was hungry, Then what appeared before his eyes So he sunk his teeth into the trunk, Aloysius ran and looked Aloysius didn't know "Isn't it obvious?" they said to him, "Oh no!!" screamed Aloysius, When they heard this, the other animals Parker The Platypus said to them, "All those tools he has are used So Parker sat with Aloysius Aloysius started to shiver "See, we put some medicine in your mouth. So Doctor Dachshund pulled the tooth, Aloysius' pain was gone, PARKER CHEERS FOR CHELSEA THE CHIPMUNKconcept by Sami Melillomusic by Joe Melillo and Janie Barnett recorded at Empire State Studios track composed on Band In A Box Now that she's 16, Sami is fully grown at 4'8". Her height hasn't hindered her ability to make friends, mainly because her winning personality can overcome all. So I was surprised when Sami first presented this story idea to me (with "Connie The Chipmunk", which needed to be changed to make it truly alliterative). Even though I've never known her to be interested in basketball, it was clear that she was taking a page from her Uncle Joe, and turning her own experiences with insecurity into a Parker song. She originally had Parker joining the team with Connie, but Parker is much better support cheering from the stands as a fan! After all the tweaks, this is the result!! LYRICS: Chelsea The Chipmunk liked to see Chelsea wanted an autograph, Chelsea shook like a leaf on a tree, "Why are you so scared?" he said, "So what?", Parker said, "they like all their fans! "I can jump up to the sky! Parker said, "You need to try out for the team!" "So what have you lost?" Parker inquired. "If you try out, you might make the team. Chelsea decided to give it a run. Chelsea tried her very best, Chelsea was proud of how she played! "You have great speed and agility! Chelsea loved shooting hoops, Parker said to Chelsea, "Now you're a star! PARKER ENCOUNTERS EXTRATERRESTRIALSconcept by Sami Melillo music by Joe Melillo and Janie Barnettrecorded at Empire State Studios track composed on Band In A Box While I was designing the cover for the album, I was looking for sketches of some of the characters Sami did that didn't make it into a book yet. I found sketches of a boy and girl alien, which reminded me of the story idea she had of Parker getting visited by aliens. She didn't have much more of an idea than that, but it was obvious to me that the aliens would feel even more out of place than Parker did in his first song/book. So who better to help them get acclimated to Earth than Parker? His helpfulness extends FAR beyond our own planet!! LYRICS: There was flying, across the sky, Parker ran to where it hit, Outside came two strange creatures, "Won't you please help us here? Back on our planet, our folks are scared Parker thought, "I been told once or twice To communicate, so I would find Parker and the visitors went to see Inside the ship, he had a look, Parker thought, "Owen's word is surely good, The three new friends had lots of fun, The next day Owen's work was done, "Come and visit us again!" Alistair thought, "When you hear us in your brains PARKER CONCOCTS A COMPROMISEmusic by Joe Melillo and Janie Barnettrecorded at Empire State Studios track composed on Band In A Box This was the second Parker song I wrote. I was trying to show how Parker, living in between animal kingdoms, was able to bring different groups of animals to a common goal. I'm not even sure how the disagreement in the song came to me, or the solution, but i think it illustrates the point well. LYRICS: Parker ran to the river "Why are you fighting?" Parker asked. "Whenever it rains, the river overflows! "I agree that's a problem" said Daria "Yes, that's too bad," said Bruno. The argument started up again. Suddenly, Parker had an idea! "Why can't you build a gate in the dam? "The ducks don't want to swim in the rain, Bruno and Daria both agreed La la la la la la la A BOULDER BURIES PARKER'S BURROWconcept by Sami Melillo music by Joe Melillo and Janie Barnettrecorded at Empire State Studios track composed on Band In A Box Sami originally came up with the concept that humans would kidnap Parker as a pet, and the other animals would rescue him. I have a strict policy that, since it was established in the first line of the first Parker song that the songs took place "in the days when animals ruled the world", there would be no humans in any of the songs. However, as always, Sami presented a quality core to the story: with all the help Parker gave the other animals, it was time for them to give him hep when he needed it. It's the idea behind one of the greatest movies of all time: It's A Wonderful Life. Instead of giving Parker another living enemy, I made Mother Nature the "villain" of the story. One learns whom one's true friends are when one needs a place to stay. Luckily, Parker has amassed a LOT of friends over the course of all these songs!! LYRICS: Parker The Platypus saw lightning, He looked up at the mountain Parker ran through a long tunnel, Bertram The Bat was his neighbor, The sun came out the next day, But when they learned Parker's burrow was buried, "Thank you all," said Parker, "Right now you need some help, Along came Bruno and Balthazar, Parker was surprised to find Crush Parker's home ever again! "You taught us all about friendship," said the beavers, Parker threw a huge party, |
CLICK HERE FOR OTHER GREAT PARKER THE PLATYPUS STUFF!!