Red Frog Presents: 16 Songs for Parents and Children
Red Frog Presents: 16 Songs for Parents and Children is the fourth solo studio album by Martha Davis, who is better known as the lead singer for the band The Motels.[1][2][3] Red Frog Presents…, a children’s album, is a departure from Davis' other solo albums that explored autobiographical themes. The cover was designed by artist Alicia Justice and depicts a family listening to the radio with the title character Red Frog.[4]
Red Frog Presents: 16 Songs for Parents and Children | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 2010 | |||
Studio | Clean Sheets Music | |||
Genre | Children's music | |||
Length | 24:00 | |||
Producer | Martha Davis | |||
Martha Davis chronology | ||||
|
The inspiration for Red Frog Presents… occurred about twelve years before the album’s release, as Davis lamented that her grandchildren were listening to Barney & Friends:[4][5][6]
"It was just horrifying…especially because when I was a kid, my first favorite album was Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. I remember seeing Fantasia when I was little, so I know that kids love beautiful, imaginative stuff. The storybooks that I had didn't pull any punches. People died. They didn't try to make everything safe and pretty and stupid for kids."[4]
As a result, the album explores various musical genres such as jazz and baroque. Davis even provides narration and embodies all of the characters on Red Frog Presents….[7] As she described, "I was a kid of the Warner Brothers cartoons…I grew up with that stuff. I have a crazy imagination, so it seems to make sense. As dark and brooding as some of my songs are, I'm pretty much a goof ball!"[4]
Track listing
Martha Davis (vocals, guitar)[8]
- "Finnias T. Rabbit"
- "Dragon Soup"
- "Professor Owl"
- "Sallymander"
- "Goat"
- "Orangutango"
- "She's A Cow"
- "Black Mamba"
- "Francois the Flying Squirrel"
- "Chupacabra"
- "Francis Bacon"
- "Beulah"
- "Lady Spider"
- "Fireflies"
- "Hole Beneath My Bed"
- "Red Frog"
References
- "The Motels Information Site". www.the-motels.info. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
- "Last Few Beautiful Days: Interview with Martha Davis of The Motels – Where Music Meets The Soul". Retrieved 2019-08-13.
- Borders, Lindsey (2018-05-22). "Martha Davis of The Motels discusses the band's new album, artwork & guitar". Guitar Girl Magazine. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
- "20 Questions: Martha Davis". PopMatters. 2010-01-26. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
- Valcourt, Keith (2011-05-03). "Martha Davis of The Motels: Not Checking Out". Rockerzine. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
- "Bloodletting - Interview with Martha Davis of the Motels". 74.208.152.204. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
- "Martha Davis: In Total Control". RockCellarMagazine. 2012-10-01. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
- "Red Frog Presents: 16 Songs For Parents And Children". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2019-08-13.