1. Happy All of the Time
“You may find that you want to yodel in a crowd, or tell someone you love ‘em right out loud.”
Happiness can make you do the craziest things… and watch out, it’s contagious! The title song launches the album with a bright bouncy beat, and a triumphant multi-instrument finale.
Listen for: Trumpet, violin, cello

2. Jungle Walk
“It may be swingin’ through the day, but the jungle’s really rockin’ at night”
Go wild! It’s almost impossible to sit still for this one, from the first notes of the rockin’ electric guitar to the giant jungle cat roar at the end.
Listen for: Electric guitar

3. My Friend Echo
“We like to play games with the clouds drifting by, or sometimes in silence watch the sun cross the sky.”
Come and rest a while at the top of a hill, where the “wind is silent and the leaves stand still”. A wistful song about a child and his echoing friend.
Listen for: Cello, keyboard oboe sound

4. Piñata
“It never occurred to me - getting whacked by wooden sticks would be my destiny”
In Paper Land, you can choose what you want to be, but the poor fellow in this song made a rather unfortunate choice. Slapstick absurdity, counterpointed with a commanding guitar performance by “Flamenco Caravan” star Esteban Figeuora.
Listen for: Flamenco-style guitar, flute sounds, and hand-clap rhythms

5. Coral Reef
“The octopus is voting for the 64th time, the fishies swimming by don’t pay him any mind.”
The coral reef may be the “prettiest place in the land, sea, or sky”, but even there, the residents have fishy issues to discuss. The reggae style verses and melodic chorus bracket a bubbly fishy rap.
Listen for: Reggae and rap rhythm styles

6. My Old Friend
“Robert the invisible black panther lived in the space beneath my bed.”
Delicate instrumentation illuminates this pretty memory fragment about a child’s imaginary friend.
Listen for: Cello, violin.

7. Underpants in Hawaii
“I had ‘em when I danced the hula, in a big grass skirt, I remember just a-keepin’ em on when I took off my shirt”
Oh, the tragedy of it all. The singer left his favourite red-heart festooned underpants in Hawaii… and is begging for help in getting them back. Guaranteed to provoke hilarity… and hula-dancing!
Listen for: Ukulele, steel guitar

8. Balloons
“If everything just stayed the same, then dreams could not come true.”
Balloons, like people, can suddenly drift out of reach, leaving behind sad and empty feelings. Written for Jake’s children after their grandfather died, this song unflinchingly talks about the pain of change, and then finds the strength and hope that lie just around the corner.
Listen for: Cello, violin

9. Pink Flamingos
“Let’s always remember, beauty’s only feather deep.”
Ladies and gentlemen… The Pink Flamingos! A 50s style doo-wop beat and blazing sax solo prepare us for the fabulous flamingos…but although they’re beautiful, they aren’t all that nice -- and in fact can’t even sing!
Listen for: Saxophone

10. Otis
“Otis loved his airplanes, kites and yo-yo’s too… if you could bounce just high enough, Otis would love you too”
A funny little boy named Otis is obsessed with things that go up and down… and Jake imagines he grows up to invent the elevator. Grab a partner and get ready to do-se-do… up and down style!
Listen for: Violin

11. Antarctic Soirée
“Put your wrists down to your ankles, just wobble round and smile.”
That’s how you dance with the penguins, in case you ever get invited to one of their parties! A lush jazz trio creates just the right ambience for this swishy fishy soirée, high atop an Antarctic ice floe!
Listen for: Jazz piano, trumpet

12. Bananas
“On a banana boat from Ecuador, that’s the place for me - just me and a million bananas and the shining blue sea.”
There must be a chimpanzee swinging through the branches of Jake’s family tree, ‘cause he can’t get enough bananas! A sunny, lazy, tropical ode to the beautiful banana!

13. The Silly Hill Road
“She don’t give a hoot what the people say, Mrs. Silly’s just living Mrs. Silly’s kind of way.”
Some people say Mrs. Silly is a little bit gone, but she just likes to do things her own way. Jake and the other musicians get fast and loose with the beat, and let a silly song unravel into controlled chaos.
Listen for: Tuba sounds, banjo

14. Emily’s Beautiful Moo
“Her eyes half-closed, her nose to the breeze, the song seems to sweep her away”
It may sound like mooing, but if you know just how to listen, Emily is actually making cow music. She’s the best singer of the herd, and once you hear her, you’ll want to try your best cow-singing too!
Listen for: Waltz time

15. I Woke Up This Morning
“I don’t know but I’ve been told, I’m gonna be like this until I get old.”
Warm up your tongue and your elbows – it’s time to get flappin’! A poor fellow falls out of bed and hits his head, and discovers he’s got some rather unusual new moves. Virtuosic picking and playing by former Nashville session player Chris Krienke -- on four different instruments!
Listen for: Mandolin, violin, steel guitar.

16. Into the Sun
“No matter how much love is in your heart, there’s room for so much more.”
This gentle closing piece was written for Jake’s daughter, but reminds us all of our limitless capacity to love and be loved.
Listen for: Guitar