I played the song “Watermelon Man” from Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters album for my kids a while ago. My daughter thought it was as interesting as I think it is. She requested that I play it for her in the car over and over again on our way to and from school. She began to enjoy the song so much that she used it in a presentation in her music class in her middle school.

In her presentation, she told her classmates all kinds of details; how many times it was recorded before this release in 1973, the chart position, the different musical styles in which it was recorded, the instruments included in this particular recording and a whole bunch of cool details.

At first, her classmates found the song to be a bit strange, especially the beginning. After a few minutes of listening to the groove and melody,  she told be that some of the kids began moving their bodies. Some of the kids did their own little dances, others were “dabbing,” and the rest were whipping and ne-neying.

I later thought about how playing of one of my favorite songs from my youth to my own kids could influence another generation. You never know what influence you will have. It’s amazing how this Headhunters album, which I listened to for years after it’s release has now been passed onto my kids and just might live on for many more years to come.

I think music is in her genes.

 

By the way, Harvey Mason was the ORIGINAL drummer for this band.

I love this song: