Raffi, the Canadian singer-songwriter who has penned such classic kids-music hits as the venerated “Baby Beluga” and the all-time banger “Banana Phone,” has released yet another absolutely dank hit that is, like many Raffi Cavoukian songs, just as much for parents as it is for parent’s kids. This song follows Raffi’s explicitly political bent — he has never shied away from speaking out on politics, anti-fascism, the dangers of climate change, and anti-racism — and to parents, specifically. His new song, “Portland Moms” is dedicated to the moms who have taken to the streets in Portland to create human walls to protect protesters from federal law enforcement. Raffi posted the track, which is admittedly short, as a “tribute to the heroic protests vs injustice in Portland and elsewhere.”
The song isn’t just limited to those brave moms who have been taking to the streets. The song is in solidarity with Black Lives Matter protests that have taken place in the midst of the murder of George Floyd, who was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota by a police officer named Derek Chauvin.
In the tweet releasing the song, Raffi wrote that the song was born out of “an idea that woke me up at 3 am, now recording.” The simple one minute song has the typical child-like melodic instrumentation, while also being deeply serious. “Portland moms, won’t you come out tonight, come out tonight, come out tonight, come out tonight? Portland moms, won’t you come out tonight, come out tonight, come out tonight by the light of the silvery moon?”
He also references Black Lives Matter and the Wall of Dads, a group of dads who have also formed human walls to protect young protesters. He then stated that his first-ever concert in the United States was in Portland in 1981. “Sold out. Fond memories of shared love and music. Great town, friendly folk. heartbreaking, the trump cruelty vs. #BlackLivesMatter protesters. stay strong!” he wrote.
