Grant Kirkhope is celebrated for his work as the composer behind some of the most memorable tracks in gaming history, including classic titles like GoldenEye 007 and Banjo-Kazooie. However, many may remember him for another memorable sound: the iconic “oh banana” from Donkey Kong 64. Interestingly, Kirkhope voiced this line himself after struggling to find anyone else for the job. “I asked people at Rare if anyone wanted to voice a character, but no one stepped up,” he recalled in an interview with the industry newsletter Push to Talk. “I got so fed up with asking that I thought, ‘I’ll just do it myself,’ and that was that.”
Aside from the famous banana line, Kirkhope recorded various other voice samples for the game, with “OK” being another standout that fans remember well. These samples were later utilized by Nintendo in subsequent games.
Reflections on His Work and Influence
Kirkhope shares a bit of his past, mentioning that “Nintendo owned half of Rare” during that time. “So when they requested the voice samples, I certainly sent them. But I never imagined they’d actually use them,” he noted.
The phrase “oh banana” has experienced a resurgence thanks to its repeated use in Donkey Kong Bananza. Players encounter the sound every time they collect a banana, which means that if you’re thorough in your gameplay, you’ll hear it countless times. The association runs so deep that even a real banana can trigger memories of DK’s iconic line. While it’s uncertain whether Donkey Kong Bananza still uses Kirkhope’s original recording—if so, it may be heavily modulated—the essence of the phrase lives on. This phenomenon is similarly felt with the DK Rap, yet it seems that Nintendo hasn’t prioritized crediting Kirkhope for his seminal contributions to the franchise.
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