''Ants'hillvania'' is a Sparrow Records production that was written by Jimmy and Carol Owens with Cherry Boone O'Neil and produced by Dan Collins. It is well known for being full of "

Ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of ...

pun A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...

s. It was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

for '' Best Album for Children'' for the

Grammy Awards of 1981 The 23rd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 25, 1981, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City and were broadcast live on United States, American television. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1980. Album of the Y ...

. It uses the '' Bible's'' " Parable of the Sower" and " Parable of the Prodigal Son" to tell the story of a colony of ants and the misadventures of a particular ant named Antony. Antony's story was continued in the sequel titled '' Ants'hillvania II: The Honeydew Adventure''.

Plot

The track tells the story of an ant colony in a beautiful forest called Ants'hillvania (a pun on

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

). The colony is filled with kind, fun-loving, and virtuous ants, led by their village leader, the CommandAnt. The ants value work and each other, and live by "the Wisdom from Above", or in other words, the word of God, which keeps their colony together through hard times. However, the CommandAnt's young teenage son, Antony, is restless and tired of the same old settings of his life, and strives to explore the world and become rich and famous without expending labor and looking out for number one. The CommandAnt, though disappointed with this change of events, gives Antony his trust and gives his son his

inheritance Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officia ...

. Antony sets out on a journey through the wood. Two of his friends, Briant and Samanttha, join him in his quest, and throughout their journey, they learn the meaning of what is right and more about the Wisdom from Above.

Track listing

#"Ants'hillvania" #"Work Song" #"Independ-Ants Song" #"All It Really Is" #"Mr. Worm" #"Seeds" #"The Choice Is Up To You" #"The Toast of the Town" #"The Riddle" #"Repent-Ants Song" #"Come On Home" #"Antshillvania Reprise"

Personnel

*Antony:

Wendell Burton Wendell Ray Burton (July 21, 1947 – May 30, 2017) was an American television executive and actor. He is best known for his co-starring role with Liza Minnelli in the 1969 movie ''The Sterile Cuckoo'' (1969). Biography Burton was born in S ...

*CommandAnt:

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer and actor. He was a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He sold more than 45 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and appeared in mo ...

*Millicent Millipede:

Jamie Owens-Collins Jamie Owens-Collins (born 1955), born Jamie Sue Owens, is an American Contemporary Christian music composer, singer and songwriter. She is the child of Jimmy and Carol Owens and was born and raised in Oakland, California, where her parents wrote ...

*Story teller: James Hampton *Arranged By, Conductor: Jimmy Owens *Producer: Dan Collins *Bryant: Patty Gramling *Cecilia: Ane Weber *Dragon Fly: Barry McGuire *Mr. Worm: Mike Milligan *Pop: Mark Pendergrass *Sam: Nathan Carlson *Samantha: Betsy Hernandez *Seymour: Dan Collins

References

1981 albums Agapeland albums Sparrow Records albums Children's albums {{1980s-album-stub