Pineapples are in my head...

How did pineapples become so popular? If you look they are everywhere even in areas you might not associate with such an item. It’s a strange thing the pineapple- for example the Wimbledon winner’s trophy has a pineapple on top of it because we all associate tennis with pineapples don’t we? Well, no, but the reason it’s there is because it was once a symbol of wealth, a highly sought after commodity back in the day; the crowning glory of a feast if you like. And that apparently is why it is there rather than the strawberry or tennis ball you might expect. Hang on, there’s also a pineapple on top of the Rugby World Cup as well for more or less the same reason. Wouldn’t it be great if the football World Cup was just one big giant gold pineapple?

The pineapple was one of the things Christopher Columbus brought back from the Americas to Europe in 1493. It soon became a symbol of hospitality and was always offered to guests especially because it was so difficult to grow them here in the UK so everyone couldn’t have one. There’s no record though of protests from people who wanted `pineapples for all`. Thus the pineapple was assigned a status it keeps to this day.

You can buy bags, phones and accessories with pineapple designs but all have an air of exclusivity about them. If you check the fine detail of a lot of Victorian buildings you’ll find pineapples used in the architecture. Well not actually pineapples because they would have rotted by now but images of pineapples.

Sparks penned the definitive tribute to the fruit on their 1975 album Indiscreet. `Pineapple` outlined the benefits of eating them whether in prisons “the warden likes it because it won’t conceal any sort of handmade weapons” (though actually I think they probably could), school or the Alpine skiing team. “Sure it ain’t a strudel (they’re nice), but it helps you balance on ice” the lyric declares somewhat ambitiously.  It’s even touted as a good investment “upward trends are forseen, so invest in Big P” they advise. More recently last year’s song `Pork Soda` by Glass Animals contained the catchy refrain “pineapples are in my head” and the group share the stage with a giant pineapple. 

Other pineapple things include

Ham and pineapple pizza topping – this pizza is always called a Hawaiian because of the presence of pineapple and possibly because otherwise ham cannot be equated with anything exotic. Champagne and ham? Nope.

There is a pineapple in every episode of the US detective comedy drama Psych.

New Order offshoot Revenge had an album called `Pineapple Face` whilst Crowded House released one called `Pineapple Head`  Perhaps they were both inspired by the same person?

Pineapples are mentioned in notorious novelty single `Agadoo` which goes “push pineapple, shake the tree” a dangerous notion as a falling pineapple can be dangerous. These days the police give lectures in schools about responsible handling of pineapples.

Spongebob Squarepants lives in a pineapple under the sea. See, Sparks, you can conceal more than weapons in there.

“a ginger sling with a pineapple heart” is mentioned in The Beatles’ `Savoy Truffle.`

There is a Scottish prog rock band called The Pineapple Thief. Really there is. They’ve released 11 albums! Someone must like them.

Pineapple Express was the name of a 2008 comedy film.

The world’s largest pineapple weighed 8.28kg, was 32cm long and had a girth of 66cm. Wonder who ate it? Nobody seems to have decided what size the world’s smallest pineapple was but there are photos of pineapples the size of a thumb.

There’s a dance studio in London called Pineapple Dance Studios. They often host rehearsals for tours and West End shows.

Pineapples are good for you- if that is you can get them open. They contain Vitamin C and also bromelain which is apparently a digestive enzyme.

The Cayman Islands has a pineapple on its flag.

Best of all there is a superhero called Pineapple Man! There he is>>