It's time for another playlist for you.
This one, for absolutely no reason at all, is linked to animals. So here you go - ten top tunes with an animal in the title.
Enjoy!
1. Elton John: Crocodile Rock
We really had to start with this one! Released in November 1972, ahead of the album, Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player, Crocodile Rock became Elton John's first US number one. It was a nostalgic look back at the rock n roll and pop culture of his youth. In 1974 he was sued by Buddy Kaye, who was the writer of early 60s Pat Boone hit, Speedy Gonzales. Kaye argued that John and Bernie Taupin used chords from his song that lead into the falsetto bits. The argument was settled out of court.
Elton John: Crocodile Rock - here
(Live at Madison Square Garden, 2000)
(It was quite tempting to dig out that Muppets version again - oh go on then! here)
2. The Walkmen: The Rat
This classic song featured on the Walkmen's second album, Bows & Arrows. The song was built around a fast drum pattern laid down by Matt Barrick during a jam session and singer Hamilton Leithauser said the song was written in just five minutes. Pitchfork described it as "a relentless St. Valentine's Day massacre of relentless drums, bass and guitars". It was rated as the thirteenth best song of the decade by NME.
The Walkmen: The Rat - here
(Breath-taking performance on The Late Show with Colbert in 2023)
3. Duran Duran: Hungry Like The Wolf
One of the songs that really helped Duran Duran break into the big time, the video for Hungry Like The Wolf was filmed in Sri Lanka. It has a bit of a Raiders Of The Lost Ark vibe going on with it. The song had been struggling in the US but then started to get some heavy airplay on the fledgeling MTV channel, which helped it eventually get to number 3, as well as a Grammy for the video. I think people sometimes forget, because of the screaming fans and the fact they were quite photogenic, Duran Duran are actually a fantastic band - Wolf has one of the iconic riffs of the 80s.
Duran Duran: Hungry Like The Wolf - here
(Official music video)
4. The Icicle Works: Birds Fly (Whisper To A Scream)
This was the first single from the Icicle Works eponymous debut album. It had first been released in June 1983 on the Situation label, making number 2 in the Independent chart. It was put out again in early 84 by Beggar's Banquet after the Top20 success of Love Is A Wonderful Colour. Second time around it made it to number 52 in the UK. Arista insisted on changes for its US release though: first of all they dropped the spoken female section, they then flipped the title around (to become Whisper To A Scream (Birds Fly)) and finally insisted the band dropped the 'The' from their name. They must have known at least a bit about what they were doing, as the song reach 37 in the US.
The Icicle Works: Birds Fly (Whisper To A Scream) - here
(Official music video)
5. The Damned; Fish
One of the tunes off of the classic debut, Damned Damned Damned, by punk legends The Damned. Like the rest of the album, Fish is driven by drummer Rat Scabies frenetic playing and Brian James' hammering guitar riffs. Also, like with many of their early tunes, this retains a sense of cheeky fun that the band were famous for.
The Damned: Fish - here
(Audio only)
6. The Cure: The Caterpillar
This one comes from fifth album The Top and was written by Robert Smith and Lol Tolhurst. The video was filmed in the Great Conservatory of Syon Park, the West London residence of the Duke of Northumberland. The song starts with the horror movie off-kilter piano notes and screeched violin, before heading off into a playful indie pop romp - who says goths can't have fun?
The Cure: The Caterpillar - here
(Official music video)
7. Throwing Muses: Shark
If anyone thought that Throwing Muses might struggle when Tanya Donnelly left after their classic 1991 album Real Ramona, the run of three stomping albums that followed put paid to that thought. Following Red Heaven and University, came seventh album Limbo, recorded like its predecessor in New Orleans, and released on Rykodisc in 1996. This under-rated power indie pop classic shows that three can be as effective as four.
Throwing Muses: Shark - here
(Live in Sydney, 2009)
8. The Beach Boys: Bluebirds Over The Mountain
When, in 1958, rockabilly singer Ersel Hickey was told by Phil Everly that he should really try and write his own material, he produced this song. It has been covered numerous times, including by Robert Plant (with Chrissie Hynde) and Ritchie Valens - but any excuse to roll out some classic Beach Boys harmonies can't be missed. Also worth noting, the rare Beach Boys guitar solo was courtesy of session player Ed Carter.
The Beach Boys: Bluebirds Over The Mountain - here
(Audio only)
9. Big Country: Red Fox
Third album The Seer took Big Country back to where it all started on debut The Crossing, with lots of images of misty Scottish landscapes and echoes of painful histories. In fact, many of the songs on the album are full of historical references: Remembrance Day, for example, is all about the Highland Clearances (when thousands of Highlanders were forcibly relocated to the southern hemisphere and their lands sold off). But Colin Campbell of Glenure is the so-called Red Fox of this song. That it is about the 1752 Appin Murder gives you a clue how this ends. The murder was a retaliation assassination after the aforementioned clearances. Campbell was appointed a government Factor to sell the recently forfeited Clan Stewart lands who was shot in the back in May 1752 (this also inspired Stevenson's 1886 novel Kidnapped).
Big Country: Red Fox - here
(Audio only)
10. The B52s: Rock Lobster
What other way is there to end an animal playlist, than with this party classic. It was The B52s debut single in 1978 (on DB Records) and written by Fred Schneider and Ricky Wilson. It got released again in 1979 ahead of their Warner Bros debut album. The song was apparently inspired by a slide show used at the 2001 Club in Atlanta instead of a light show. It was the tune that in early 1980 that apparently led John Lennon to re-ignite his recording career after a five year hiatus. He said "it sounds just like Ono's music, so I said to meself, 'it's time to get out the old axe and wake the wife up!" In 2002, Ono would join the band on stage in NYC to perform the song.