Songs in the Key of Wildlife... and Some Domestic

Musicians are inspired by the oddest things sometimes. They write about the standard stuff like relationships, being in a band, partying, and life on the road, but they also veer into strange territory, uttering nonsense lyrics - like on I Am the Walrus ("sitting on a cornflake"), and Smells Like Teen Spirit ("an albino, a mosquito"). Or weird subject matter, like dead skunks, hobbits, octopus gardens, cheap sunglasses, and cuddly toys. 

Today I'm talking about animal songs. By that, I mean the song has an animal (birds and fish included) in its title or in its lyrics. Often, the animal is not really the subject of the song, but a metaphor for something or some person. Or its just sounds cool to say it, regardless of its relevancy. So the song may still be about love and life and whatever, but it bears a title that includes an animal. Like Led Zeppelin's Black Dog.

Pink Floyd just loved animals in their songs

I thought long and hard on this subject and tried not to go to the internet for help (just a couple of times to jog my memory), but instead rifled through my CD collection, and wracked my brains for more ideas. I think I came up with a pretty fair-sized list of animal songs here. I'm sure there are more, but these are the ones I knew best. Feel free to come up with some more and submit them to me in the Comments section. Enjoy!

And Your Bird Can Sing, The Beatles Animal, Def Leppard
Animal Magnetism, Scorpions

Barracuda, by Heart
Bat Out of Hell, Meatloaf
Behind My Camel, The Police
Black Cow, Steely Dan
Black Dog, Led Zeppelin
Blackbird, The Beatles
By-Tor and the Snowdog, Rush

Cat Scratch Fever, Ted Nugent
Cat's in the Cradle, Harry Chapin
The Chipmunk Song, The Chipmunks
Crocodile Rock, Elton John
Cold Turkey, John Lennon
Cool for Cats, Squeeze
Crawling King Snake, The Doors

Dark Horse, Katy Perry
Dirty Dog, Helix
Dirty Dog, ZZ Top
Disco Duck, Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots
Dog Eat Dog, Ted Nugent
Dogs, Pink Floyd
Dogs of War, Pink Floyd
Dog Years, Rush
Dog and Butterfly, Heart
Do the Bearcat, David Wilcox
Diamond Dogs, David Bowie

Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except For Me and My Monkey, The Beatles
Eye of the Tiger, Survivor

Fast as a Shark, Accept
Fox on the Run, Sweet
Free as a Bird, The Beatles
Freebird, Lynyrd Skynyrd
The Fish, by Yes
Fly Like an Eagle, Steve Miller Band
The Fox, Elton John
Foxy Lady, Jimi Hendrix

Given the Dog a Bone, AC/DC
Great White Buffalo, Ted Nugent
Gonna Buy Me a Dog, by The Monkees

Hair of the Dog, Nazareth
Hey Bulldog, The Beatles
Honky Cat, Elton John
Horse Latitudes, The Doors
Hound Dog, Elvis
Hungry Like the Wolf, Duran Duran
Here Among the Cats, Max Webster
Hot Dog, Led Zeppelin

I Am the Walrus, The Beatles
I Dig a Pony, The Beatles
I Want a New Duck, Weird Al Yankovick

Karma Chameleon, Boy George (Culture Club)
Killer Wolf, Danzig

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Genesis
Let That Lizard Loose, Goddo
Love Me Like a Reptile, Motorhead

The Main Monkey Business, Rush
March of the Crabs, Anvil
Monkey Bars, Coney Hatch
Monkey Man, Rolling Stones
Mouse in a Maze, Saga
Muskrat Love, Captain and Tennille
The Mighty Turtle Head, Joe Satriani

Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown), The Beatles

Octopus' Garden, The Beatles
Of Wolf and Man, Metallica

Piggies, The Beatles
Pigs (Three Different Ones), Pink Floyd
Pigs on the Wing, Pink Floyd
Puppy Love, Paul Anka
Peace Frog, The Doors

Rock Lobster, B-52's
Rooster, Alice in Chains
Rocky Raccoon, The Beatles

She-Wolf, Megadeth
Sheep, Pink Floyd
Shock the Monkey, Peter Gabriel
Stray Cat Strut, by Stray Cats
Songbird, Fleetwood Mac
The Snake, Joe Satriani
Shaved Fish, John Lennon
Sugar Mice, Marillion

Toad, Cream
Tube Snake Boogie, ZZ Top
Twentieth Century Fox, The Doors

Union of the Snake, Duran Duran

War Pigs, Black Sabbath
Weasels Ripped My Flesh, Frank Zappa
White Rabbit, Jefferson Airplane
What's New Pussycat, Tom Jones
Who Let the Dogs Out, The Baha Men
Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, U2
Wild Horses, Rolling Stones

Year of the Cat, Al Stewart