By Uncleben
From last week’s carnival of nominations, I was drawn to the intriguing stories of these twelve creatures. The animals in question mostly follow my self-imposed criterion of existing independently of the song, either in real life or in a different artistic creation. But I may have been bamboozled into the tenth. And the twelfth doesn’t quite fit the rubric, but I was determined to make it the closing number.
Roky Erickson & the Aliens – Two Headed Dog (Red Temple Prayer)
Soviet scientist Vladimir Demikhov pioneered heart, lung and liver transplants in animals, but will forever be notorious for his two-headed dog experiments. Demikhov had performed this surgery 23 times, with varying degrees of success. I’ll wager, though, that Erickson’s song is about the 24th experiment in 1959, gruesome photos of which appeared in LIFE magazine, though we won’t show one here. The poor experimentees were a stray German Shepherd called Brodyaga and a smaller dog called Shavka. They lived for four days after the operation.
Jon Wilks – The Trial of Bill Burn Under Martin’s Act
Bill Burn was the first known person to be convicted under the Cruel Treatment of Cattle Act 1822, known as Martin’s Act after the MP and animal rights campaigner Richard Martin. Burn, who was caught beating his donkey, had possibly been misled by the short title of this ground-breaking statute. If he’d read the small print, he would have seen its scope extended to “Horses, Mares, Geldings, Mules, Asses, Cows, Heifers, Steers, Oxen, Sheep, and other Cattle”. It was Martin himself who brought the prosecution – and the case became famous when the unnamed donkey made a personal appearance in court.
Bill Burn’s donkey making an ass of him in court
Ketama, Toumani Diabaté, Danny Thompson & José Soto – Mali Sajio
If you visit the central square of Bafoulabé in Mali, you’ll see a statue of a hippopotamus. A charming hippo who, according to West African folklore, struck up a friendship (as hippos sometimes do) with a young woman of his neighbourhood. ‘Mali’ means hippopotamus in the Bambara language. The oral traditions differ as to whether Sajio was the name of the hippo or his ladyfriend. In some versions, Mali is shot by a French colonial settler. In others, Sajio and Mali remain inseparable lifelong friends. There’s even a Romeo and Juliet version, in which Mali is a young man who turns into a hippo (as young men sometimes do) and whose fatal shooting by a jealous lover drives Sajio to kill herself.
Hippo to the square: Bafoulabé in Mali
Mayte Martín – La Paloma de Picasso
Picasso’s dove was in fact Matisse’s pigeon. Matisse’s studio was once filled with birds and plants. But, when he took on his last commission – what became the Matisse chapel at Vence in France – he cleared out his rooms so he could cover his walls with his famous paper cut-outs. He asked Picasso, his one-time rival but now close friend, to look after his pigeons. The writer Louis Aragon came to Picasso’s studio one day to find a picture to illustrate a poster for the World Congress of Advocates of Peace. ‘Pigeon of Peace’ didn’t have the same ring to it. The rest is history.
Pablo’s dove of love
David Sudbury – The King of Rome
Another famous pigeon, entered by its owner Charlie Hudson of Derby in a 1,001-mile race from Rome to England in 1913. Dave Sudbury immortalised the bird in this fine song, which he performed at the finals of the Northern Arts Council’s ‘Songsearch’ contest (the X Factor of its day, sort of). The song didn’t win, but June Tabor was one of the judges and asked if she could record it. Tabor’s version has been A-listed for a previous topic and The Unthanks’ version has been twice A-listed. I think Sudbury’s original thoroughly deserves its place too in the hallowed halls of the Marconium.
All flights lead to Rome
Ritchie Lamy & the Jools Rimet Orchestra – Pickles
It’s 20 March, 1966. The World Cup finals begin in less than four months’ time and the Jules Rimet Trophy has been stolen from its public display at the Methodist Central Hall in Westminster. Step forward, Pickles! The hero of the hour is a four-year-old, mixed-breed collie, who tracks down the trophy in Beulah Hill, South London. Later to star in The Spy with a Cold Nose opposite Eric Sykes and June Whitfield (no, me neither). Warning: Mr Lamy has employed some creative licence in his telling of this famous tale.
Pickles. Trophy dog is having a ball
Eartha Kitt – Toujours Gai
Archy and Mehitabel (or, to be strict, archy and mehitabel) were characters created by Don Marquis, a New York City newspaper columnist. Archy was a free verse poet who turned into a cockcroach (as free verse poets sometimes do). He leapt around a typewriter to tell stories about his new life as an insect but naturally couldn’t hold down the caps key at the same time. His best friend was Mehitabel the alley cat. A musical recording of their adventures was turned into a Broadway musical called Shinbone Alley. Eartha Kitt starred as Mehitabel – and here she is, in simply divine form, introducing her character.
Feline groovy – Mehitabel
Norma Tanega – Walkin’ My Cat Named Dog
In her late teens, Tanega mingled in the Greenwich Village folk scene, had a job that allowed her to sing her songs to patients at a New York City psychiatric hospital and was ‘discovered’ playing at a summer camp in the Catskills. She lived in an apartment building that didn’t allow dogs. So, fresh from Vietnam War protest marches, she decided to play out a more personal and whimsical act of revolt. She kept a cat, called it Dog and took it out for walks around the neighbourhood. A true original.
Woof
The Beatles – Martha My Dear
From a cat called Dog to an Old English sheepdog called Martha. Many listeners apparently interpreted this as Macca’s love song to Jane Asher. Seriously, though, can you imagine the Beatles writing a love song with the lyrics “Hold your head up, you silly girl”? Oh, you can … Martha hung out at the Beatles recording sessions before living out her later years at McCartney’s farm house on the Mull of Kintyre.
Macca and Martha
Luke Haines – A Badger Called Nick Lowe
OK, let me explain. It’s a concept album. About anthropomorphic woodland animals named after real-life musicians. And the characters have similar traits to their namesakes. There’s a cat called Gene Vincent. And a frisky fox called Jimmy Pursey. And a dependable badger called Nick Lowe. And their arch-enemy is the Antony Gormley sculpture, the Angel of the North. Everyone keeping up so far?
Animal magic
Blue Öyster Cult – Godzilla
An enormous prehistoric sea monster originally conceived as a cross between a gorilla and a whale, Godzilla (or Gojira) is woken from the depths by nuclear radiation (as sea monsters sometimes are) and goes on the rampage (“Oh no, there goes Tokyo!”), here accompanied by a monster guitar riff. Donald ‘Buck Dharma’ Roeser wrote the song, shares lead vocals and supplies those deft trademark guitar licks. “History shows again and again how nature points up the folly of men.” Indeed.
The cult of Godzilla
Peggy Lee – He’s a Tramp
At the dog pound, Lady meets a sultry Pekingese who knows a surprising amount about her new friend Tramp. The character was originally called Mame, but producer Walt Disney decided to change her name to Peg after Peggy Lee, who co-wrote and sang this irresistible number. Animator Eric Larson is even said to have based Peg’s movements on Lee’s own as she walked around the studio. A winning combination of song, animation and canine backing vocals.
Peggy and Peg
The Auspicious Animal A-list Playlist:
Roky Erickson – Two Headed Dog
Jon Wilks – The Trial of Bill Burn Under Martin’s Act
Ketama, Toumani Diabaté, Danny Thompson & José Soto – Mali Sajio
Mayte Martín – La Paloma de Picasso
David Sudbury – The King of Rome
Ritchie Lamy & The Jools Rimet Orchestra – Pickles
Eartha Kitt – Toujours Gai
Norma Tanega – Walkin’ My Cat Named Dog
The Beatles – Martha My Dear
Luke Haines – A Badger Called Nick Lowe
Blue Öyster Cult – Godzilla
Peggy Lee – He’s a Tramp
Looking Back With Love B-list Playlist:
There seemed to be a lot of love and nostalgia this week for the cartoon, TV, film and literary animals of our childhoods. So I’ve given over the B-list to them.
Vince Guaraldi – Joe Cool
Classy theme tune for Snoopy’s alter ego.
Hoyt Curtin – The Most Effectual Top Cat
Curtin also wrote the theme tunes to The Flintstones, The Jetstones and Hong Kong Phooey.
Sublime – Hong Kong Phooey
Did someone mention Hong Kong Phooey? Best ever opening credits to a TV show. Or a possible tie with Banana Splits, I’ll accept.
Butthole Surfers – Underdog
A US animated TV series (1964 to 1973). Never seen it, but am keen to do so after hearing this cover of the theme tune.
Philip Scheib & Marshall Barer – Theme to Mighty Mouse
Jim Carrey as Andy Kaufman as Mighty Mouse.
Cross Fire – Hi Yo Silver
A terrific re-working of the Lone Ranger theme tune.
Terry Bush – Maybe Tomorrow (theme from The Littlest Hobo)
A Canadian TV series about a stray German Shepherd called Hobo. Darn, I’ve got something in my eye again ...
Mark Knopfler – Coyote
About Wile E. Coyote, sung from the wry perspective of the Road Runner.
The Dickies – Free Willy
He hasn’t read for a part since Free Willy 3, you know.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – House at Pooh Corner
Wot, no Piglet, Tigger, Kanga or Roo?
Jarvis Cocker – The Lion and Albert
From a children’s album compiled by two members of Tindersticks.
Mandy Miller – Nellie the Elephant
Sung by the 12-year-old Miller, arranged by Ron Goodwin and produced by George Martin. Peerless.
Guru’s Wildcard Pick:
The Pioneers are most famous for Long Shot Kick de Bucket, listed for a previous topic. But did you know they recorded a song called Poor Rameses about another Jamaican racehorse? And get this – Rameses and Long Shot both died at the same race meeting at Caymanas Park in April 1969. Long Shot was put down after fracturing his shoulder bone in a collision with another runner. Rameses collapsed and died of a heart attack.
These playlists were inspired by readers' song nominations from last week's topic: You Tarzan, Me Cheeta: songs about famous or specific animals. The next topic will launch on Thursday at 1pm UK time.
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