Man’s Best Friend
Posted November 4, 2009 by
Morning Show Crew 
Comments(57)
Comments(57) 
Would YOU send YOUR dog into space to die? No, we didn’t think so. But the Russians did that to the famous space dog, Laika. The anniversary of that event got us to thinking about dogs and snakes and all the lovely animals and all the lovely songs ABOUT animals — in the Q of the D:
(here are Claudia’s dogs, Georgia the lab and Coco the Wheaton)
Dire Wolf – Grateful Dead
Here are some ‘animal’ songs –
“My Dog Blue” (The Byrds)
“Mandy” (Barry Manilow)
“Wildfire” (Michael ‘Martin’ Murphy)
“How Much Is That Doggie (in the Window)?” (Doris Day)
“Puff, the Magic Dragon” (Peter, Paul and Mary) (Yes, I am reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally ‘reaching’ with that one!)
“Fido” (The Byrds)
“Stray Cat Blues” (The Rolling Stones) (Yes, I am ‘reaching’ again)
Teddy Bears’ Picnic – John Storms-Rohm, or any of the many versions out there.
“Would You Like To Swing On A Star” by anyone
“At The Zoo” by Simon & Garfunkel
Jackie Greene’s song Animal, on Giving Up the Ghost
Wild Horses, either the Stones or Old in the Way
Neil Young.
Old King
At the Zoo. Simon and Garfunkel?
lots of animal songs out there (albums, too i.e. Pink Floyd) ..mine is of course Beatle-related: Paul’s “Wildlife” off the same early Wings album: at college concerts he would intro it saying “this is a song about animals”..he’s always been an advocate, that’s what attracted him to Heather(PETA) …remember “Martha My Dear” (his sheepdog)..”Single Pigeon”, “Little Lamb Dragonfly”, “Bluebird”..and you played “Blackbird” yesterday!…only wish he did a cover of the “Unicorn Song” !! Ram On!,
Tom cat, muddy waters
the catfish song , Townes van zandt
the mollusk, ween
black cat, ziggy Marley
Sure I’m an animal lover…I respect all living species on this planet and I feel sympathetic to them as well since they have to endure to ecological impact of sharing the planet with the human species.
Dragonfly – Ziggy Marley is a good one.
The Monkey – Dave Bartholomew another.
Zillionaire – Edie Brickel, have to consider a song about a dog.
Another really broad category, with lots of good answers, some obvious, others not so much! Here are just a couple…
“Talk To The Animals” Either from the Original Cast album, or the more recent version from “Diego, Dora & Friends Animal Jamboree”.
“All God’s Creatures” Peter, Paul & Mary.
“Wondering Where the Lion’s Are” Bruce Cockburn.
Hey Bulldog by the Beatles
My favorite is John Hiatt’s “Just my dog and me” from Beneath this Gruff Exterior. Always reminds me of walks with my own springer spaniels.
“Spacedog” Tori Amos
“The Dog Song” Nellie McKay
“Golden Retriever” by Super Furry Animals, “Bulldog Skin” by Guided By Voices, “I Wanna Be Your Dog” by the Stooges and of course, “Hey Bulldog” by the Beatles.
Two from Pink Floyd
“Dogs” off Animals (real stretch right?) probably too long to play this morning.
But here’s a nice short one >> “Seamus” track 5 off Meddle.
I know, I know, there are tons of touching and loving songs about dogs and we love them all but how ’bout this one -
Who doesn’t love “Snoopy?” (and the Peanuts gang)
So….. Snoopy and the Red Baron – by The Guardsmen or something like that?
Have a great Wednesday!
This looks like a laundry list, but I do like these songs and don’t hear them that often:
Everything Reminds Me of My Dog – Jane Siberry
Walking the Dog – Rolling Stones
Diamond Dogs – David Bowie
Thanks for thinking of me.
How about this for a dog song?
Fred
Words and Music by Tom Paxton
I have a dog, and his name is Fred.
Poor old feller, he’d be better off dead,
Than to live his life with me;
Me being one old flea.
Fred used to scratch his back and side,
Poor old feller, I would run and hide,
I’d drink me a big old beer,
And wait till the coast was clear.
I know I sound like a mean old rat,
But I’m just a flea, you know I can’t help that,
We’re a perfect team, a pretty good match;
I provide the itch and he replies with the scratch.
Scratch, Fred, roll on the ground,
Scratch, Fred, it makes a musical sound:
Chicka chicka chicka chicka chhhh!
Chicka chicka chicka chicka chhhh!
Fred won shows, he was a big success,
So I was living at the best address,
Life was a pleasure for me;
He made me a high-class flea.
Fred won ribbons and loving cups-
He outclassed all of them other pups,
But as soon as we were back in the yard,
I’d nip that rascal hard.
I know I sound like a mean old rat,
But I’m just a flea, you know I can’t help that,
We’re a perfect team, a pretty good match;
I provide the itch and he replies with the scratch.
Scratch, Fred, roll on the ground,
Scratch, Fred, it makes a musical sound:
Chicka chicka chicka chicka chhhh!
Chicka chicka chicka chicka chhhh!
Well, Fred got older and he quit the shows-
Makes you wonder where the glory goes.
Now we lie in the noonday sun,
And think of the stuff we’ve won.
Fred gets sleepy when the sun gets hot,
So we take a little snooze until the day is shot,
And if I want to go in at night,
I give him a little bite.
I take it easy, ’cause he’s old and fat,
But I’m still a flea, you know I can’t help that.
We’re a perfect team, a pretty good match;
I provide the itch and he replies with the scratch.
Scratch, Fred, roll on the ground,
Scratch, Fred, it makes a musical sound:
Chicka chicka chicka chicka chhhh!
Chicka chicka chicka chicka chhhh!
Chicka chicka chicka chicka chhhh!
Chicka chicka chicka chicka chhh
On Nilsson’s THE POINT album, I’ve always had a soft spot for ME AND MY ARROW…
“takin’ the high road
wherever we go
everyone knows, it’s me and my Arrow”…
I love animals especially dogs. I’ve got one called Norah.
Also my current “job” is to take for a walk other people dogs which is really cool.
I’ve studied Agriculture and I did a lot o practise with animals, mainly with hourses so I just can not understand people who don’t like animals.
This is not normal for me.
My musical answer to QotD
I love my dog – Cat Stevens
“Everything Reminds me of my Dog” by Jane Sieberry
Love the lines at the end “What is it you want?…Do you want me to dial the number for you?” I have similar conversations with my dog Brownie all the time.
My canidate for a dog song is:
“If Dogs Run Free” by Al Kooper on Al’s Big Deal album, but Dylan did the vocals.
And from the wierd side – Jimmy Page’s “BLACK DOG” by Dred Zeppelin on the “Un-Led-Ed” album.
Bad deal for LIKA, well at least we brought HAM [the chimp] back.
I’ll leave HOUND DOG to others to recommend, but the Sun Sessions version got my vote.
How about Leadbelly’s Salty Dog
Or Little Walter’s Stray Dog Blues.
FROM MY iPod….
MR. BOJANGLES – NITTY GRITTY DIRT BAND
DOG – BEN FOLDS
ERRANT DOG – BEN FOLDS
DOGHOUSE BLUES – BILL MONROE (COMPLETE WITH BARKING!)
EVERY DOG HAS ITS DAY – FLOGGING MOLLY
DO THE DOG – THE SPECIALS
POLICE DOG BLUES – JORMA (ON QUAH)
WALKING THE DOG – RUFUS THOMAS
LOSE THIS SKIN – TYMON DOGG (WITH THE CLASH – OKAY, NOT ABOUT DOGS BUT…)
BLACK DOG – LED ZEPPELIN
PUTTIN’ ON THE DOG – TOM WAITS (ALSO “DOG DOOR” AND “DOG TREAT”, BUT NOT GREAT FOR RADIO!)
I TOLD HIM THAT MY DOG WOULDN’T RUN – PATTY LARKIN
JINGLE BELLS – THE SINGING DOGS
if you’re talking dogs
Dogs on the Run (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers)
One Man Dog (James Taylor)
Hellhound on My Trail (Robert Johnson)
Martha My Dear (The Beatles)
Everybody’s Got the Blues (James Taylor)
if you’re talking all animals
Pigs, Sheep, & Wolves (Paul Simon)
Gorilla (James Taylor)
Blackbird (The Beatles)
The Lion Sleeps Tonight (take your pick)
Man Gave Names to All the Animals (Bob Dylan0
The Lion This Time (Van Morrison)
How ’bout CSN’s Wind on the Water? Great song, great trio.
A great song I remember from my childhood that comes to mind about a boy and his dog is Harry Nilsson’s “Me and my Arrow”.
Pink Floyd – Seamus (this is a really old Pink Floyd blues number that would fit right in with your format)
Paul McCartney – 3 Legs (from his Ram album)
There is an incredible rendition of William Blake’s “Tyger” poem sung by poet Allen Ginsberg and Stephen Taylor, a later member of the The Fugs.
Listening from Indianapolis this am….
How about the old Jesse Fuller classic, “Monkey and the Engineer”
Either Jesse’s version or the Dead’s…
Ps… Nice on the Albert King. We need more! I met him once in a bar on Beale Street and bought him a beer. Little Jimmy King was playing…
Have a great day.
Please play Jingle Dogs!
Pink floyd . . . Animals.
A beautiful song you never hear on the radio by Emmylou Harris, Ballad Of A Runaway Horse. If you want to go in the other direction, Space Monkey by John Prine.
Good Morning. I have always loved Proudest Monkey by Dave Matthews. Great fun to put on my “thinking cap” in the mornings w/ WFUV.
Neko Case – People Got a Lotta Nerve. She sings about animals quite a bit, and I just love the energy of this song.
I’ve always love this song. “Little lamb/Dragonfly” off Paul McCartney’s red Rose Speedway album. Sweet, sad message.
At the risk of being obvious, I’m going with:
Neko Case: “People Got a Lot of Nerve”
Simon and Garfunkel: “At the Zoo” (covers a lot of animals in just a few minutes)
Nellie McKay: “Walking My Dog”
Robert Earl Keen: “Mr. Wolf and Mama Bear”
The Byrds: “Chestnut Mare” (a personal favorite of mine)
Animals, huh?
The first one that comes to mind is “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”, but anything from The Lion King should qualify, right? “Chow Down”, “The Morning Report”, “He Lives In You” (of course, the animals in that one are only mentioned in another language).
For a silly one you could play “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer”.
From Disney’s Jungle Book you could play “The Bare Necessities” or “I Wanna Be Like You”.
The dog song by Nellie mckay. Best dog song ever!
Rats in My Room – NRBQ
Jumbo Arc – Nick Lowe
Hey Little Insect- Jonathon Richman
I’m the Cat – Jackson Browne
Chicken Train -Ozark Mountain Daredevils
Tennessee Stud – Johnny Cash
Would “Yellow Bird” qualify as an animal?
“Animal” by Miike Snow
“The Dog Song” by Nellie McKay
“Prarie Dog Town” by Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers
i HAVE TWO SONGS …
fiRST..hOW mUCH IS tHAT DOGGIE iN THEwINDOW…pATTI pAGE….
i ALWAYS FEL SO BADLY FOR THOSE PUPPIES BEHIND THOSE CAGES….iF i COULD i WQOULD TAKE THEM ALL HOME…
sECOND cHOICE…hOUSE ON pOOH cORNER…kENNY lOGGINS…ITS JUST SWEET AND THE ANIMAL FRIENDS THAT WINNIE SURROUNDS HIMSELF WITH ARE SOME OF MY FAVORITES….AND MY HUSBAND ALWAYS AND STLLL DOES SONG THAT FOR MY DAUGHTER ANGELA
Lots of great animal songs to choose from….
Some of the best:
Wild Horses Rolling Stones (heard a great cover when I say Elvis Costello and Emmylou live, don’t know if it is on record)
Everybody’s got Something
to Hide Except For me and
my monkey Beatles (long title)
What’s New Pussycat Tom Jones
Penguins
Bears Lyle Lovett (appropriately by featured artist)
My all-time favorite animal song:
My Dog and Me John Hiatt (dedicated to my Jack Russell terrier, Scruffy, the one being truly happy to see me when I come home every day!)
(Beneath this Gruff Exterior)
Listen to you guys EVERY morning, driving and at my desk (streaming).
How about the Byrds “Old Blue” of the Sweethart of the Rodeo, I believe?
And Dylan’s “Dogs Run Free” would be a suitable testament to the overly “hooked up/on line” world we live in today. Who said we would have more leasure time once computers became commonplace?
Based on how I am feeling, its gotta be
I Wanna Be Your Dog – Iggy Pop
Also, WHO is that playing slide guitar on the Lyle Lovette album, which btw I purchased online through the FUV portal. Sounds great.
I apologize for continually suggesting Dylan songs, but the guy just wrote so many great songs about so many things that it’s hard not to do. Clearly the best animal-tinged song is “God Gave Names to All the Animals” from the criminally-underrated “Slow Train Coming” (1979).
It will be hard to make it without you in the coming few weeks as FUV goes off the air during weekdays…but if it’s for a stronger signal in New Jersey, let’s do it!
Bah, I’m so mad I heard the QOTD too late. I hope somebody else thought that the way to honor Laika is to play the Moxy Fruvous song Laika.
In the morning as we are home getting ready for work and try to tune in to your show as everyone here gets ready to go! I don’t think we have ever played the question of the day or anything like that but we enjoy your show and hope you will keep it up! Our dog, Goose, is a Basset Hound and she likes most music. She loves new music from new groups!
How about the Eels’ Jungle Telegraph? If you are doing Tom Jones you can at least do a more avant-garde song.
What’s New Pussycat is making my dog Alice cry. When I recite The Owl and The Pussycat she does the same thing. She’s got a thing for cats.
ok I may be too late, and yes I suggested this before,
However it is the best song about having a dog as a friend ever written.
If you don’t play it you own it to yourself to a least listen to it.
Artist Marques Bovre
Album Faith is a Muscle
Song My Dog Loves Me
I’ve had a few dogs in my life but you only get one, and that one for me was a big fuzzy beast named Charlie.
I always loved this song.
I believe Josh’s dog is named Jiggs.
In memory of our dog Casey, a soulful stray, who was the perfect zen dog.
Me and Jiggs by Josh Ritter
There is a great Blind Boy Fuller song “Pistol Slapper Blues”, best recorded by Irish bluesman Rory Gallagher, with the lyrics ” I know my dog anywhere I hear him bark, Well, I know my rider if I feel her in the dark”.
There is also a great Dr.John song “How come my dog don’t bark when you come around?”
Frank in Pawling
Dogs And Thunder – John Gorka
Walking My Cat Named Dog – Norma Tanega
How Much Is That Doggie In The Window – Patti Page
Baby Elephant Walk – Henry Mancini
The Pink Panther – Henry Mancini
Black Cat – Brian Auger
The Snake – Al Wilson
Milk Cow Blues – The Kinks
Chihuahua -Bow Wow Wow
Old Yeller – Walter Brennan
Puppy Love – Paul Anka
Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport – Rolf Harris
Noodling these songs is always a fun exercise for me, even though I always have to enter these late due to being asleep in another time zone. I’m surprised no one thought of the Patti Page song, or recalled the unusual title of the Norma Tanega song. The first song I thought of was The Byrds’ Old Blue. But someone else thought of it, so I didn’t list it again.
My bad: The second person, Dan, not only listed The Byrds’ Old Blue, he also listed How Much Is That Doggie In The Window, by Doris Day. I think she had the memorable hit with the song. Also, a personal kudo to Dan thinking of Fido, from The Byrds’ Ballad Of Easy Rider Album.