Songs With Animal Samples
February 19, 2015 1:02 AM Subscribe
Something about the lion's roar at the beginning of the Pet Shop Boys' cover of Always on my Mind really gets me. What other songs use animal sounds to great effect?
I also like the yowl in Wildcat, the birds in the background of Aisatsana, and the Parrot-squawk remix in Frontier Psychiatrist . This is relevant, but I'm asking for songs where animal sounds are prominent but not necessarily the better part of the song.
I also like the yowl in Wildcat, the birds in the background of Aisatsana, and the Parrot-squawk remix in Frontier Psychiatrist . This is relevant, but I'm asking for songs where animal sounds are prominent but not necessarily the better part of the song.
Response by poster: I also just remembered the crickets in Sleeping on the Roof
posted by Rinku at 1:25 AM on February 19, 2015
posted by Rinku at 1:25 AM on February 19, 2015
The wolf howl at the beginning of Laurie Anderson's Big Science.
posted by Chairboy at 1:39 AM on February 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Chairboy at 1:39 AM on February 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
The whale sounds in Farewell To Tarwathie by Judy Collins
posted by various at 1:52 AM on February 19, 2015
posted by various at 1:52 AM on February 19, 2015
The Wildhearts - The Snake, The Lion, The Monkey And The Spider has monkeys in it.
posted by Free word order! at 2:05 AM on February 19, 2015
posted by Free word order! at 2:05 AM on February 19, 2015
Pink Floyd's Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict
Lots of animal sounds but no actual animals were sampled.
posted by jmsta at 2:34 AM on February 19, 2015
Lots of animal sounds but no actual animals were sampled.
posted by jmsta at 2:34 AM on February 19, 2015
The Beatles' Good Morning. Elephants and chickens and probably some other animals besides. The clucks of the chicken, famously, transform into the opening guitar of the Sgt. Peppers reprise.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 2:38 AM on February 19, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Ursula Hitler at 2:38 AM on February 19, 2015 [2 favorites]
Avalanches - Frontier Psychiatrist starts with a horse whinny (and more later in the song.. a parrot, more horses..)
Oh dear, you knew that. I'm so sorry. :(
posted by Skyanth at 3:30 AM on February 19, 2015
Oh dear, you knew that. I'm so sorry. :(
posted by Skyanth at 3:30 AM on February 19, 2015
Lion roar at the beginning of Jethro Tull's "Bungle in the Jungle".
posted by akk2014 at 4:45 AM on February 19, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by akk2014 at 4:45 AM on February 19, 2015 [4 favorites]
Following-up on Ursula Hitler's post, there is some interesting information here about the animal noises on Sgt. Pepper's:
Lennon asked engineer Geoff Emerick to arrange the animal noises heard at beginning (and end) of the song so that each animal heard was one capable of devouring (or frightening) the animal preceding it.[4][6] The final sound effect of a chicken clucking was so placed that it transforms into the guitar on the following track, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)".posted by akk2014 at 4:48 AM on February 19, 2015
"Jungle Music" by Servant. Old-school Christian Rock tune, used to perk my dog's ears right up.
posted by dwbrant at 5:00 AM on February 19, 2015
posted by dwbrant at 5:00 AM on February 19, 2015
New Order Perfect Kiss. Frog sounds.
posted by stellathon at 5:31 AM on February 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by stellathon at 5:31 AM on February 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
Minnie Riperton, Lovin' You with all those damned birds tweeting. And I only found this answer after watching Duran Duran's Hungry Like the Wolf video, which is absolutely hilarious for Simon LeBon's dramatic posing but does NOT feature wolves.
posted by kinetic at 5:44 AM on February 19, 2015
posted by kinetic at 5:44 AM on February 19, 2015
Fugazi's "Walken's Syndrome" opens with vaguely-scary monkey-screeching.
posted by julthumbscrew at 5:47 AM on February 19, 2015
posted by julthumbscrew at 5:47 AM on February 19, 2015
Summer's Cauldron by XTC uses a cricket's chirp for timekeeping.
posted by ogooglebar at 5:48 AM on February 19, 2015
posted by ogooglebar at 5:48 AM on February 19, 2015
It is from the realm of classical music - but Einojuhani Rautavaara's "Cantus Arcticus" might count. It involves an orchestra playing with various tape loops of Arctic birds.
Also: Cricket alert at 3:55 in the Beatles Abbey Road medley.
posted by rongorongo at 5:48 AM on February 19, 2015
Also: Cricket alert at 3:55 in the Beatles Abbey Road medley.
posted by rongorongo at 5:48 AM on February 19, 2015
Pink Floyd's Animals LP feautures the the sounds of the titular animals on the songs "Dogs," "Pigs (Three Differant Ones"" and "Sheep" (though I think they were mimicked through talk boxes and tape effects rather than actual recordingds of the animals themselves).
posted by KingEdRa at 5:51 AM on February 19, 2015
posted by KingEdRa at 5:51 AM on February 19, 2015
Pitchfork article about a loon sample that often pops up in dance music.
posted by Leontine at 8:01 AM on February 19, 2015
posted by Leontine at 8:01 AM on February 19, 2015
The elephant roar in Missy Elliot's Work It.
posted by hydrophonic at 8:06 AM on February 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by hydrophonic at 8:06 AM on February 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
They're fake (synthesized) but there are muskrats mating in Muskrat Love.
posted by Mchelly at 8:06 AM on February 19, 2015
posted by Mchelly at 8:06 AM on February 19, 2015
The jungle noises in Leon Russell's Out In The Woods and the dogs barking (with passing train) at the end of the Beach Boys' "Caroline No."
posted by Rash at 9:59 AM on February 19, 2015
posted by Rash at 9:59 AM on February 19, 2015
The family dog plays a major part in Cloud Rider on The Sadies "Pure Diamond Gold".
Not quite what you want, but there are two metal bands that have non-human vocalists.
Hatebeak is fronted by a parrot and Caninus was fronted by a pair of pit bulls.
posted by Seamus at 10:26 AM on February 19, 2015
Not quite what you want, but there are two metal bands that have non-human vocalists.
Hatebeak is fronted by a parrot and Caninus was fronted by a pair of pit bulls.
posted by Seamus at 10:26 AM on February 19, 2015
The "heifer whines" at the beginning of The Smiths' Meat is Murder.
posted by jabes at 10:49 AM on February 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by jabes at 10:49 AM on February 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
One more Beatle -- the pigs at the end of George's Piggies.
posted by Rash at 11:08 AM on February 19, 2015
posted by Rash at 11:08 AM on February 19, 2015
Pink Floyd's Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict
And, of course, the entire album Animals
posted by TedW at 11:46 AM on February 19, 2015
And, of course, the entire album Animals
posted by TedW at 11:46 AM on February 19, 2015
Chicken sound at opening of Adrians Belew's House of Cards
posted by bonobothegreat at 4:41 PM on February 19, 2015
posted by bonobothegreat at 4:41 PM on February 19, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by misteraitch at 1:12 AM on February 19, 2015 [4 favorites]