Artists and musicians have been taking inspiration from the natural world from day one. Some artists use animal references metaphorically, while others just really love animals.
Cat Stevens wrote an entire song about how his dog is basically better than people, and you know what? We’re not arguing. He’s probably right. These hit songs about animals are worth saving on Spotify, even if you’re not much of an animal person.
I’m Like a Bird
Nelly Furtado’s pop song “I’m Like a Bird” is so familiar, especially once she hits the chorus.
“I’m like a bird
I’ll only fly away
I don’t know where my soul is (soul is)
I don’t know where my home is.”
It’s about being in love but also feeling restless and longing for freedom. Can you say “relatable?”
White Rabbit
Jefferson Airplane was the first group from the San Francisco Bay area to gain international success. They pioneered the genre of psychedelic rock in the 1960s, and “White Rabbit” remains one of their best songs.
Sure, it could be interpreted to be about drug use, but it’s also about being trapped in a world that doesn’t feel real and exploring the unknown with a curious mind, open to possibilities.
“Go ask Alice
When she’s 10 feet tall.
And if you go chasing rabbits
And you know you’re going to fall.”
Wild Horses
If the sound of freedom were encapsulated in a song, it would sound like The Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses.” The exact meaning of the song remains up to interpretation.
Many fans believe it’s about young love and coping with harmful vices, but others think it’s just about feeling as free as a wild horse. Either way, the second it hits your ears, it hits your soul, too.
“Faith has been broken
Tears must be cried
Let’s do some living
After we die
“Wild horses
Couldn’t drag me away
Wild, wild horses
We’ll ride them some day”
Free Bird
Lynyrd Skynyrd isn’t for everyone, but “Free Bird” is a classic. While the lyrics were supposed to be about a man telling women that he doesn’t want to be locked down by a relationship and prefers to roam freely, it has such inspiring notes that it has become a popular choice to play at graduations and celebrations of other life milestones.
“If I leave here tomorrow
Would you still remember me?
For I must be traveling on now
‘Cause there’s too many places I’ve got to see”
Zebras and Airplanes
“Zebras and Airplanes” is a dreamy Alicia Keys tune that’ll take you back to the 2000s. It wasn’t released until 2014, but it was written back in the early 2000s, and it shows. The song was inspired by a painting by Chloe Early, and it totally makes you want to take off running without a care in the world.
“Have you ever wanna gallop through the wind where water meets the sand?
If you ever wanna feel like this, then come take my hand”
Dog Days Are Over
“Dog Days Are Over” was released by Florence and the Machine in 2008, and we still love it just as much. Sadly, the song doesn’t have much to do with dogs. In fact, the upbeat jam has surprisingly heavy lyrics about running away to survive. Some fans think it’s about letting go of toxic relationships and finally feeling free again. (We’re really starting to sense a theme here.)
“Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father
Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your longing behind
You can’t carry it with you if you want to survive
“The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Can you hear the horses?
‘Cause here they come”
Hungry Like the Wolf
Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf” is such a fun, easy-to-listen-to song, and yet the lyrics are a little creepy when you listen to them carefully. It’s about a man pursuing a woman he wants to be with, like a wolf on the hunt. We’re going to assume his longing for her is intense, not sinister. Maybe she’s as fierce as a wolf herself and is hunting for him right back. Love and attraction can bring out something wild in all of us, right?
“Burning the ground, I break from the crowd
I’m on the hunt, I’m after you
Scent and a sound, I’m lost and I’m found
And I’m hungry like the wolf”
Octopus’s Garden
The Beatles delivered a little of everything, including a sweet, kid-friendly song from 1969 about visiting an Octopus’s Garden. If it seems like a departure from other Beatles songs, that’s because it’s one of the few that’s both written and sung by Ringo Starr. He wrote it after learning that octopuses build decorative gardens with items they find.
“We would be so happy
You and me
No one there to tell us
What to do
“I’d like to be
Under the sea
In an octopus’ garden
With you”
I Love My Dog
A song about dogs written by a Cat? The irony runs deep, but this Cat Stevens song is as straightforward as they come. The entire song is about how much he loves his dog, knowing his best buddy would be more loyal and trustworthy than any lover he could ever have. It wasn’t a big hit in the U.S., but it made it to the top 30 in the U.K.
“I love my dog as much as I love you
But you may fade, my dog will always come through”
A Horse With No Name
What is it with bands finding inspiration from horses? We have to wonder how many of the lyricists had actually ridden a horse when they wrote these numbers. America joined the ranks of horse-song bands in 1971 with their hit track “A Horse With No Name.”
It’s about driving out into the middle of nowhere to find peace, away from the dull drudgery of daily life.
“I’ve been through the desert on a horse with no name
It felt good to be out of the rain
In the desert, you can’t remember your name
‘Cause there ain’t no one for to give you no pain”
Crocodile Rock
How is a song that’s so fun to dance to so sad? It doesn’t have much to do with crocodiles. Elton John’s hit song is about a young man who loved to dance a fictional dance called the Crocodile Rock with his girlfriend, but she moved on, and his favorite dance move went out of style. He even lost his favorite pair of jeans. Depressing, yet so catchy. If someone hasn’t invented a real version of the Crocodile Rock, they should. Maybe Bindi Irwin is up to the challenge.
“But the biggest kick I ever got
Was doing a thing called the Crocodile Rock
While the other kids were rocking ’round the clock
We were hopping and bopping to the Crocodile Rock”
Eye of the Tiger
If you need a motivational song about animals, “Eye of the Tiger” is the gold standard. Written, fittingly, by Survivor for the movie “Rocky III,” it was an instant hit. It’s about perseverance and always being up for a challenge, no matter how difficult. If you want to make someone’s day, blast it on your car stereo while you’re driving past a cyclist struggling up a big hill.
“It’s the eye of the tiger
It’s the thrill of the fight
Rising up to the challenge of our rival
And the last known survivor
Stalks his prey in the night
And he’s watching us all with the eye of the tiger”
Puff, the Magic Dragon
This one’s sad but sweet. Written by Leonard Lipton and recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary in 1963, “Puff the Magic Dragon” is about looking back at the magic of childhood. The singer recalls the world of imagination children live in, filled with endless possibilities. Magical dragons are perfectly real until, one day, they’re not. It’s bittersweet, but we love it.
“Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee
Little Jackie Paper loved that rascal Puff
And brought him strings, and sealing wax, and other fancy stuff”
Blackbird
Written by Paul McCartney, “Blackbird” is another beautiful song inspired by birds that’s actually a heartbreaking metaphor. He wrote it in support of Black women during the civil rights movement, encouraging them to stay hopeful and keep going even in their darkest moments. Birds in flight are symbolic of freedom, and knowing the backstory makes the song so much more moving.
“Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise”
Karma Chameleon
“Karma Chameleon,” written by members of the 1980s band Culture Club, isn’t really about chameleons. It’s about the cost of being like a chameleon, changing who you are to make others happy. We’re so worried about being alienated by others that we don’t stand up for ourselves even when we should. When we do, it’ll come back to haunt us later in life. What can we say? That’s karma for ya.
Boy George was the one who actually wrote the song, and other members of the group weren’t into it initially. It’s a good thing they came around because the tune is unforgettable.
“Karma, karma, karma, karma, karma chameleon
You come and go, you come and go
Loving would be easy if your colors were like my dreams
Red, gold, and green, red, gold, and green”
Chicken Fried
We feel a little guilty including this one on a list of songs about animals. We love animals. Some of them just happen to be tasty. The Zac Brown Band, a country group from Atlanta, Georgia, knows that good food and time with family is where the magic is really at.
Nothing feels like home more than sharing a Friday night with people you love, and nothing tastes like home more than pecan pie, cold beer and fried chicken.
“Well, it’s funny how it’s the little things in life that mean the most
Not where you live or what you drive or the price tag on your clothes
There’s no dollar sign on a peace of mind this I’ve come to know
So if you agree have a drink with me
“Raise your glasses for a toast
To a little bit of chicken fried”