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“11 Songs About Pets, Well, Sort of” features ‘animal-centric’ music courtesy of Behemoth, Eric Church, Ghost, Sia and SZA among others.

This one goes out to all the pets in the world! As the late, great Whitney Houston once said (via Tyler Perry as Madea mind you), “This is for you, this is for you, this is for you!”  Well, this playlist is only for the pets to an extent.  Sure, the songs that appear on this list are named after animals that could all be viable household pets, but some of the songs ultimately have little or nothing to do with them.  Musicians providing the tunes for this totally ‘well, sort of’ list include Behemoth (“God = Dog”), Eric Church (“The Snake”), Ghost (“Rats”), Sia (“Bird Set Free”) and SZA (“Pretty Little Birds”) among others.

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1. Behemoth, “God = Dog”

I Loved You at Your Darkest • Metal Blade • 2018

Pet: Dog

Perhaps the biggest anti-God statement and controversy from I Loved You At Your Darkest, the 11^th studio album by Polish death metal band Behemoth, is single “God = Dog.” “God = Dog” arrives as the third track from the LP. Here, the traditionally religious is perverted and reversed (“I am no good shepherd on an ox”), capped off with a question excerpted from The Book of Law, “Is a God to live in a dog? No!” The guitars are jagged, filled with punch and matching the atheism that runs rampant on this record.

Further confirming the non-belief and lack of faith is a reappearance of a twisted children’s chant that appears from the chilling album opener, “Solve”:

“Elohim! I shall not forgive!

Adonai! I shall not forgive!

Living God! I shall not forgive!

Jesus Christ! I forgive thee not!”

2. Rich Brian, “Kitty”

Amen • 88rising / EMPIRE • 2018

Pet: Cat

“Let me tell a story ‘bout a boy named Brian / This is no fairy tale, no, that’s not what I’m implyin’ / This is really not the type rhyme, writing ‘bout flexin’ / Got some bitches on the phone but I’m really not replyin’ type shit.” Rich Brian made previous appearances on playlists (11 Songs Where Musicians Were Sexually Awakened and 11 Songs to Channel Your Inner Animal) with his ‘private-driven’ record, “Kitty.”

“Ain’t no game that I play when it comes to / Gettin’ that kitty out the cage for my night.” “Kitty” is the dirtiest and perhaps most outrageous song on the teen Indonesian rapper’s full-length debut album, Amen, capturing his ‘sexual awakening.’  This song isn’t about your cuddly, cute domesticated kitty cat by any means! Even as he’s ‘getting it in,’ there’s a humorous, twist.  After getting drunk, meeting “the girl of [his] dreams,” the virgin Brian has sex with her, gets caught by her mom, has his friend Mike pick him up, and finds out his ‘first’ was Mike’s sister.

3. Ghost, “Rats”

Prequelle • Loma Vista • 2018

Pet: Rat

“Them filthy rodents are still coming for your souls / Never to let go /Never to let go.” Grammy-winning Swedish metal collective Ghost returned amped-up on “Rats”, the promo single for their fourth studio album, Prequelle. Regarding “Rats,” Ghost mastermind Tobias Forge shared with Revolver,  “It’s actually not technically about rodents.  It’s about something spreading as wildfire and completely destroying things quicker than you know.” Rats” commences with a pummeling, hard-hitting groove from the start.  The rhythmic guitars sound athletic, while Cardinal Copia (Forge) delivers clear, commanding vocals. In addition to the compelling lead vocals, the vocal harmonies are quite impressive.  Harmonically, “Rats” has some truly distinct moments.  As for the chorus, Ghost keeps things short and simple: “Them rats!”  The heat is turned up on this hard-rocking gem.

4. A Perfect Circle, “So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish”

Eat the Elephant • BMG Rights Management • 2018

Pet: Fish

“Bravissimo, hip-hip hooray / For this fireworks display / Mind and body blown away / What a radiant crescendo.” Keeping it 100, most of us who are fans of Maynard James Keenan were hoping for the return of Tool instead of A Perfect Circle in 2018.  That said, you take Keenan anyway you can get him, so Eat the Elephant was a welcome site following such a lengthy hiatus.  Here at The Musical Hype, we can thank the band for putting a song on Eat the Elephant that is perfectly suited for this pet-centric playlist, “So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish.”

What shouldn’t surprise anyone is that the shimmering, major key “So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish” has NOTHING to do with the aquarium, let alone the ocean.  Keenan and A Perfect Circle say goodbye to celebrities who passed away in 2016, including Gene Wilder, Muhammad Ali, and Carrie Fisher (“Now Willy Wonka, Major Tom, Ali, and Leia have moved on”), as well as Prince (“Like our Prince and Reenie’s mom / All the dolphins have moved on”).  Also, worth noting, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish is the title of a book, written by Douglas Adams.  So much for the pet-centric vibes of this playlist, sigh.

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5. Eric Church, “The Snake”

Desperate Man • EMI Nashville • 2018

Pet: Snake

“Lie by lie, cheat by cheat / Venom in smiling teeth / They just run those forked tongues / And the whole world’s burning down.” Following a three-year hiatus, Grammy-nominated country artist Eric Church returned with his sixth studio album, Desperate Man in Autumn 2018. “The Snake” commences Desperate Man enigmatically, with Church portraying an entertaining, though troubling conversation between a rattlesnake and a copperhead.  Neither makes an ideal pet obviously… both are utterly sinful, which is reflected through the lyrics.

“Copperhead laughed, said, ‘Kiss my ass!’

You can bark but there ain’t much bite

You rattle that tail, but it’s fear I smell

I think you’re shaking out of fright…

Rattle snake said to the copperhead

‘Y’know we were the original sin

And I bet you my rattle against your copper

That the bitch takes the apple again.”

6. Miguel, “Python”

Python – Single • RCA • 2018

Pet: Snake (Python)

On his 2018 single “Python” (written specifically for the Ascension tour), Grammy-winning R&B singer/songwriter Miguel delivers a funky groove that gives off throwback vibes all the day long.  Lyrically, Miguel references the python sexually. On the first verse he sings: “I’ve been searching for somewhere safe and warm / Devour you like my prey ‘til you’re quivering / Don’t be afraid.” Hmm, maybe a bit far-fetched, but Miguel and sex usually work well together so…

On the second verse he delivers similar lyrics:

“I’ve been searching for somewhere safe to explore

Devouring you like my prey till you’re shivering

Don’t be afraid.”

If there was any doubt (doubtful that there was), the chorus confirms the sexual aspect. That said, it’s kind of hard to see a python letting anything else reign over it, as Miguel suggests… just saying.

“Demonstrate, yeah, let’s drop it

Yeah, I need a cave to hide in

Educate, I’m with the logic

I’m feeling swell (swell)…

Summer rain on me, yeah

I’ll let you reign over me, me

Summer reign over me

Ooh baby, reign over me, yeah.”

7. SZA, “Pretty Little Birds”

Ft. Isaiah Rashad

Ctrl • RCA • 2017

Pet: Bird

“You are but a phoenix among feathers / You’re broken by the waves among the sea / They’ll let you die, they’ll let you wash away / But you swim as well as you fly.” Grammy-nominated R&B singer/songwriter SZA shines on “Pretty Little Birds,” the penultimate record from her major-label debut album, Ctrl.  Her vocal tone is simply marvelous on “Pretty Little Birds,” which ranks among the most mysterious and soulful joints of the project.

The chorus in particular allures:

“Pretty little bird

Pretty little bird

You’ve hit the window a few times…

You’re pretty little bird

Pretty little bird

You still ain’t scared of no heights

When the spiral down feels as good as the flight

When hating you feels good for the night

When the morning comes I hope you’re still mine.”

Additionally, SZA is joined by Isaiah Rashad, who pop-raps on the third verse and outro (“I see you ‘Lana, you fly by the pound / Fly by the ounce, fly to the south”).  Once again, this song has little to do with pets…

8. Blake Shelton, “I’ll Name the Dogs”

Texoma Shore • Warner Bros • 2017

Pet: Dog

“I’ll hang the pictures, you hang the stars / You pick the paint, I’ll pick a guitar / Sing you a song out there with the crickets and the frogs /You name the babies and I’ll name the dogs, yeah.” “I’ll Name the Dogs” kicks things off soundly on Texoma Shore. A palette of sounds, typical of the country music script, forms the backdrop. Blake Shelton, likewise, gives a sound vocal performance, painting on the backdrop like a champ. “I’ll Name the Dogs” centers on building a family, relationship, etc. The chorus is incredibly catchy, helping to make “I’ll Name the Dogs” an enjoyable, fun listen.

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9. Vince Staples, “Big Fish”

Big Fish Theory • Def Jam • 2017

Pet: Fish 

“Another story of a young black man / Tryna make it up out that jam, god damn / Bag back, let me make my bands, got plans / If you hatin’ don’t shake my hand.” Big Fish Theory, the 2017 sophomore album by California rapper Vince Staples, is a rock-solid effort.  There’s a lot to absorb, but also a lot to love and appreciate about this LP. On standout “Big Fish,” Staples talks about his come-up, as excerpted above. Interestingly, he references forthcoming songs on the Big Fish Theory, including the penultimate record, “BagBak”. Nice easy-going production work backs him; nothing too flashy.

Juicy J assists, delivering the swagger-packed hook:

“I was up late night ballin’

Countin’ up hundreds by the thousand.”

Also, notably, “Big Fish” follows another record named after an animal, “Crabs in a Bucket.”

10. Sia, “Bird Set Free”

This is Acting • RCA • 2016

Pet: Bird

“Clipped wings, I was a broken thing / Had a voice, had a voice but I could not sing / You would wind me down / I struggled on the ground.” Sigh, just read those poetic, thoughtful lyrics once again.  Adding to the awesomeness are expressive, authentic vocals by Sia. Amazingly, somebody passed on the liberating, unleashed ballad “Bird Set Free.”  Thankfully, Sia used it for her 2016 studio album, This is Acting.

“And I don’t care if I sing off key

I found myself in my melodies

I sing for love, I sing for me

I shout it out like a bird set free.”

Again, why did anyone pass this up? Regardless, Sia absolutely kills this awesome song, co-written by the great Greg Kurstin.

11. Blink-182, “Rabbit Hole”

California • BMG Rights Management • 2016

Pet: Rabbit

“I won’t fall down that fucking rabbit hole / I’m barely standing on the ground / All the hints that you leave are too hard to believe / I won’t fall down that fucking rabbit hole.” Despite the fact that Tom DeLonge may or may not be focusing his energies on UFOs, beloved punk-pop band Blink-182 made a comeback in 2016 with California. Matt Skiba (The Alkaline Trio) replaced DeLonge on vocals and guitar, while Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker remain.  

California doesn’t contain material that supplants blink classics like “All the Small Things,” “Dammit,” or “What’s My Age Again,” but it’s enjoyable and well-rounded nonetheless.

Semi-fitting our playlist is the brief “Rabbit Hole.” Nah, this record really has nothing to do with furry bunny rabbits, but hey, it does embody the spirit of punk-pop, thanks to its spry tempo.  Furthermore, there’s f-bombs.

https://themusicalhype.com/blink-182-california-review/

Photo Credit: 88rising, BMG Rights Management, Def Jam, EMI Nashville, EMPIRE, Interscope, Loma Vista, Metal Blade, RCA,Warner Bros.

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