11 Songs That are Loosely About Carnivorous Animals | Playlist

1. Manchester Orchestra, “Dinosaur”

The Million Masks of God • Loma Vista • 2021

“Dinosaur” is a personal favorite from The Million Masks of God, the sixth studio album by Georgia alternative rock collective, Manchester Orchestra. On “Dinosaur,” Manchester Orchestra begins rather enigmatic, opting for restraint and poise as opposed to full-blown, ‘hits your chest’ rock.  No worries though, because the record eventually reaches an epic fever pitch, with front man Andy Hull digging deep for his grittiest vocals of the album on the bridge (“Over and over”).

Besides the gargantuan bridge, the chorus is quite delightful, continuing the reflective, thought-provoking vibes of the other cuts that precede it.  Oh, and by the way, the chorus is reprised from “Keel Timing”. Very interesting! According to an interview with Bernard Zuel, “Dinosaur” was written about Hull’s son.

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2. Big Sean, “Wolves”

Ft. Post Malone

Detroit 2 • Def Jam • 2020

“My young dogs will tear you and the witnesses apart (straight up) / They care ‘bout starving more than they do ‘bout a charge (Woah, woah, woah).” Detroit rapper Big Sean delivered the best album of his career with his fifth studio album, Detroit 2.  Detroit 2 features quite a few prominent guests. Perhaps the biggest featured guest comes on the carnivorous animal song at hand, “Wolves.”  The big name? Why, it’s Grammy-nominated singer/rapper, Post Malone.

On “Wolves,” the sleek backdrop is dark yet lush.  Notably hot young producer, Take A Daytrip puts in the badass work behind the boards.  The chorus is incredibly catchy – no way you listen and don’t sing it afterwards.

“I was raised by the wolves, ate ‘til they full
Run through the night, playin’ with your life
Go against the pack, that’s risking your life
Better play it right, yeah, you better play it right.”

Post is on-point on the second verse, shining in his signature, melodic vein.  Yeah, you might just totally ‘howl’ after listening to this one!

3. Björk, “Lionsong”

Vulnicura • One Little Independent • 2015

“Once it was simple / One feeling at a time / It reached its peak then transformed…” Vulnicura, the 2015 studio album by iconic Icelandic musician, Björk, is driven by a breakup.  The specific breakup is between the alternative musician and her boyfriend, artist Matthew Barney. “Lionsong” specifically depicts the changes prior to their breakup. The unsettling brilliance of “Lionsong” Björk constructs perfectly matches the tenor of an unsettling, unstable relationship.

“Maybe he will come out of this loving me / Maybe he won’t,” Björk sings on the chorus.  By the end of the song, she’s become apathetic about the relationship, asserting “I’m not taming no animal / Maybe he will come out of this” and “I refuse, it’s a sign of maturity / To be stuck in complexity / I demand all clarity.” Woo! As to be expected from a Björk song, the musician is true self.  What does that mean, exactly? Well, “Lionsong” is both chilling and enigmatic.  It’s another classic that appeals to what can be characterized as a cult-like following, except, not in a negative way!

4. Eric Church, “The Snake”

Desperate Man • EMI Nashville •  2018

“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.”

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5. Jazmine Sullivan, “Lions, Tigers & Bears”

Fearless • J • 2008

“I’m not scared of lions and tigers and bears / But I’m scared of loving you.”  So, what you’re telling us Jazmine Sullivan is that you’re not afraid of potentially deadly animals, but love is more frightening? Wow.  Honestly, the Grammy-nominated R&B singer/songwriter does have a point, at least regarding her fears of L-O-V-E on “Lions, Tigers & Bears.” She goes on to sing, on the chorus, “I’m not scared to perform at a sold-out affair / But I’m scared of loving you.” This song marks one of the best moments on her dynamic, under-appreciated debut album, Fearless, released in 2008.  Yes, the other Fearless, courtesy of Taylor Swift, got much more attention that year.

Sullivan co-wrote this dramatic, expressive, neo-soul ballad with Salaam Remi, who also produces.  As to be expected, with Remi behind the boards, the backdrop is lush and soulful, hearkening back to a time nearly 30 years before “Lions, Tigers & Bears” materialized.  Nonetheless, this old-school sound fits the classy, old-school pipes of Jazmine, who brilliantly conveys her reservations with love.  “Just cause I love you and you love me / It doesn’t mean that we’re meant to be,” she argues on the pre-chorus, adding, “I can climb mountains, swim across the seas / But the most frightening thing is you and me.” Damn – what more can you say? At least, towards the end of the record, Sullivan comes to a point that it is better to try and fail at love, dropping the prudent lyric and saying, “It’s better to have loved / Than not to love at all.” Definitely!

6. The Black Keys, “Eagle Birds”

“Let’s Rock” •  Nonesuch •  2019

“See twin eagle birds up / In the tree / One for you and there’s / One for me.” Despite being a brief record, The Black Keys pack quite a mean punch on “Eagle Birds”, the second single from the highly anticipated album, “Let’s Rock”. “Let’s Rock” arrives after a five-year hiatus by Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney. Regardless of the wait that fans had to endure, they make up for it on this two-minute-and-forty second gem.

“Eagle Birds” begins with a compelling drum groove by Patrick Carney, adorned with distorted, old-school rock guitars. Dan Auerbach sounds rock solid, maintaining his composure, yet delivering an effective, expressive performance (there’s still distortion on his vocals btw). Lyrically, The Black Keys keep things simple; there are a limited number of lyrics in each verse. The first verse is excerpted above, while on the second, Auerbach sings: “…All night long I / Had you on my mind / Flying high.” Later, there’s also a third verse, which brings the eagle/birds into the picture: “…Eagle bird I / Heard you fly on by / Late last night.”

Between each verse is a chorus, which is extended following the second and third verses.  It plays out, at its most basic as, “Don’t nobody wanna be lonely / Everybody oughta be loved sometime…” Also, worth noting, a superb guitar solo follows the chorus after the second verse. It can be described as bluesy, turned-up, and perfectly suited to this alternative rock cut. All in all, “Eagle Birds” is nothing short of awesome.

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7. Trey Songz, “Cats Got My Tongue”

Back Home •  Atlantic • 2020

“Oh, I need to eat / Claws, bite, please no teeth / All night between the sheets…” MEOW! Smoking (“Smoke a ‘Backwood’ when the cat good”) and sex play a key role on “Cats Got My Tongue,” a highlight from Back Home, the eighth studio album by R&B standout Trey Songz. While the title plays off the classic expression/idiom, Trey is being more literal.  The cat he’s referencing is certainly a different sort of pussy …  This slow jam is freaky but totally enjoyable.  You’ll be ready to purr afterwards, promise! MEOW!

“I can’t even speak when the cat got my tongue
Is that what you want from me to show you my love?
Not sayin’ too much because your cat got my tongue
All night between the sheets, uh
I can’t even speak when the cat’s got my tongue.”

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8. Halestorm, “Black Vultures”

Vicious • Atlantic • 2018

“I don’t give in, I don’t give up / I won’t ever let it break me / I’m on fire, I’m a fighter / I’ll forever be the last one standing…” Sigh, maybe vultures are misunderstood.  Then again, maybe they aren’t.  Regardless, I’ll never forget seeing a black vulture arrive at my next-door neighbor’s home – it was unsettling.  If nothing else, the black vulture certainly was a sight to behold – one impossible to go unnoticed.  Surely, if there had been several “Black vultures circling the sky” as Lzzy Hale sings on “Black Vultures” from the 2018 Halestorm album, Vicious, everyone would have taken notice.

As expected, Lzzy Hale gives her all on “Black Vultures,” the high-flying album opener. This is a potent, hard-rocking record, chocked-full of drive and rhythm. Even so, “Black Vultures” is tamer on the verses, and even the pre-chorus, before letting loose on the chorus, partially excerpted above, and continued below:

“Black vultures circling the sky
Pick at the pieces
Scavengers wait for me to die
But I’m not defeated.”

Examine the final half the chorus, and vultures once more get an evil, negative connotation – poor birds.  That said, despite the fact that the buzzards are waiting to feast, according to Hale, she’s “not defeated.” There is evidence from throughout the song to support this determined, uplifting spirit.  At the end of the first verse, she asserts, “I’ve been a survivor since I began to crawl.” At the end of the second, she is “The eye of the storm,” and she asserts, “You haven’t seen the last of me just yet.”

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9. Nicki Minaj, “Anaconda”

The Pinkprint • Cash Money •  2014

“Oh my gosh, look at her butt!” Sex, and ample doses of it are a big part of Nicki Minaj’s persona – FACTS!   “Anaconda” , an absolutely filthy song, is the crème de la crème of the her 2014 album, The Pinkprint.  “My anaconda don’t, my anaconda don’t / My anaconda don’t want none unless you got buns, hun!”

“Anaconda,” which samples the Sir-Mix-a-Lot classic “Baby Got Back”, explores animalistic tendencies in regard to sex. “Anaconda” is one of the horniest records you’ll ever hear. Minaj not only discusses her own ASSets and private parts, but she also discusses his ‘size’ and how the sex goes down… graphically.

“This dude named Michael used to ride motorcycles
Dick bigger than a tower, I ain’t talking about Eiffel’s
Real country-ass nigga, let me play with his rifle
Pussy put his ass to sleep, now he calling me Nyquil...
He can tell I ain’t missing no meals
Come through and fuck him in my automobile
Let him eat it with his grills and he tellin’ me to chill...”

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10. Sia, “Bird Set Free”

This is Acting • RCA • 2016

“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, powerhouse vocals by Grammy-nominated pop singer/songwriter, Sia. Amazingly, somebody passed on the liberating, unleashed, soaring ballad, “Bird Set Free,” which commences the pop singer/songwriter’s 2016 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. “Bird Set Free” previously appeared on the playlists

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11. Florence + The Machine, “Dog Days Are Over”

Lungs • Universal Island • 2009

“Happiness hit her, like a train on a track / Coming towards her, stuck still no turning back.” Now that’s poetry! Sometimes, it only takes that one song to put you on the map.  For British standout Florence + The Machine, that one song was “Dog Days Are Over.”  Search for ‘dog’ on Spotify and you’re sure to find “Dog Days Are Over” at the top of the list.

The highlight appears on Lungs, which arrived back in 2009 – hard to believe! Here, Florence Welch shows off her ultra-expressive voice, belting triumphantly on the unforgettable chorus that “THE DOG DAYS ARE OVER / The dog days are done / The horses are coming / So, you better run.” WOOF, “…there it is!”

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