Rock and Rolling Animals

So sit back and listen and imagine a pony named Wildfire, running from spiders and snakes, dancing with a crocodile, hearing a little red rooster, seeing pigs fly, and being chased by a psycho chicken as you wander through this wonderland like Alice.

“Wildfire” is a song that was written by Michael Murphy and Larry Cansler. It was recorded by American singer and songwriter Murphy. The piano into and outro is based on a piano piece Prelude in D-Flat, Op. 11 No. 15 by the Russian classical composer Alexander Scriabin. The lyrics are about an escaped pony named Wildfire during a blizzard. The song is featured on his 1975 album Blue Sky-Night Thunder. “Wildfire” became the album’s lead single and Murphy’s highest-charting pop hit in the US. The song charted on the Billboard Hot 100, Cash Box, and Billboard Adult Contemporary charts. It was chosen as one of the Top 100 Western Songs of All Time.

“Spiders and Snakes” is a hit song from 1974 recorded by American singer and songwriter Jim Stafford. It was written by Stafford and David Bellamy of The Bellamy Brothers. It was the second of four Top 40 Singles released from his eponymous debut album and the song became the highest-charting. It charted on the Billboard Hot 100 and went to number one in Canada. The song was awarded a Gold Disc by the RIAA. In the lyrics a girl Mary Lou informs her boyfriend that she dislikes spiders and snakes.

“Crocodile Rock” while crocodiles don’t rock because this animal is mentioned in this song it belongs to this list. It was written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin at the Chateau d’Herouville studio in France during the summer of 1972. The song was recorded by English singer, songwriter, and pianist Elton John and is featured on his album Honky Chateau. It became his first number-one single in the US. The RIAA certified it Gold in 1973 and Platinum in 1995. In the recording, John plays a Farfisa organ. The lyrics take a nostalgic look at early rock ‘n’ roll, pop culture, dating, and the independence of the youth of that era.

“Little Red Rooster” is a blues standard credited to arranger and songwriter Willie Dixon. The song was recorded in 1961 by the American blues musician Howlin’ Wolf in the Chicago blues style. Later also recorded by American soul singer Sam Cooke in 1963, The British rock group The Rolling Stones was among the first British rock groups to record modern electric blues songs. The Rolling Stones performed “Little Red Rooster” on TV including the British programs “Ready Steady Go!” and “Thank Your Lucky Stars”. In the US they performed it on the TV shows “The Ed Sullivan Show”, “Shindig!”, and “Shivaree”. The song is featured on their American album The Rolling Stones, Now!

“Pigs on the Wing” is a two-part song recorded by the English rock band Pink Floyd. It is featured on their 1977 concept album Animals, opening and closing the album. The song was written by Rogers Waters. The title of the song comes from an expression used by British pilots during WW II to describe enemy fighters in the blind spot of a plane.

“Psycho Chicken” is a song recorded by US Massachusetts rock band The Fools. The lyrics to the songs refer to a person chased by a crazy chicken. With the mention of Colonel Sanders, the iconic head of Kentucky Fried Chicken the song takes a comical twist. There is also mention of Frank Perdue the owner of Perdue Chickens. Anyway, take a listen and figure out what the crazy chicken was trying to do.

“White Rabbit” is a song that was written by Grace Slick. It was recorded by the American rock band Jefferson Airplane and is featured on their 1967 album Surrealistic Pillow. The song draws on imagery from the 1865 book “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and its sequel from 1871 “Through the Looking-Glass” by author Lewis Carroll. The song charted on the Billboard Hot 100 and in 1998 it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.