At some point, we’ve all sung an ode to our four-legged best friend. Alas, crooning “whooo’s a good doggieeee?” a dozen times in a row will never crack the Billboard charts, no matter how much tail-wagging excitement it generates. Thankfully, some dog lovers with actual musical talent have paid tribute to their furry pals in song. Here are five of our favorite songs about dogs for your listening enjoyment …
Beatles, “Martha My Dear”
Fido fact: Paul McCartney’s first-ever pup, an Old English sheepdog named Martha, not only brought out his softer side, but she received her very own track on the Beatles’ “White Album” in 1968. “She was a dear pet of mine,” he once said of the pooch. “I remember John [Lennon] being amazed to see me being so loving to an animal. He said, ‘I’ve never seen you like that before.’ I’ve since thought, you know, he wouldn’t have. It’s only when you’re cuddling around with a dog that you’re in that mode, and she was a very cuddly dog.”
Sample lyric: “When you find yourself in the thick of it/Help yourself to a bit of what is all around you/Silly girl”
Neil Young, “Old King”
Fido fact: Neil Young wrote this song for his hound dog, Elvis, who spent years traveling with him on his tour bus and was the one he told “about everything.” If you’ve ever shared the highs and lows of your day with your always-nonjudgmental canine, you know exactly what Neil is talking about.
Sample lyric: “That old King was a friend of mine/Never knew a dog that was half as fine/I may find one, you never do know/’Cause I still got a long way to go.”
Norah Jones, “Man of the Hour”
Fido fact: This gorgeous bluesy number is an homage to Norah’s poodle, Ralph, who turns out to be much better company than any of her potential boyfriends. “I like to say that he’s a scruffy, manly poodle. Because you say poodle and people start rolling their eyes,” she explained. “My dog-ological clock started to tick. So I got a dog — it’s great. I’m madly in love with him.”
Sample lyric: “It’s him or me, that’s what he said/But I can’t choose between a vegan and a pot head/So I chose you, because you’re sweet/And you give me lots of lovin’ and you eat meat”
Dolly Parton, “Cracker Jack”
Fido fact: One of the many storytelling ditties inspired by Dolly’s impoverished childhood, this sweet and moving tale about her devoted dog will have you sniffling as you remember the “best friend that [you] ever had.”
Sample lyric: “Cracker Jack would run to meet me after school each day/He’d jump and wag his tail and look at me as if to say/’I love you and I missed you and I’m glad you’re home again’/I knew just how he felt cause me and Cracker Jack was friends”
Cat Stevens, “I Love My Dog”
Fido fact: Cat Stevens acknowledged that the subject of his very first single probably seemed “very strange,” what with his first name and all, but he noted, “I meant it.”
Sample lyric: “All he asks from me is the food to give him strength/All he ever needs is love and that he knows he’ll get”
