BARRY LEVINE: Old Rocker: Aug. 2, 2015

Of all the words in the titles of rock ‘n’ roll songs during the modern era’s first decade, most were focused on love and relationships and good times. On the opposite end, few titles referred to mammals, birds, reptiles and insects.

After endless research, here are 15 songs from that era that have mammals, birds, reptiles or insects in the title. Interestingly, all were Top 10 hits.

“Bird Dog” – The third of the Everly Brothers four No. 1 hits, “Bird Dog” topped the charts in 1958. The duo’s other No. 1 hits were “Wake Up Little Susie” in 1957, “All I Have To Do is Dream” in 1958 and “Cathy’s Clown” in 1960. Born in Shellman, Boudleaux Bryant and his wife, Felice, penned more than 100 hit songs including all of the Everly Brothers’ No. 1 hits.

“Butterfly” – Charlie Gracie’s 1957 No. 1 hit was the biggest if his career and the first of his two Top 20 songs. His other was “Fabulous” in 1957. The Philadelphia native, incredibly, is still performing at age 79. Andy Williams’ 1957 cover of “Butterfly” also reached No. 1.

“The Boll Weevil Song” — One of the more underrated singers of the 1960s, Brook Benton had 24 Top 40 hits from 1959 to 1970. His most successful was “The Boll Weevil Song” which climbed to No. 2 in 1962. The song had been around for decades as a blues song. Ma Rainey’s version, which was called “Bo-Weevil Blues,” dated to 1923. Woody Guthrie also recorded a folk version in 1940 that sounds more like Benton’s hit. Benton, who died in 1988 at age 57, probably is most well-known in the state for his 1970 hit “A Rainy Night in Georgia.”

“The Chipmunk Song” – The Chipmunks were created by Ross Bagdasarian and he got the idea while driving through Yosemite, Calif., when a chipmunk sat in the middle of a road and refused to move. “The Chipmunk Song” hit No. 1 in December 1968 and remained there for four weeks. The voices of the chipmunks were Bagdasarian’s and he got the unique sound by speeding up the recordings. One other Chipmunk song reached the Top 5 when “Alvin’s Harmonica” rose to No. 3 in 1959.

“Hound Dog” – Penned by the comedy writing team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, “Hound Dog” was originally recorded by “Big Mama” Thornton in 1952 and released in March 1953. “Hound Dog” was Thornton’s only hit record. Elvis Presley recorded “Hound Dog” in 1956 and his version sold more than 10 million copies and was his best-selling song. Presley’s version was No. 1 for a then-record 11 weeks.

“The Lion Sleeps Tonight” – The Tokens, a doo-wop group, had their only Top 10 smash when “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” skyrocketed to No. 1 in 1961. It was a cover of the Weavers’ 1952 hit “Wimoweh.” The Tokens only other major hit was “Tonight, I Fell in Love,” which climbed to No. 10 in1961.

“Mickey’s Monkey” – A No. 8 hit by The Miracles in 1963, it was the group’s third million seller following “Shop Around” in 1961 and “You really Got A Hold On Me” in 1962. “Mickey’s Monkey” was a story about “A cat named Mickey from out of town” who “spread his new dance all around.” The song popularized “The Monkey” as a national dance craze during the early 1960s.

“Mockingbird” – Written and performed by the brother-sister team of Inez and Charlie Foxx, “Mockingbird” reached No. 7 at the end of 1963. The song was based upon the old lullaby “Hush Little Baby.” This was their only Top 40 hit.

“Mule Skinner Blues” – Originally recorded in 1930 by Jimmie Rodgers, it became a Top 10 hit by The Fendermen in 1960. The country song told the story of an unemployed mule skinner who approached the captain seeking employment. This was the only hit for the duo of Jim Sundquist and Phil Humphrey, who formed The Fendermen during the late 1950s.

“Pony Time” — Originally recorded in 1960 by Don Covay and the Goodtimers,. “Pony Time” did not achieve real success until Chubby Checker, the King of the Dance Craze, recorded it in 1961. It quickly became Checker’s second No. 1 hit following “The Twist” in 1960.The song introduced a new dance style, The Pony, in which the dancer tried to look like he or she was riding a horse.

“Puff, The Magic Dragon” – Written by Leonard Lipton and Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary fame, the song was inspired by Ogden Nash’s poem, “Custard, the Dragon.” The lyrics tell a story of Puff, an ageless dragon, and his playmate Jackie Caper, a little boy who grows up and loses interest in the imaginary adventures of childhood and leaves Puff alone and depressed. The song became one of Peter, Paul & Mary’s biggest hits, rising to No. 2 in 1963.

“Puppy Love” – The song became one of Paul Anka’s signature songs when it reached No. 2 in 1960. It was one of 11 of Anka’s Top 10 hits. Anka wrote the song for Annette Funicello whom he was dating at the time. A former Mouseketeer, Funicello later became a rock ‘n’ roll singer and co-star with Frankie Avalon in a series of beach movies.

“Rockin’ Robin” – The tune climbed to No. 2 in 1958 and became Bobby Day’s only Top 40 hit. Michael Jackson covered it in 1972 and it became a No. 2 hit for him. Before becoming a single act, Day formed the Hollywood Flames who had their only Top 10 hit, “Buzz-Buzz-Buzz,” in 1958. Day also is credited with writing “Little Bitty Pretty One” by Thurston Harris & The Sharps, a No. 3 hit in 1957.

“See You Later, Alligator” — Originally written by Louisiana songwriter Robert Charles Guidry and first recorded by him under his professional name Bobby Charles in 1955. Bill Haley & The Comets covered it in 1956 and it became Haley’s fourth Top 10 hit, reaching No. 8.

“Tiger” – A Philadelphia teen idol, Fabian had his biggest hit when “Tiger” reached No. 3 in 1959. Fabian joined Frankie Avalon and Bobby Rydell as teen idols from South Philly.

Barry Levine is an entertainment writer for The Albany Herald. He can be reached at [email protected].