Animals, in all their multitudinous variety and multi-faceted expression, have always made for some pretty potent imagery.
Snakes have long been associated with either potently eternal evil (Judeo-Christian) or “gracious morality and great wisdom” (Chinese Zodiac), lions with nobility and bravery, and elephants with mindfulness and the power of memory.
The list is as long and infinite in its imagery as there are animals in the world and so it makes sense that rock-n-roll music, like any other artistic form would find powerful lyrical allusions among the animals, birds and insects all around us.
After all, you only have to mention tigers, and people immediately think of a patient, calculating, never deterred hunter, monkeys and mischief is evoked, bats and a skin-crawling sense of horror and things that go bump, or rather whoosh!, in the night.
Instant connections achieved and classic songs created with just one reference to one iconic animal or another.
It’s no wonder then that with all this potent animal kingdom imagery in so many of the songs we listen to that someone, in this case, the impressively talented Tracy Worral, on conjunction with her friends, the marvellously clever team at conceptual art gallery Dorothy, were inspired to gather them all together in the brilliantly engaging poster (above, which you can buy here, along with individual prints):
“Our slightly weird but very wonderful Rock ‘N Roll Zoo is home to a whole host of fantastical animals large and small including ‘Buffalo Soldier’ (Bob Marley), ‘Elephant Stone’ (The Stone Roses), ‘Eye Of the Tiger’ (Survivor), ‘Leopard-Skin Pillbox Hat’ (Bob Dylan), ‘Monkey Gone To Heaven’ (Pixies), ‘Rocky Raccoon’ (The Beatles), ‘Crocodile Rock’ (Elton John), ‘The Love Cats’ (The Cure), ‘Diamond Dogs’ (David Bowie), ‘Hounds of Love’ (Kate Bush), ‘Little Red Rooster’ (The Rolling Stones), ‘Beetlebum’ (Blur) and ‘Superfly’ (Curtis Mayfield).”
It’s whimsical, magical and just plain beautiful. I wonder which animal represents that?
(source: Laughing Squid)
