Hangin' Out In 100b

Did anybody else feel like this week went by painfully slowly? Well, now that it’s finally almost over with, let’s celebrate it with some quality monkeying around music. I would like to dedicate this post to the oldest living chimpanzee Cheeta, who also happens to have been a major character in the old Tarzan movies. He turned 75 earlier this year and outlived both Tarzan and Jane. He’s an actor turned lucrative painter, which makes this chimp officially more succesful and productive than I could ever hope to be. Yeah-yeah, I know he’s a chimpanzee and that’s apparently super different from a monkey, but there aren’t that many songs about chimps and I’m sure Cheeta won’t mind representing his fellow primatey cousins.

So here are my picks for Top 6 songs featuring the word Monkey:

   1. The Beatles – Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except For Me And My Monkey
Oh yes, we’re kicking off with a doozy, but if your monkey’s been keeping secrets from you, this song might be a bit painful. I’ve heard it a thousand times and I’m still not sure what the song is about, but if this doesn’t make you want to swing from a tire, not much else will.

   2. New York Dolls – Dance Like A Monkey)
Just do everything the Dolls tell you to do in this song and you’re guaranteed to start the weekend with a bang.

   3. The Monkees – The Monkees Theme
Not your conventional monkeys, but I’d love to watch them all day and finally answer that age old question, who is your favorite Monkee?

   4. Beastie Boys – Brass Monkey
If you were wondering how to do the New York Dolls’ monkey dance, the Beastie Boys give us a nice description: ‘Put your left leg down, your right leg up, tilt your head back’. And don’t forget the most essential element in any Monkey Dance: lots and lots of alcohol.

   5. Pixies – Monkey Gone To Heaven
The darkest Monkey song here, but it features perhaps their most famous lyrics. The way to test that is to stand in the middle of a crowded street and yell out ‘Then God is seven!!’ and see how many people shout back ‘this monkey’s gone to heaven’. Of course, it’s more likely that you’ll be mistaken for a schizophrenic, scary, religious person.

   6. The Kills – Monkey 23
We end the list with a mellow, but beautiful song by the wonderful Kills. Have a relaxing Friday and a nice weekend, people. I hope it’s filled with all kinds of crazy monkey lovin’.

But wait! We’re not done just yet, here’s the bizarre video that accompanies Devo’s tribute to the Powerpuff Girls’ nemesis, the evil monkey genius, Mojo Jojo. No seriously, it really is by Devo. I couldn’t believe it at first, but now that I had some time to get used to the idea … it’s still weird. The song is from the Powerpuff Girls Heroes and Villains CD, which also features Frank Black, Shonen Knife and The Apples In Stereo. I never thought I’d say this, but I think I’m gonna have to buy myself that Powerpuff Girls CD.