List of insect-inspired songs
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This is a list of songs inspired by insects.
Insects in music are known from everything from classical music and opera to ragtime and pop.
Rimsky-Korsakov imitates the quick buzzing vibrato of the bumblebee in his famous "The Flight of the Bumblebee". Popular songs with an insect theme include "glow-worm", "Poor Butterfly", "La Cucaracha", "The Boll Weevil", and "The Blue-Tailed Fly". Operas like Puccini's Madam Butterfly and Rousel's Le Festin de L’Araignée similarly reference arthropods.[1]
Pop groups named after insects include Buddy Holly and the Crickets, The Beatles, Adam and the Ants and many others.[2] Songs named after or inspired by the sounds of insects are listed below.
List[]
Name of song | Insect order | Composer | Performing artist | Date | Type of music | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Boatmen of Garten | Hemiptera | David de la Haye | David de la Haye
Mhairi Hall |
2021 | Folk / Environmental Art | Features the Water Boatman, family Corixidae | |
Crickets Sing for Anamaria | Orthoptera | Marcos Valle | Marcos Valle | 1968 | Bossa nova | Vocal version of Marcos Valle's instrumental tune "Os Grilos" that appeared on his 1967 album Brazilliance! | |
Honey Bee (Let Me Be Your Honey Bee) | Hymenoptera | Ollie Shepard | Ollie Shepard And His Kentucky Boys | 1938 | Blues / Honky-tonk | Released on Decca Records | |
The Attack of the Giant Ants | Hymenoptera | Chris Stein | Blondie | 1976 | Punk / New Wave / Rock | ||
I Got Ants in My Pants | Hymenoptera | James Brown | James Brown | 1972 | Funk | ||
Ants Marching | Hymenoptera | Dave Matthews | The Dave Matthews Band | 1994 | Pop / Rock | ||
Spiral of Ants[3] | Hymenoptera | Neil Cicierega | Lemon Demon | 2016 | Electronic Rock | On the album Spirit Phone. Based on the phenomenon of ant mills. | |
Insects | Insecta | Danny Elfman | Oingo Boingo | 1982 | New Wave|Synth Pop | ||
Bee in the Bottle | Hymenoptera | Sinead Lohan | Sinead Lohan | 1995 | Folk rock | ||
Dance of the Honeybees | Hymenoptera | Charlie Lennon | De Dannan Frankie Gavin Sharon Shannon Altan |
1986 | Irish folk | Said to be based on the honeybee's waggle dance.[4] | |
Mosquito | Diptera | Yeah Yeah Yeahs | Yeah Yeah Yeahs | 2013 | Indie rock | ||
The Mosquito | Diptera | John Densmore / Robby Krieger / Ray Manzarek | The Doors | 1972 | Rock | ||
Flight of the Bumblebee | Hymenoptera | Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov | many artists | 1899-1900 | Classical | ||
One Note Samba/Spanish Flea | Siphonaptera | Antônio Carlos Jobim | Sergio Mendes-Brasil '66 | 1966 | Bossa nova | ||
Fireflies | Coleoptera | Adam Young | Owl City | 2009 | Electronica | ||
Lady Bug | Coleoptera | Randy Rogers / Wade Bowen | Randy Rogers | 2015 | Country | ||
Mariposa traicionera | Lepidoptera | Fher Olvera | Mana | 2003 | Rock | ||
Butterfly | Lepidoptera | John FruscianteB/ret Mazur, M / chael "Flea" Balzary / Seth "Shifty Shellshock" Binzer | Crazy Town | 2000 | Rap rock | ||
Caterpillar | Lepidoptera | Peter Albin | Big Brother and the Holding Company | 1967 | Rock | This album was the studio debut for the band's lead singer, Janis Joplin. | |
The Caterpillar | Lepidoptera | The Cure | 1984 | Post-punk | |||
Grasshopper | Orthoptera | Soul Delavants | Soul | ||||
Grasshopper | Orthoptera | John Phillips | The Mamas and the Papas | 1971 | Folk rock | ||
The Grasshopper Unit (Keep Movin') | Orthoptera | Beastie Boys | 2000 | Rap rock | |||
Grasshoppers | Orthoptera | Ryuichi Sakamoto | Ryuichi Sakamoto | 1978 | Jazz fusion | ||
Moth | Lepidoptera | Chad Gray / Kevin Churko / Tom Maxwell / Vinnie Paul | Hellyeah | 2014 | Heavy metal | ||
Moth to a Flame | Lepidoptera | Roger Chapman | Roger Chapman | 1979 | Bluesrock | Second track of the album Chappo | |
Moth's Wings | Lepidoptera | Michael Angelako | Passion Pit | 2009 | Indietronica | ||
That's the way love goes | Lepidoptera | Janet Jackson / Jam & Lewis | Janet Jackson | 1993 | R & B | ||
Mayfly | Ephemeroptera | Stuart Murdoch | Belle and Sebastian | 1996 | Indie pop | ||
Doin' the Cockroach | Blattodea | Modest Mouse | Modest Mouse | 1997 | Indie rock | ||
Lady bug | Coleoptera | Bumblebee Umlimited | 1978 | Disco | |||
Butterfly | Lepidoptera | Jason Mraz | Jason Mraz | 2008 | Pop / Rock | ||
Bugs | Insects-general | Eddie Vedder | Pearl Jam | 1994 | Rock | ||
All My Friends Are Insects | Insects-general | Adam Deibert | Weezer | 2010[5] | Rock | ||
Georgia Warhorse | Orthoptera | JJ Grey & Mofro | 2010 | Funk rock | Named after the Southern Lubber Grasshopper | ||
The Blackfly Song | Diptera | Wade Hemsworth | many artists | 1949 | Folk | Inspired a short animated film, Blackfly. | |
Mosquito Moan | Diptera | Blind Lemon Jefferson | 1927 | Blues | |||
Termite | Blattodea | Young Thug | 2015 | Hip hop | |||
Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me | Diptera | Thomas Brigham Bishop* | many artists | 1869 | Folk | The writer of the song is somewhat contentious (see Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me) | |
Killa Beez | Hymenoptera | Killa Beez | 2002 | Hip hop | |||
Wu Killa Beez: The Reemergence | Hymenoptera | Remedy | 1998 | Hip hop | |||
Dragonfly | Odonata | Ziggy Marley | Ziggy Marley | 2003 | Reggae | ||
The King Beetle on the Coconut Estate | Coleoptera | mewithoutyou / Aaron Weiss | mewithoutyou | 2009 | Indie rock | ||
Fireflies | Coleoptera | Harmony SamuelsD/awn Richard, d/rew Scott | Zendaya | 2013 | Electronica | ||
The Cricket Song | Orthoptera | Rich O'Toole | 2011 | Country | |||
Frass | Insects-general | Renaldo and the Loaf | 1981 | Experimental | The whole album, Songs for Swining Larvae, is inspired by insects.[6] | ||
There Ain't No Bugs On Me | Insects-general | (Traditional folk song) | (Traditional folk song) | Unknown | Folk | There is a popular recording of this song by Jerry Garcia and David Grisman on the album, Not for Kids Only. | |
Dog and Butterfly | Lepidoptera | Ann WilsonN/ancy Wilson, / e Ennis | Heart | 1978 | Folk rock | ||
Hive | Hymenoptera | Sexton / Nick Hexum / Martinez | 311 | 1995 | Rap rock | ||
Red Mosquito | Diptera | Jeff AmentS/tone Gossard, c/k Irons, Mi /McCready, Eddi /Vedder | Pearl Jam | 1996 | Rock | ||
The Bug | Insects-general | Mark Knopfler | Dire Straits | 1991 | Rock | ||
Insects-general | Haley Heynderickx | Haley Heynderickx | 2018 | Folk music | |||
I am the Fly | Diptera | Graham Lewis / Colin Newman | Wire | 1978 | Punk rock | ||
Centipede | Chilopoda | Rebbie Jackson | Centipede (album) | 1983 | RnB | ||
Human Fly | Diptera | Lux Interior, Ivy Rorschach | The Cramps | 1979 | Punk rock | ||
Fly on the Wall | Diptera | Miley CyrusA/ntonina Armato, T /m James, v/rim Karaoglu | Miley Cyrus | 2009 | Pop rock | ||
Fly on the Wall | Diptera | Malcolm YoungA/ngus Young /Brian Johnson | ACDC | 1983 | Rock | ||
Fly on the Wall | Diptera | The Jesus Lizard | The Jesus Lizard | 1994 | Rock | ||
Fly on a Windshield | Diptera | Tony Banks Phil Collins Peter Gabriel Steve Hackett Mike Rutherford | Genesis | 1974 | Progressive Rock | ||
Insect Hospital | Insects-general | They Might Be Giants | 2013 | Rock | |||
March of the Fire Ants | Hymenoptera | Mastodon | Mastodon | 2002 | Heavy metal | ||
Beetle | Coleoptera | Mooi Wark | Rock | ||||
Beetle in the Box | Coleoptera | Louis Abbott | Admiral Fallow | 2012 | Indie pop | ||
Black Beetle Pies | Coleoptera | Trad / arr Flood | Bellowhead | 2012 | Folk | ||
Dragonfly Keeper | Odonata | Phildel | Phildel | 2010 | Neoclassical | Instrumental | |
Durability | Insects-general | Tribes of Neurot | 2002 | Experimental | The entire album Adaptation and Survival, on which this track is found, is composed entirely of manipulated insect sounds. | ||
Silverfish | Thysanura | Sounds of System Breakdown[7] | 2013 | Electronic music | Instrumental | ||
Pediculosis (Mommy, I Have Lice) | Phthiraptera | Fumigation | 2015 | Metal | |||
The Dreaded Sea Lice Have Come Aboard | Phthiraptera | Guttermouth | 1999 | Rock | |||
Rats and Mice and Swarms of Lice | Phthiraptera | Thou | 2014 | Sludge Metal | |||
Love Lice | Phthiraptera | Fake Shark - Real Zombie! | 2009 | Rock | |||
Earwigs To Eternity | Dermaptera | Alice Cooper | 2009 | Rock | |||
Catfood On The Earwig | Dermaptera | Guided by Voices | 1994 | Rock | |||
Earwig Town Lyric | Dermaptera | Chairlift | 2008 | Rock | |||
Earwig | Dermaptera | The Dead Milkmen | 1986 | Rock | |||
The Louse House of Kilkenny | Phthiraptera | The Dubliners | 1978 | Irish folk | |||
Earwig | Dermaptera | Public Memory | 2016 | Electronic, Music | |||
Lacewing | Neuroptera | Lacewing | 1970 | Rock | |||
Lacewings | Neuroptera | Alasdair MacLean and The Clientele | The Clientele | 2014 | Indie Pop | ||
Head Lice | Phthiraptera | 18 | Razor Jane | 2008 | Pop | ||
Locust | Orthoptera | Robb Flynn/ Philip Demmel | Machine Head | 2011 | Thrash | ||
Cricket Orchestra | Orthoptera | Smallpeople | Smallpeople | techno | |||
Crickets | Orthoptera | Damon Thomas Santo/ Allan Craig Iida/ Christopher Daniel Goodman/ Jonathan Rotem/ Anthony Vincent Cozzo/ Christian Scott Condo | Drop City Yacht Club | 2013 | Hip hop | ||
Crickets | Orthoptera | Jaron Boyer/ Colt Ford/ Jeffery Don Hyde | Colt Ford | 2014 | Country | ||
Cricketz | Orthoptera | Earl Benjamin/ Keith Brown/ Dominic Thomas/ Michael Stevenson | New Boyz | 2009 | Hip hop | ||
Cricket On A Line | Orthoptera | Christopher Wongwon/ Jared Sciullo Riley/ Luther Roderick Campbell/ Justin N. Spillner/ Rhett Akins/ Colt Ford | Colt Ford | 2010 | Country | ||
Crickets | Orthoptera | Brent Baxter/ Lisa Shaffer/ Bill Whyte | Joe Nichols | 2013 | Country | ||
Bug Rain | Insects-general | Looper | Hip Hop / Rap | ||||
Cicada | Hemiptera | Liam Titcomb | 2012 | Rock | |||
Sicka Cicadas | Hemiptera | Kathy Ashworth | 2011 | Country | |||
Sassy Cicada | Hemiptera | Kristin Jerger | Kristin Jerger | Kids | English & Spanish language | ||
Stick Insect Song | Phasmatodea | The Stick Insects | 2009 | Electronica | Instrumental, stick insect animation | ||
Song to the Cicadas | Hemiptera | The Greenhouse Culture Band, CS Luxem | 2015 | Collaboration to celebrate the cicada | |||
Aphids | Hemiptera | Hum | 2010 | lyrics | |||
Night of the Cicada | Hemiptera | The People's Republic of Europe | 2014 | Electronic | Netherlands | ||
Mayfly | Ephemeroptera | Belle & Sebastian | 2003 | Indie pop | |||
Mayfly | Ephemeroptera | Rasputina | 1998 | Rock | |||
Mayfly | Ephemeroptera | Ben Winship & David Thompson | 2009 | Acoustic Folk | |||
Mayfly | Ephemeroptera | Andrew Chalk & Tom James Scott | 2013 | Electronic | |||
Mayfly Waltz (for Dilly) | Ephemeroptera | Michael Hoppe | various artists | 2013 | New Age | ||
Flea | Siphonaptera | Clazziquai | 2008 | Pop | |||
Flea Brain | Siphonaptera | Vincent Gene | 2005 | Country | |||
Flea Fly | Siphonaptera | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Red Hot Chili Peppers | 1994 | Rock | ||
Flea Versus MIte | Siphonaptera | The Presidents of the United States of America | The Presidents of the United States of America | 2014 | Alternative Rock | ||
Sabrina Sabrina, Flea Ballerina | Siphonaptera | Mr. Billy | Mr. Billy | 2008 | Children's Music | ||
Fifi the Flea | Siphonaptera | Mary Black | Mary Black | 2011 | New Age | ||
Fifi the Flea | Siphonaptera | The Hollies | The Hollies | 1998 | Rock | ||
Spanish Flea | Siphonaptera | Allan Sherman | 2005 | Miscellaneous | |||
Spanish Flea | Siphonaptera | Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass | 1965 | Jazz | |||
Flea in Your Ear | Siphonaptera | Simian Mobile Disco | 2008 | Electronic | |||
Madama Butterfly | Lepidoptera | Giacomo Puccini | 1903 | Opera | |||
Butterflies and Hurricanes | Lepidoptera | Muse | Muse | 2004 | Alternative Rock | ||
Butterfly Kisses | Lepidoptera | Bob Carlisle | Bob Carlisle | 1997 | Contemporary | ||
Cockroaches | Blattodea | Necro | Necro | 2000 | hip-hop | ||
I Hate Cockroaches | Blattodea | Bananas at Large | Bananas at Large | 1993 | Parody | ||
Butterfly | Lepidoptera | Bassnectar | Bassnectar | 2012 | Electronic | ||
Termite | Blattodea | Jungle by Night | Jungle by Night | 2011 | instrumental | ||
The termite song | Blattodea | The Woodbox Gang | The Woodbox Gang | 2001 | Bluegrass | ||
Odonata | Odonata | Stuart Masters[8] | 2013 | Folk | Instrumental | ||
Oh, Odonata | Odonata | 2015 | Indie rock | Title track of album | |||
The Wasps | Hymenoptera | Ralph Vaughan Williams | 1909 | Incidental music | For Aristophanes' play The Wasps[9] | ||
Mosquito | Diptera | Ingrid Michaelson | Ingrid Michaelson | 2005 | Pop | ||
Mosquito | Diptera | Bomfunk MC | Bomfunk MC | 2004 | Electronic | ||
Mosquito | Diptera | Franck Langolff | Vanessa Paradis | 1988 | French Pop | ||
Butterfly Bleu | Lepidoptera | Iron Butterfly | Iron Butterfly | 1970 | Rock | ||
Iron Butterfly Theme | Lepidoptera | Iron Butterfly | Iron Butterfly | 1968 | Rock | ||
Springtail Boogie | Collembola | Kenneth Johnston | Instrumental Music from the Horsehead Point Community | 2007 | Rock | ||
Thrips | Thysanoptera | Carpe Diem | 2016 | Electronic | |||
Airplane Mode | Collembola | Flobots | Survival Story | 2010 | Rock | ||
Intro with Cicadas | Hemiptera | The Firefly Choir | The Insect Songbook Vol. 1 | 2016 | Electronic | Entire album is inspired by various orders of insects. | |
Flea Bitten Annie | Siphonaptera | The A-Bones | 1993 | Garage rock | |||
Dropping Like Flies | Diptera | The Accüsed | 1990 | Thrash metal | |||
Scream of the Butterfly | Lepidoptera | Acid Bath | 1994 | Sludge metal | |||
Cassie Eats Cockroaches[10] | Blattodea | Acid Bath | 1994 | Sludge metal | |||
Ants Invasion | Hymenoptera | Adam Ant/Marco Pirroni | Adam and the Ants | 1980 | New wave | ||
Antmusic | Hymenoptera | Adam Ant/Marco Pirroni | Adam and the Ants | 1980 | New wave | ||
Ant Rap | Hymenoptera | Adam Ant/Marco Pirroni | Adam and the Ants | 1981 | New wave | ||
Rap de las Hormigas | Hymenoptera | Charly García | Charly García | 1987 | New wave | ||
King Wasp | Hymenoptera | Add N to (X) | 1998 | Electroclash | |||
Butterfly | Lepidoptera | Admiral Bailey | 1992 | Dancehall | |||
Joanie's Butterfly | Lepidoptera | Steven Tyler/Jimmy Crespo/Jack Douglas | Aerosmith | 1982 | Hard rock | ||
Empire Ants | Hymenoptera | Damon Albarn | Gorillaz | 2010 | Electro-funk / Alternative Dance | Features the vocals of Little Dragon's Yukumi Nagano | |
Insects Are All Around Us | Orthoptera | Mark Ramos-Nishita | Money Mark | 1994 | Lo-Fi Downtempo / Funk | Contains spoken word sample relating to Crickets. | |
Cicada Love Call[11] | Hemiptera | F. Anderson / T. Swift | Toby Swift Music | 2021 | Country / Novelty | Contains spoken word |
References[]
- ^ Hogue, Charles (1987). "Cultural Entomology". Annual Review of Entomology. Insects.org. 32: 181–199. doi:10.1146/annurev.en.32.010187.001145. Archived from the original on 17 June 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- ^ "Insects in Music, Art and Poetry". Oregon State University. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- ^ "Spiral of Ants - Lemon Demon". lemondemon.bandcamp.com. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
- ^ "Dance of the Honeybees". Tune Archive. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
- ^ Krupa, Jessy. "Weezer's Best New Track Is About Bugs?". PopMatters. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
- ^ "Renaldo and the Loaf - Songs for Swinging Larvae". www.renaldoloaf.com. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
- ^ "Sounds of System Breakdown". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
- ^ "Stuart Masters". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
- ^ Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) - Overture: The Wasps MusicWeb International
- ^ "ACID BATH". www.acid-bath.com. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
- ^ "Country Singer Toby T. Swift Drops New Song 'Cicada Love Call'". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
Categories:
- Lists of songs
- Entomology
- Insects in culture