Puppy Love: 5 Songs That Were Written About Musicians’ Pets

There are plenty of songs out there about love and loss among humans. But what about love songs about musicians’ beloved pets? These five famous songs were written about various musicians’ beloved pets; and some of these songs might surprise you.

1. “Martha My Dear” by The Beatles

Like many songs about pets on this list, one would assume “Martha My Dear” is about a girl. It is, technically, but not a girl of the human variety. This song was written by Paul McCartney about his very first pet dog, Martha. Martha was an Old English sheepdog that McCartney loved dearly, so it only makes sense that the famed songwriter would dedicate a song to her.

2. “Delilah” by Queen

Freddie Mercury was a well-known cat lover long before he was ever part of the legendary rock band Queen. His own beloved cat was a calico named Delilah, whom he wrote the song “Delilah” about in 1991 for the album Innuendo. Some might assume the song is about a rambunctious woman; and in a way, it is. “When you throw a moody, you’re all claws and you bite” are pretty direct lyrics, though.

3. “Old King” by Neil Young

Canadian singer/songwriter Neil Young is quite the wordsmith, and this song about his old hound dog Elvis is one of his very best. Elvis traveled with Young for years before he passed away, and “Old King” is one of the best songs about pets on this list and a heartfelt tribute to the road dog on the 1992 album Harvest Moon.

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4. “Seamus” by Pink Floyd

“Seamus” is one of many stellar tracks on Meddle. The song is definitely about a dog, but not a dog that belonged to any of the band members, specifically. Rather, the real-life collie Seamus belonged to Stephen Marriot of the band Small Faces. Marriot was good friends with Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, and the latter was inspired by the love that Marriot had for Seamus. Thus, this heartfelt song was born.

5. “Man Of The Hour” by Norah Jones

Norah Jones penned this tune in 2009 for the album The Fall. It’s a tribute to her beloved poodle Ralph. The song is about having to choose between a boyfriend and a beloved furry friend. According to the song, Jones chose the latter (a.k.a. the only right choice). “It’s him or me, that’s what he said / But I can’t choose between a vegan and a pothead / So I chose you because you’re sweet / And you give me lots of lovin’ and you eat meat / And that’s how you became my only man of the hour.” The lyrics are pretty specific, but also pretty relatable.

Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone

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