By Severin
“When people call this beast to mind,
They marvel more and more
At such a little tail behind,
So large a trunk before” – Hilaire Belloc
They're beautiful aren't they? And they shouldn't be. Huge grey creatures, whose skin doesn't quite fit them. Great long noses, great stamping feet. It's impossible for most of us to see an elephant without being simultaneously awestruck and amused.
The trouble is, we want to own things rather than just loving them as they are. Even other creatures with large brains and every indication of consciousness: empathy, grief playfulness and so on. Can't blame a kid for responding to an elephant, real or toy, by wanting to have it for him/herself. It's the grown-ups that worry me.
There were lots of songs nominated about the elephant's legendary memory, its great size, its sociability and its lineage. But also lots of songs about circus shows and zoos (some celebrating, some denouncing) and the other ways we sometimes treat them like hunting for ivory.
I've tried to balance the positives and negatives. There is plenty of joy in both lists but I've ended with two songs about captives who want to go home. One is a lament and one is a celebration. “I want to go home” and “off she went!”
Oscar Brown Jr – Dat Dere
Based on an instrumental piece by Bobby Timmon. Which was recorded by Art Blakey (see below) and Oscar himself who later added these words. The kid wants that elephant.
Tom Tom Club – L'elephant
Chris and Tina with elephant noises and your actual French.
Laleh – Elephant
Sparkling Swedish pop in your actual English.
Burning Spear – Elephants
“I saw the elephants today, and they were defending each other” A call for African solidarity.
June Tabor – Elephant
From a poem by Les Barker. The cruelty and cost of the ivory trade.
Art Blakey – Elephant Walk
A soundscape. Stately at first and eventually stampeding.
North Atlantic Invasion Force – Elephant On My Tambourine
I'm still not sure I understand this one but it sounds fantastic. Was this not a huge hit?
Osibisa – Jumbo
Here come the elephants. Another stampede but it sounds like a joyous one.
Tame Impala – Elephant
“Groovy Aussie psych” said the nominator. I can't do better than that.
A Camp – Elephant
“I'm in your way, like an elephant”. That's never actually happened to me. Love this song though. Gorgeous sound.
Fungas – Mammoth
One of a spate of “stonerish mammoth songs” unleashed in my direction. I wouldn't dream of standing in its way.
Stackridge – Syracuse The Elephant
It's Stackridge! And they're bloody marvellous. An epic tale of the elephant who misses his home and his herbal diet. Leave him alone dammit.
Mandy Miller – Nellie The Elephant
Mandy Miller is 77 and lives in Scotland these days. She was co running a radio station the last I knew about it. Apparently she quit show business, after making a number of films, at the age of 18 and went off to America to be an au pair. If I was cleverer I could probably find some kind of metaphor in that.
Anyway, there was never any chance of finishing the YouTube A list with anything other than the recording she made in 1956. The first version of Nellie The Elephant, which, despite a sterling effort by some daft punks and an eccentric take by four Japanese guys (see Guru picks), is still the definitive version in my book.
Elevating Elephantine A-List Playlist:
Oscar Brown Jr – Dat Dere (Nicko)
Tom Tom Club – L'elephant (Uncleben)
Laleh – Elephant (DiscoMonster)
Burning Spear – Elephants (Maki)
June Tabor – Elephant (Alaricmc)
Art Blakey – Elephant Walk (pejepeine)
North Atlantic Invasion Force – Elephant On My Tambourine (Tarquin Spodd)
Osibisa – Jumbo (Tatanka Yotanka)
Tame Impala – Elephant (amylee)
A Camp – Elephant (happyclapper)
Fungas – Mammoth (TraktorAlbatrost)
Stackridge – Syracuse The Elephant (shivsidecar)
Mandy Miller – Nellie The Elephant (LoudAtlas)
Bonus A list track (not on YouTube)
Chakra Bleu – Black Elephant (FredErickson)
Marvellously Mammoth B-List:
Syd Barrett – Effervescing Elephant (MussoliniHeadkick)
Henry Mancini – Baby Elephant Walk (SweetHomeAlabama)
Toy Dolls – Nellie The Elephant (vastarina)
Lena – Pink Elephant (FredErickson)
C W Peale, John Greaves, Peter Blegvad and Lisa Herman – Seven Scenes From The Painting “Exhuming The First American Mastodon” (TatankaYotanka)
Trilok Gurtu & The Glimpse – Ganapati (Nicko)
Prince – Elephants And Flowers (Pop Off!)
Leon Rosselson – Jumbo The Elephant (Flintlock)
M S Subbulakshmi – Ganesha Pancharatna Stotram (Nicko)
King Crimson – Elephant Talk (BanazirGalbasi)
Natalie Merchant – The Blind Men And the Elephant (Maki)
Nilesh Moharir, Mangesh Borgaonkar, & Spruhar Joshi – Lounge Ganesha (BanazirGalbasi)
Vidulgoi Ooyoo (Pigeon Milk) – Elephant (TarquinSpodd)
Them Crooked Vultures – Elephants (ajostu)
Trumpeting and More Instrumental Extra I-List Playlist:
A lot of jazz, classical and other instrumental (or wordless) pieces nominated this week. Only two made it to the A list. Here's a playlist of as many as I could scoop up and display for your delight. If you hear any singing it's because I got very confused when I was doing this. Ditto if your own instrumental suggestion isn't included.
Guru’s Wildcard Picks:
Bonnie Raitt with Was (Not Was) – Baby Mine (from Dumbo)
The original and at least one cover version were nominated this week. This one remains my favourite.
Mammut – Mammut
Not the German prog instrumentalists mentioned by TA but a more recent Icelandic band. This being from their first (eponymous) album
Kuricorder Quartet – Nellie The Elephant
Second favourite version after Mandy Miller. Bonkers/inspired.
These playlists were inspired by readers' song nominations from last week's topic: Trumpet this: songs about elephants and mammoths . The next topic will launch on Thursday at 1pm UK time.
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