THE BEST SONGS ABOUT CATS

‘There are two means of refuge from the misery of life: music and cats’. Einstein was a brilliant scientist, but this, for us, is what truly sums up his genius (he was a great animal lover, and particularly devoted to his cat, Tiger). So, what could be better than a list of famous songs about cats? Here’s our pick of the best cat songs to add to your purrfect Spotify playlist (pawlist?)

Popular Songs About Cats

• ‘Lovecats’ – The Cure
• ‘Everybody Wants to be a Cat’ – The Aristocats
• ‘Stray Cat Strut’ – Stray Cats
• ‘Cool for Cats’ – Squeeze
• ‘Memory’ – Cats
• ‘Alley Cats’ – Hot Chip
• ‘Pads, Paws and Claws’ – Elvis Costello
• ‘What’s New, Pussycat’ – Tom Jones
• ‘Cool Cat’ – Queen
• ‘Cat music’

‘Lovecats’ – The Cure

80’s songs about cats don’t come much more iconic than this. It makes being a cat out on the town sound like the most fun you can have (‘We slip through the streets/While everyone sleeps/Getting bigger and sleeker/And wider and brighter’), whilst also infusing the idea with a mixture of Alice in Wonderland craziness and Beatrix Potter anthropomorphism (‘Hand in hand/Is the only way to land/And always the right way round/Not broken in pieces/Like hated little meeces’). Throw in a brilliantly danceable tune with that unmistakable double bass and Robert Smith meowing and let’s go, into the sea, you and me…

‘Everybody Wants to be a Cat’ – The Aristocats

Disney have created a host of fantastic felines, from Bagheera and Shere Khan in The Jungle Book to Simba and Scar in The Lion King. But some of their original top cats were found in the 1970 classic The Aristocats. The musical romcom sees a family of aristocratic cats who live in Paris being helped out by alley cat Thomas O’Malley. This is a jazzy little number that definitely brings to mind Baloo the bear in The Jungle Book’s laissez-fair attitude to life – not a great surprise, given that the same actor – Wonga Philip Harris – voiced both.

‘Stray Cat Strut’ – Stray Cats

Rockabilly cool, courtesy of Brian Setzer and the boys – and written when Setzer was just 18 and was a fan of cartoon series Top Cat. The band’s name, meanwhile, was a nod to Elvis Presley, the ‘hillbilly cat’ and how the early rockers called each other ‘cats’.

‘Cool for Cats’ – Squeeze

One of the band’s biggest hits doesn’t have that much to do with cats when you read the lyrics, but it’s relentlessly catchy and is from their album of the same name. It was one of Squeeze’s biggest hits, peaking at No. 2 in 1979, and has a rare lead vocal by lyricist Chris Difford.

The title actually came from a rock ‘n’ roll TV show from the late 50s and the tongue-in-cheek lyrics are all about the band’s social scene from their youth, when they were in a bit of a bubble.

‘Memory’ – Cats

When Andrew Lloyd Webber came up with the idea of a musical based on poems by T.S. Eliot, could anyone have foreseen what a decades-long smash it would end up being? (Let’s wipe the bonkers 2019 live action film, starring everyone from Judi Dench to Taylor Swift and Idris Elba from our, ahem, memory).

The standout song from the original musical is undoubtedly ‘Memory’ sung by Grizabella, a one time ‘glamour cat’ who’s fallen on hard times and is ostracised by the other cats. Elaine Paige played the part in the first West End production and made it her own; it was named the Best Song Musically and Lyrically at the 1982 Ivor Novello Awards, and in 2020, the Evening Standard wrote that, ‘Paige’s version set the standard and enabled ‘Memory’ to become one of the most recognisable musical theatre songs of all time.’ In the list of famous songs about cats, this has got to be right up there.

‘Alley Cats’ – Hot Chip

Cats and people often have complicated relationships, and ‘Alley Cats’ captures this perfectly. The two people in Hot Chip’s relationship are described as ‘alley cats’ – constantly restless and seeking attention and affection from each other. There’s both a deep connection and a sense of isolation in the song – anyone who owns a cat that regularly disappears and decides to spend whole days at a neighbour’s place before waltzing back in and yowling for Dreamies will find this is their perfect theme song.

‘Pads, Paws and Claws’ – Elvis Costello

If you’ve ever been on the wrong side of a cat, then this is the tune for you. Costello says it’s ‘just a story about some drunk guy who doesn’t know what good stuff he’s got’, but we prefer to think of it as a tune dedicated to a demanding cat ‘practising ways to flirt’ by stalking round your bedroom before leaping on top of you, claws out, insisting that you feed her. As cat owners, we’ve all been there.

‘What’s New, Pussycat’ – Tom Jones

We couldn’t have a list of songs about cats and leave out this classic. The theme song for the eponymous movie, starring Peter Sellers and Woody Allen, was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and became the Welshman’s third top 30 record in 1965.

‘Cool Cat’ – Queen

Anyone who’s seen Bohemian Rhapsody knows that Freddie Mercury was a huge cat fan – he had 10 in total. (Apparently, come Christmas time, he’d ensure that each had his or her own Christmas stocking, filled with treats and toys – aww.)

This track is from 1982 album Hot Space and was never released as a single, just as a B-side. According to Freddie, it was inspired by his love of cats, and the song’s central character is someone who’s always making a show of themselves and trying to be the centre of attention.

‘Cat Music’

Do cats like music? There have been numerous studies to try to find out and according to one scientist, cats tend to like songs that mimic the sounds they like in nature, like bird chirps and purring. As they’ve got better hearing than we have (they can hear up to 64,000 hertz, while we only hear up to 20,000 hertz), they don’t like anything too loud, or with lots of beats.

So if you’re choosing something to chill to with your cat, look for tunes with higher, rather than lower frequencies, and natural noises. Try this ‘Cat Music’, or a violin concerto, as string instruments can replicate higher-pitched sounds from nature.

And, of course, Spotify has a ton of relaxing playlists if you search for ‘Music for Cats’:

Tracks for All Nine Lives

When it comes to licensing music with a cat theme, we’ve got you covered! Here are our favourite cat-themed tracks:

• ‘When the Cat’s Away’ – David Tobin, Jeff Meegan and Julian Gallant
• ‘Cat’s Pyjamas’ – Terry Devine-King and Adam Drake
• ‘When Cat Gets Mouse’ – Christopher Baron
• ‘Black Cat’ – Edward Lee Liggitt III

‘When the Cat’s Away’ – David Tobin, Jeff Meegan and Julian Gallant

Mischievous and playful, this is classical orchestral with a recurring melody that’ll make you think of cats chasing after toys and generally creating mayhem round the house.

‘Cat’s Pyjamas’ – Terry Devine-King and Adam Drake

This is light-hearted, vintage swing, with old time guitar, muted trumpet and brass, for when you fancy a carefree strut about, admiring your pristine paws.

‘When Cat Gets Mouse’ – Christopher Baron

You can’t have a list like this without a frenzied vintage cartoon chase, can you? Scurrying xylorimba and clarinet are pursued by quirky tuba, double bass and percussion.

‘Black Cat’ – Edward Lee Liggitt III

Indie-folk songs about cats don’t come any better than this upbeat little number, with catchy brass hooks and glorious male vocals. A black cat for luck to close out the list? But of course.

So there you have it, a whole playlist of playful, mysterious, relaxing and strutting tracks to suit you – and your cat’s – every mood, from dawn till dusk. Head over to our blog for more music, film and TV content, or check out our latest releases and hand-picked playlists.