Today, we choose some songs reflecting upon our nearest neighbour in the animal kingdom ‘The Ape’.
“I Go Ape” is the second single by Neil Sedaka, immediately following his success with the debut single “The Diary”, and was written by Sedaka himself and Howard Greenfield. It was released in 1958, and also appears on Sedaka’s 1959 debut solo album Rock With Sedaka. This novelty song, which name-checks various primates, was performed in the boogie-woogie style of Jerry Lee Lewis. “I Go Ape” was a relatively minor success in the US, reaching No. 42 on the BIlboard, but was a much bigger success in the UK, reaching No. 9 in the singles chart.
“Very Ape” is one of the more prominent examples of Nirvana’s sound as a band, incorporating soft verses and loud, rough hooks. The song was one of the few songs recorded with all instruments playing together on ‘In Utero’. Originally titled “Perky New Wave Number,” Kurt Cobain said he didn’t know what this punky, swinging In Utero hard rocker was about, but here are some clues. “It’s kind of an attack on men in a way and people that have flaws in their personality and they’re real manly and macho,” he said. The lyric, “If you ever need anything please don’t hesitate to ask someone else first,” might be the pinnacle of Nirvana’s alt-rock slackerism. And, according to Michael Azerrad’s Come as You Are, the bit about being the self-proclaimed “King of Illiterature” referred to how Courtney Love teased him about not being very well read.
“Apeman” is a 1970 song by the English rock band the Kinks. It was written by Ray Davies and appears on the album Lola Versus Powerman and the Powerman and the Moneygoround. Part One. “Apeman” was released as a single in the fall of 1970, with a B-side of the Dave Davies composition “Rats”. While it did not do as well on the US Pop Singles chart as its predecessor “Lola” did, only reaching number 45, it was a major hit in the UK, peaking at number five in the singles chart, their last Top 10 entry in their home country. It was also the band’s Top 10 hit in Australia, where it reached number nine.
“Apes of God” Brazilian metal band Sepultura have released a new take on their 18 year old track ‘Apes Of God’, which was originally released in 2003 on the album ‘Roorback’. ‘Apes Of God’ was also recorded with guitarist Rob Cavestany from Death Angel. In their video for ‘Apes Of God’ each band member is in different house settings making it feel intimate, the band is just cracking on, releasing some incredible music.
“Ape Machine” is song by Naked Ape a Swedish indie/electronica band from Stockholm, formed in 2000. Starting out as a duo (Jonas Mathiasson/Albion Venables), they gained notoriety after opening for one of the biggest Swedish indie bands at the time, Bob Hund. Their first release, entitled Television, received positive reviews from Swedish press, around the time that third member Olof Bendt joined the band. Their first album was “Anropa apornA”. Their second full album, “For the Sake of the Naked Ape”, secured international recognition, propelled by the popularity of their unconventional music videos for songs “Fashion Freak” and “Undo Redo” – which feature undead females entertaining the living.[1]
