Some pop songs about whales.
“This is a good record,” said Rolling Stone Magazine when Songs of the Humpback Whale came out in 1970. “But let’s hope it’s not a trippy record!”
Since that time, plenty of pop songs about whales have been written.
Pete Seeger: “The World’s Last Whale”
Judy Collins sang “Farewell to Tarwathie”
Crosby and Nash did “To the Last Whale”
Yes sang “Don’t Kill the Whale.”
Country Joe McDonald sang “Save the Whales”
Captain Beefheart sang “I’m Gonna Grow Fins”
Lou Reed has “Last Great American Whale”
Laurie Anderson has “One White Whale” and “Pieces and Parts”
Tom Waits has “Starving in the Belly of a Whale”
...to say nothing of efforts by the Alice in Chains, Yes, Captain Beefheart, and even the Partridge Family.
In classical music we have famous works by Alan Hovhaness, George Crumb, and John Cage.
In jazz Charlie Haden did a “Song for the Whales,” Paul Winter did “Ocean Dream” and “Lullaby from the Great Mother Whale to the Baby Seal Pups.”
Here is an iMix of whale songs:
Songlist of the iMix:
The Humpback Whale Nic Jones
Lullaby from the Great Mother Whale for the Baby Seal Pups Paul Winter
To the Last Whale (A. Critical Mass / B. Wind On the Water) Crosby & Nash
Song for the Whales Don Cherry, Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden & Ed Blackwell
Taste the Great Humpback Whale Babalu
Save the Whales! Country Joe McDonald
Beluga No Believe In Tears David Rothenberg
Starving in the Belly of a Whale Tom Waits
The Last Leviathan Rory Block
The World's Last Whale David Rothenberg
