Five MONKEY Songs from the 1980s

Every decade has its share of songs about animals and the 80s is no exception. However, some of the best beastly tunes from the 1980s had to be about monkeys. Here are five of those songs about these cheeky primates including some insights into what the lyrics really mean.

Shock the Monkey, Peter Gabriel (1982)

The word “shock” appears in this song 39 times and “monkey” 53 times. Why and how does Peter Gabriel want to shock this poor monkey? Does he want to tell it an obscene joke or call its grandmother an inappropriate name to illicit a strong emotional response? Heaven forbids Peter is sadistic enough to want to electrocute the poor little simian. Does Peter Gabriel really hate the monkey that much?!

Of course not! Peter Gabriel might be a little off beat but he’s no monkey abuser. According to Peter, the monkey in his 1982 song “Shock the Monkey”, from his fourth self-titled album, is actually a metaphor for jealous love. You know, the kind that brings out the animal instincts in a human. After all, we’re primates too. Even more interesting is that the lyrics were inspired by the 1962 film “King Kong vs. Godzilla”. Yes, the one where King Kong had lightning powers to counteract Godzilla’s atomic breath. Let’s hope the new films give King Kong his awesome shock powers back!

If you were watching MTV in the 80s, you saw a lot of Peter Gabriel with his surreal, entertaining music videos. “Shock the Monkey” was an introduction to his music video style, and he would later win 13 MTV Music Video Awards in 1987 for “Sledgehammer”.

Brass Monkey, Beastie Boys (1986)

Why do Beastie Boys want a brass monkey? Perhaps they want an exotic ornament for their lawn? Maybe they want to give a gift for a girlfriend but are too cheap to shell out for a gold monkey? It’s fairly obvious that their 1986 song “Brass Monkey”, from their album titled “Licensed to Ill”, is about a cocktail called the Brass Monkey. In the 1980’s, a company called Heublien produced a premixed, bottled Brass Monkey cocktail that was cheap, easy to carry, and probably a good way for Brooklyn street boys to get hammered while thinking up lyrics to thier rap songs.

Brass Monkey of Heidelberg

Where did this term “brass monkey” come from anyway? There is an old-fashioned colloquialism lamenting cold weather that goes, “It’s cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey!” That sounds pretty cold, but what is the brass monkey old-timers are referring to?

Well, it’s said that the term may have come from 19th century Japanese “wise monkey” figures popular at the time. Being made of brass, they likely froze in very cold weather and perhaps their little primate genitals cracked off under the extreme conditions.

Another theory is that this phrase was a naval term. In the days of wooden warships, brass monkeys were trays (made of brass of course) that stored the ship’s cannon balls. In cold weather, the brass monkey tray would sometimes crack, releasing the cannon balls across the deck.

In either case, given the humorous and vulgar nature of the phrase, I’m pretty sure there were sailors involved.

Here are Beastie Boys performing “Brass Monkey” live at Madison Square Garden for your daily dose of awesome hip hop.

Monkey, George Michael (1987)

It’s mighty kind of George Michael to keep warning, who I supposed to be a tourist in Southeast Asia, that there is a monkey on her back. “You better watch out! Baby who’s that?”, he says. “Don’t look now, there’s a monkey on your back!”, he warns further. However, for some reason, the tourist likes this monkey and often won’t set it free. Even when she does, it keeps coming back.

Goerge Michael’s 1987 smash hit song “Monkey”, from his smash hit album “Faith”, is indeed a warning. The lyrics lament a lover’s plight that they are competing for the time and affection of their partner for an addiction. The idiom, “monkey on your back” means to have a burden that is hard to get rid of. One might shake it off for a short while, but it quickly comes right back. In antiquity, monkeys were often associated with evil, or distraction and the term referred to those lost in obsessive emotion such as anger or self-pity. However, the phrase became more associated with alcoholism in the 1930s, and later, drug addiction in the 60s and 70s.

These days, both mental health issues and addiction are seen more as an affliction, and that’s a good thing. If you are experiencing mental health or addiction issues, there are lots of resources run by people who care. Here is a list of mental health hotlines you or a loved one can call any time!

George Michael’s “Monkey” music video reminds us that Paula Adbul was a superb choreographer and that Debbie Gibson hats were cool in the 80s. They need to make a comeback.

Tweeter and the Monkey Man, Traveling Wilburys (1988)

The Traveling Wilburys were arguably the greatest supergroup to ever have been assembled and consisted of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty. In a modern context, 1988’s “Tweeter and the Monkey Man” from the “Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1” album, might sound like a person who frequently posts on Twitter about people in monkey suites performing stunts or getting into trouble.

In reality, the song’s lyrics tell an intricate tale, in similar fashion to the band’s individual styles, about a pair of drug dealers named Twitter and the Monkey Man. Thier archrival is an undercover cop trying to bust them. The catch? The cop’s sister is in love with the Monkey Man who “knew him long before he became a Jersey Girl”. Make of that what you will. Want to know how the story plays out and a bit more background about Tweeter and the Monkey Man? Then have a listen for yourself.

Monkey Gone to Heaven, Pixies (1989)

Well, perhaps that brass monkey man on your back was shocked too many times and finally done gone to heaven. Rest in Peace little monkey.

The actual meaning of 1989’s “Monkey Gone to Heaven ”, a critically acclaimed tune by alternative rock band Pixies as part of thier “Doolittle” album, might not be too far off. The song’s lyrics deal with environmentalism, humans’ relationship to their environment, numerology and the divine. That’s pretty deep stuff. To augment the profoundness of the music, Pixies invited some prominent cellists and violists to add more ethereal harmony to the song. If you are looking for an earnest and sagacious track to contemplate the universe with, have a listen.

Hindu Monkey God

There you have it! These are five 1980s MONKEY songs to add to your playlist. Did I miss any of your favorites? Let me know on our Twitter page. If you want to check out more 80s and 90s music list, have a look at more music articles. Also have a listen to our podcast episodes about music. With that, always remember this:

“Without pain, without sacrifice we would have nothing. Like the first monkey shot into space”

— Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club