Pop Stand: Here Kitty Kitty

Cat Crossing, Bay St. Louis. Mississippi. Photo by Noel Holston

Here comes the pussycat parade.

That’s actually a song lyric, but I’m using it here as an introduction to this Pop Stand playlist devoted to songs that speak of cats — big, small, or figurative. (The use of “cat” as a slang for somebody cool, especially musicians, dates back to the 1920s, perhaps even earlier.)

Here we go. Add a cat song if you can.

Stray Cat Strut — The Stray Cats

The Lion Sleeps Tonight — The Tokens

Tiger by the Tail — Buck Owens

What’s New Pussycat? — Tom Jones

Cat Scratch Fever — Ted Nugent

Alley Cat — Bent Fabric

Everybody Wants to Be a Cat — Scatman Crothers, Phil Harris, et al

Walking My Cat Named Dog — Norma Tanega

Paper Tiger — Sue Thompson

Put Your Cat Clothes On — Carl Perkins

Honky Cat — Elton John

Leave My Kitten Alone — The Beatles

The Pussycat Parade — Mel Blanc

Tiger, Tiger — Greg Browne (courtesy Wm. Blake)

Year of the Cat — Al Stewart