We all love our pets. But do we love them enough (and are we musically talented enough) to write music about them? These legendary artists all ticked both of those boxes:
Cat Stevens - I Love My Dog
His former name may've been Cat (he's known these days as Yusuf Islam), but that didn't stop the triple-platinum artist from penning one of the best dog-related songs of all time. The 1968 track I Love My Dog is an ode to a special canine as much as it's a quiet serve to everyone else: "I love my dog as much as I love you/But you may fade, my dog will always come through."
Michael Jackson - Ben
Originally composed for Donny Osmond, Ben has to be the only love song ever written about a rat. Yep - a rat. When a young Michael Jackson lent his super-sweet vocals to the song penned for the 1972 movie of the same name (the sequel to Willard, in which a young outsider trains an army of rats to attack his enemies), it wasn't long before it reached Number 1 in the charts and became a Motown classic.
Harry Nilsson - The Puppy Song
Another puppy-love song, this catchy tune by Harry Nilsson was originally written at the request of none other than Paul McCartney of the Beatles. It was intended for Mary Hopkin, a teenage singer McCartney had recently signed to Apple Records. (Indeed, the song ended up on her first album Post Card). You might remember the 1969 track from its appearance three decades later in the movie You've Got Mail.
The Beatles - Martha My Dear
Speaking of Macca, Martha My Dear was written by McCartney himself about his Old English Sheepdog, Martha. Later, McCartney admitted the song is doubly about a longtime love interest of his, Jane Asher, who broke off their engagement in 1968 - the same year this number was released. In 1969, British rockers Slade included a memorable cover of the song on their first album, Beginnings.
