Sunbathing Animal

Album: Sunbathing Animal (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song was inspired by vocalist Andrew Savage's two-year-old pet cat Frida. She is named after Frida Kahlo for her mustache. (The Mexican artist famously depicted herself in her self-portraits with a woman's mustache.)
  • Savage directed the black-and-white minimalist video with Andrew Clapper. It shows Frida soaking in some rays as a record player spins the song. Speaking with Noisey, the Parquet Courts frontman explained his pet cat's role in the clip and how exactly they got her to do what she did: "Every afternoon [Frida] takes a nap in that spot, but that afternoon she knew she was being observed," he said. "So I created a special tea that I found on a cat lady website that was full of herbs that could allegedly make a cat sleepy. You got some valerian root, some poppy seed extract, skullflower caps, chamomile."

    "And I guess we basically made the sofa area of my apartment into a cat paradise in order to get her to perform," Savage continued. We had bird songs playing on the iPhone, the window was open for bird noises outside. We put some food on the couch and then finally some cat nip."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

Amy Grant

Amy GrantSongwriter Interviews

The top Contemporary Christian artist of all time on song inspirations and what she learned from Johnny Carson.

Al Jourgensen of Ministry

Al Jourgensen of MinistrySongwriter Interviews

In the name of song explanation, Al talks about scoring heroin for William Burroughs, and that's not even the most shocking story in this one.

TV Theme Songs

TV Theme SongsFact or Fiction

Was a Beatles song a TV theme? And who came up with those Fresh Prince and Sopranos songs?

Rick Astley

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.

Grunge Bands Quiz

Grunge Bands QuizMusic Quiz

If the name Citizen Dick means anything to you, there's a chance you'll get some of these right.