All the Hot 100 No. 1s With Animals In Their Titles — From Designer’s ‘Panda’ to Prince’s ‘When Doves Cry’
In the Billboard Hot 100‘s decades-long history, several animals have perched side by side with human musicians on the No. 1 spot. And while no, none of those hits were actually written or performed by a wildlife creature – unless you count Alvin & The Chipmunks’ chart-topping “The Chipmunk Song,” which is actually the first entry on this list – it is true that many of the world’s favorite songs over the years have referenced a specific type of animal in their titles.
Most recently, Rae Sremmurd and Gucci Mane’s 2016 track “Black Beatles” became the latest critter-accompanied song title to crawl into the Hot 100’s top spot, and remained there for a whole seven weeks. That’s a pretty powerful insect.
Only one artist, however, has scored two songs on this list; Prince, or perhaps more accurately, Prince of the animal kingdom, earned No. 1 spots for both “When Doves Cry” and “Batdance.” Owl City also makes history for being the only act with an animal themed name to become Queen Bee of the Hot 100 with a duly animal-themed song.
Another recent addition is Desiigner’s 2016 single “Panda” — not that it’s entirely about a literal panda. In reality, it compares a white BMW X6 to a panda, but hey, it still counts. “The way my mind works is crazy, man,” Desiigner told Billboard. “I don’t mean crazy in a psycho way. I mean crazy in, like, a great artist way. I have my own way of seeing things. When I looked at the X6, I just said, ‘That’s a panda.’ I like the animal.”
From charting chipmunks to dominating disco ducks, here is the complete zoo’s worth of Hot 100 No. 1s that have drawn audiences thanks to their animal magnetism.
