Do you remember the 1966 song "Walking my Cat named Dog?" It likely came into my mind with the folk song fund-raiser on PBS. It seems to go with The Rooftop Singers "Walk Right In":
Walk right in, sit right down Daddy, let your mind roll on Walk right in, sit right down Daddy, let your mind roll on Everybody's talkin' 'bout a new way of walkin' Do you want to lose your mind? Walk right in, sit right down Daddy, let your mind roll on
The Cat Dog song was written and sung by Norma Tanenga. Norma was a songwriter, singer, and artist. She was connected to Dusty Springfield musically and romantically. Their romantic relationship was stressful and their professional relationship went poorly for her with a number of her collaborations uncredited.
Dusty Springfield was extremely well known as a top 1960s British pop star. It turns out that in 1981 she had a romantic relationship with Carole Pope. Who would guess that? Gay relationships of any kind were taboo in the 1960s and 1970s. Britain's press pried into everything and turned it ugly. So her stardom waned after she revealed she was gay in 1970.
Norma's Cat Dog lyrics seemed to be free-spirited and humorous. Would you call them a bit rebellious or defiant? Here's the start of the song:
"I'm walkin' all around the town Singin' all the people down Talkin' around, talkin' around Me and my cat named Dog Are walkin' high against the fog Singin' the sun, singin' the sun"
It concludes with "That's where I'm at"
Such an expression of the social state of things in the 1960s. Almost "stream of unconscious" lyrics.
The naming of cats and dogs is very complicated today - you can look through and go shopping for any number of most popular dog names. Would you guess that Lucy is the second most popular female dog name?
Could you name your cat "Dog"? That seems unlikely today - relegated to a novelty song title now.
This is the best colour display in the Lilycrest field this summer.
