The Zoo (Scorpions song)
Encyclopedia
"The Zoo" is a song by the German heavy metal
band Scorpions
, written by band members Rudolf Schenker
(guitar) and Klaus Meine
(vocals). It first appeared on the band's 1980
album Animal Magnetism.The song has been featured on a few of Scorpions "Best-Of" compilations, including Deadly Sting: The Mercury Years
, Bad for Good: The Very Best of Scorpions
and the box set Box of Scorpions
. The song was released as a single in 1980 but had limited chart success, peaking at #75 in the UK.
Although the song performed poorly on the charts, it is a critically acclaimed heavy metal song. One critic notes "The Zoo" is both "ominously slow and melodically accessible," with a key element being the "Berlin burlesque vocal melody."
Schenker wrote much of the song's music during the band's first tour of the United States in 1979. When Meine first heard Schenker's riff, it reminded him of the band's earlier visit to a street in New York City
, which was humorously called a "zoo." Meine later composed the song's lyrics, which contain references to city streets - most notably, New York's 42nd Street
.
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Scorpions
Scorpions (band)
Scorpions are a heavy metal/hard rock band from Hannover, Germany, formed in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker, who is the band's only constant member. They are known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and many singles, such as "No One Like You", "Send Me an Angel", "Still...
, written by band members Rudolf Schenker
Rudolf Schenker
Rudolf Schenker is a German guitarist and founding member of heavy metal band Scorpions, being the rhythm/lead guitarist and one of the main song-writers of the band...
(guitar) and Klaus Meine
Klaus Meine
Klaus Meine is a German singer, best known as the lead vocalist and occasional rhythm guitarist of the heavy metal band Scorpions...
(vocals). It first appeared on the band's 1980
1980 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1980.-January–March:*January 1**Cliff Richard is appointed an MBE by Elizabeth II.**The Zorros audition drummer Greg Pedley....
album Animal Magnetism.The song has been featured on a few of Scorpions "Best-Of" compilations, including Deadly Sting: The Mercury Years
Deadly Sting: The Mercury Years
Deadly Sting is a compilation album of hits and previously unreleased material by the German heavy metal band Scorpions.There are two distinct permutations of this album: The 1995 single-disc, 15 track , European release and the 1997 2-disc, 33 track US release...
, Bad for Good: The Very Best of Scorpions
Bad for Good: The Very Best of Scorpions
Bad for Good: The Very Best of Scorpions is a compilation album of hits by the German heavy metal band Scorpions, released in 2002 by Hip-O Records...
and the box set Box of Scorpions
Box of Scorpions
Box of Scorpions is a triple-CD compilation album by the German heavy metal band Scorpions, released on May 25, 2004. It is the only compilation to feature songs from both the RCA and Mercury Records catalogue, recorded between 1972 and 2001...
. The song was released as a single in 1980 but had limited chart success, peaking at #75 in the UK.
Although the song performed poorly on the charts, it is a critically acclaimed heavy metal song. One critic notes "The Zoo" is both "ominously slow and melodically accessible," with a key element being the "Berlin burlesque vocal melody."
Schenker wrote much of the song's music during the band's first tour of the United States in 1979. When Meine first heard Schenker's riff, it reminded him of the band's earlier visit to a street in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, which was humorously called a "zoo." Meine later composed the song's lyrics, which contain references to city streets - most notably, New York's 42nd Street
42nd Street (Manhattan)
42nd Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, known for its theaters, especially near the intersection with Broadway at Times Square. It is also the name of the region of the theater district near that intersection...
.