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{{About|the Scorpions song|other songs|Zoo (disambiguation)#Recordings}}
{{Infobox Single | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Songs -->
{{Infobox song
| Name = The Zoo
| name = The Zoo
⚫
| Artist = [[Scorpions (band)|Scorpions]]
⚫
| cover = Scorpions-the-zoo-harvest.jpg
⚫
| Album = [[Animal Magnetism (Scorpions album)|Animal Magnetism]]
| alt =
| Released= March [[1980 in music|1980]]
| type = single
⚫
| Cover = Scorpions-the-zoo-harvest.jpg
⚫
| artist = [[Scorpions (band)|Scorpions]]
| track_no = 8
⚫
| album = [[Animal Magnetism (Scorpions album)|Animal Magnetism]]
⚫
| Recorded = December 1979 - February 1980
| released = August 1980<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/greatrockdiscogr00stro/page/721/mode/2up|title=The Great Rock Discography|year=1995|page=721 |isbn=9780862415419 |last1=Strong |first1=Martin Charles }}</ref>
⚫
| Genre = [[Hard rock]]
| Length = 5:28
| format =
⚫
| recorded = December 1979 – February 1980
⚫
| Writer = [[Rudolf Schenker]], [[Klaus Meine]]
| studio =
⚫
| Label = [[Harvest Records|Harvest]]/[[EMI]] (Europe)<br /> [[Mercury Records|Mercury]] (US)|
| venue =
⚫
| Producer = [[Dieter Dierks]]
⚫
| genre = *[[Hard rock]]
| prev = "Only a Man"
*[[heavy metal music|heavy metal]]
| prev_no = 7
| length = 5:28
| next = Animal Magnetism"
⚫
| label = [[Harvest Records|Harvest]]/[[EMI]] (Europe)<br /> [[Mercury Records|Mercury]] (US)
| next_no = 4
| writer =
⚫
* [[Rudolf Schenker]]
* [[Klaus Meine]]
⚫
| producer = [[Dieter Dierks]]
| prev_title = Lovedrive
| prev_year = 1979
| next_title = Lady Starlight
| next_year = 1980
}}
}}


"'''The Zoo'''" is a song by the German [[Rock music|rock]] [[Scorpions (band)|Scorpions]]. It was written by group members [[Rudolf Schenker]] (guitar) and [[Klaus Meine]] (vocals).
"'''The Zoo'''" is a song by the German [[hard rock]] band [[Scorpions (band)|Scorpions]]. It was written by group members [[Rudolf Schenker]] (guitar) and [[Klaus Meine]] (vocals). The song also features a [[talk box]] performed by lead guitarist [[Matthias Jabs]].


==Background==
==Background==
⚫
Schenker wrote much of the 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]] humorously referred to as a "zoo".<ref name=songs/> Meine later composed the song's lyrics, which contain references to city streets, especially New York's [[42nd Street (Manhattan)|42nd Street]].
{{refimprove-section|date=January 2015}}


⚫
The song has been featured on a few Scorpions "Best-Of" compilations, including ''[[Deadly Sting]]'', ''[[Bad for Good: The Very Best of Scorpions]]'', the box set ''[[Box of Scorpions]]'', and a re-recorded version for the ''[[Comeblack]]'' album.
⚫
Schenker wrote much of the 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]] humorously referred to as a "zoo".<ref name=songs/> Meine later composed the song's lyrics, which contain references to city streets, especially New York's [[42nd Street (Manhattan)|42nd Street]].{{fact|date=January 2015}}


It has also been used in the soundtrack of the video game ''[[NBA 2K18]]''.
⚫
The song has been featured on a few Scorpions "Best-Of" compilations, including ''[[Deadly Sting: The Mercury Years]]'', ''[[Bad for Good: The Very Best of Scorpions]]'', the box set ''[[Box of Scorpions]]'', and a re-recorded version for the ''[[Comeblack]]'' album.{{fact|date=January 2015}}


==Reception==
==Reception==
Although the song was released as a single in 1980, it commercially underperformed with limited chart success, peaking at #75 in the UK. Even so, it is a critically acclaimed heavy metal song, one critic noting that "The Zoo" is both "ominously slow and melodically accessible" with a key element being the "Berlin burlesque vocal melody".<ref name=songs>{{Citation
Although the song was released as a single in 1980, it commercially underperformed with limited chart success, peaking at #75 in the UK. Even so, it is a critically acclaimed heavy metal song, one critic noting that "The Zoo" is both "ominously slow and melodically accessible" with a key element being the "Berlin burlesque vocal melody". On this note, it is used by many strippers in their stage act.<ref name=songs>{{Citation | last =Popoff
| last =Popoff
| first = Martin
| first = Martin
| author-link =
| author-link =
| last2 =
| first2 =
| author2-link =
| title =The Top 500 Heavy Metal Songs of All Time
| title =The Top 500 Heavy Metal Songs of All Time
| place =
| place =
Line 41: Line 45:
| volume =
| volume =
| pages =192
| pages =192
| url =http://books.google.com/?id=86QALKyWGHQC
| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=86QALKyWGHQC
| doi =
| doi =
| id =
| id =
Line 47: Line 51:


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.the-scorpions.com/english/discography/records/animal_magnetism.asp#THE_ZOO "The Zoo" song lyrics] from [http://www.the-scorpions.com Scorpions' Official Website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090116073029/http://www.the-scorpions.com/english/discography/records/animal_magnetism.asp#THE_ZOO "The Zoo" song lyrics] from [http://www.the-scorpions.com Scorpions' Official Website]


{{Scorpions}}
{{Scorpions}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Zoo}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zoo}}
⚫
[[Category:1980 songs]]
⚫
[[Category:1980 singles]]
[[Category:Scorpions (band) songs]]
[[Category:Scorpions (band) songs]]
[[Category:Songs about New York City]]
[[Category:Songs written by Klaus Meine]]
[[Category:Songs written by Klaus Meine]]
[[Category:Songs written by Rudolf Schenker]]
[[Category:Songs written by Rudolf Schenker]]
[[Category:1980 singles]]
[[Category:EMI Records singles]]
⚫
[[Category:1980 songs]]
[[Category:Harvest Records singles]]
[[Category:Harvest Records singles]]
[[Category:Mercury Records singles]]
[[Category:Mercury Records singles]]
⚫
[[Category:Hard rock songs]]

Latest revision as of 04:58, 4 October 2023

This article is about the Scorpions song. For other songs, see Zoo (disambiguation) § Recordings.
"The Zoo"
Single by Scorpions
from the album Animal Magnetism
ReleasedAugust 1980[1]
RecordedDecember 1979 – February 1980
Genre
Length5:28
LabelHarvest/EMI (Europe)
Mercury (US)
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Dieter Dierks
Scorpions singles chronology
"Lovedrive"
(1979) 		"The Zoo"
(1980) 		"Lady Starlight"
(1980)

"The Zoo" is a song by the German hard rock band Scorpions. It was written by group members Rudolf Schenker (guitar) and Klaus Meine (vocals). The song also features a talk box performed by lead guitarist Matthias Jabs.

Background

[edit]

Schenker wrote much of the 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 humorously referred to as a "zoo".[2] Meine later composed the song's lyrics, which contain references to city streets, especially New York's 42nd Street.

The song has been featured on a few Scorpions "Best-Of" compilations, including Deadly Sting, Bad for Good: The Very Best of Scorpions, the box set Box of Scorpions, and a re-recorded version for the Comeblack album.

It has also been used in the soundtrack of the video game NBA 2K18.

Reception

[edit]

Although the song was released as a single in 1980, it commercially underperformed with limited chart success, peaking at #75 in the UK. Even so, it is a critically acclaimed heavy metal song, one critic noting that "The Zoo" is both "ominously slow and melodically accessible" with a key element being the "Berlin burlesque vocal melody". On this note, it is used by many strippers in their stage act.[2]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 721. ISBN 9780862415419.
  2. ^ a b Popoff, Martin (2002), The Top 500 Heavy Metal Songs of All Time, ECW Press, p. 192, ISBN 1-55022-530-8
[edit]
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