27 Best Songs About The Jungle

“Jungle Fever” by Stevie Wonder

Song Year: 1991

“Jungle Fever” is, first and foremost, a love song. Like many of the songs about jungles discussed here, the idea of ‘jungle fever’ describes an unconventional lifestyle.

Here, it’s a mixed-race relationship that comes under scrutiny. Wonder writes movingly about the struggles the couple faces. But none of this adversity diminishes their ‘jungle fever’ or love for one another.

“Bungle in the Jungle” by Jethro Tull

Song Year: 1974

Incredibly, there’s more than one concrete jungle on this list. Jethro Tull juxtaposes a variety of images, not least city life with that of a concrete jungle. But he also sets up contrasts between solace-craving introverts and city-dwellers. In particular, he compares those introverts to kittens and monkeys.

Tull also contrasts the order of daylight with a bustling nightlife.

It’s a sensational song that rightly received acclaim following its release.

“Ruff in the Jungle Bizness” by Prodigy

Song Year: 1992

The Prodigy’s “Ruff in the Jungle” is a song about jungles that immerses the listener in jungle sounds.

The rhythm and lyrics combine to recreate the jungle. As the song escalates, it encourages listeners to feel the jungle pulse of the song. It’s not hard to do. The clever orchestration and rhythmic arrangement bring the jungle into your living room.

“Jungle Beat” by George Burns

Song Year: 1967

No list of songs about jungles would be complete without mentioning George Burns' musical score for The Jungle Book.

Based on Rudyard Kipling's book of the same title, the music tells the story of Mowgli, raised by animals in the heart of the jungle.

Burns' score is appropriately lush, wild, and evocative, and Jungle Beat is an excellent example.

“I Wanna Be Like You” by Louis Prima and Phil Harris

Song Year: 1967

Sometimes called “The Monkey Song,” this is another example of Burns' work on The Jungle Book.

Here composer and lyricists Richard and Robert Sheerman playfully explore the concept of “monkey see, monkey do.”

As the song progresses, Mowgli increasingly apes the behavior of the jungle animals around him. It’s fun, it’s playful, and it’s a perennial favorite with kids.

“Jungle Night” by Kiki and Kika

Song Year: 2021

In “Jungle Night,” the speaker and friends want to experience the jungle. But it’s not a song about the jungle in a literal sense.

Instead, it’s about having a good time. As the speaker grows more confident and loose-limbed, their dancing becomes wilder. It creates a sense of being in the jungle and behaving with the unembarrassed nature associated with animals.

In this song, jungle nights are for dancing, and once they get going, the people have as much fun regressing to a more animalistic state as Mowgli ever did.

“Jungle Boogie” by Kool and the Gang

Song Year: 1973

“ungle Boogie” is an example of a funk song about jungles.

Kool and the Gang wrote the song in 1973 and released it on their album, Wild and Peaceful.

It was such a success that many other artists performed versions of the song. It also became an integral part of several feature films, most notably Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction.

It combines several jungle-adjacent themes discussed in other songs on this list. Notably, when “Jungle Boogie” talks about “getting down,” no one is dancing. They’re taking cover.

It’s a powerful portrayal of urban life and the social disparities it creates.

“Jungle Song” by Aqua

Song Year: 1998

Aqua’s “Jungle Song” is a playful and exuberant song designed to get you dancing.

It’s fast-paced and upbeat, and it also quickly becomes absurd if you pay too much attention to the lyrics. It whimsically recapitulates the love story of Tarzan and Jane.

Throughout the song, it intersperses references to jungle animals like monkeys and elephants. And it neatly sidesteps the more explicit side of the romantic relationship by reducing it to so many nonsense words like “funky.”

“Watermelon Man” by Herbie Hancock

Song Year: 1962

Herbie Hancock’s “Watermelon Man” isn’t as obviously a song about jungles as others on this list.

Indeed, Hancock is best known for the score he wrote for the film Blow Up.

Hancock wrote “Watermelon Man” during a time of creative difficulty. He was experimenting with different jazz styles, and the experiment culminated in the wild and wonderful “Watermelon man.”

Intentionally or not, it creates a spectacular sense of the jungle. It’s full of strange and wonderful animal sounds. It’s also a masterclass in how varied and complex jazz harmony can be.

Musically speaking, it’s as wild and wonderful as any jungle.

“Jungle Hop” by The Cramps

Song Year: 1981

 “Jungle Hop” is another song about the jungle designed to get you dancing.

It’s a fast-moving song that starts by transporting listeners to Africa, where everyone plans to dance through the night.

As the song progresses, it mentions animals, like the giraffe. But it also quickly becomes apparent the raucous dancers want to do more than dance.