Walk the Dinosaur

"Walk the Dinosaur" is a song by Was (Not Was), released in 1987, from their album, What Up, Dog?.

"Walk the Dinosaur"
Single by Was (Not Was)
from the album What Up, Dog?
Released1987
GenreFunk[1]
Length4:22
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • David Was
  • Don Was
  • Randy Jacobs
Producer(s)
  • David Was
  • Don Was
Was (Not Was) singles chronology
"Spy in the House of Love"
(1987)		 "Walk the Dinosaur"
(1987)		 "The Boy's Gone Crazy"
(1987)

Song info

The song features a tight, funky sound, punctuated by horns and a cowbell.

When released in the UK in 1987, the song reached No. 10 on the singles chart, becoming the group's first UK top 10 hit. The music video featured four scantily clad 'cavewomen' dancing to the song while a Flintstones style TV played clips from Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur. Modern people danced to the song in the "Everybody walk the dinosaur" part. The video received heavy rotation on MTV. The song reached No. 7 on the US chart in 1989, two years after its UK success. The song became the band's biggest hit single in their home country.

According to an interview with co-writer Randy Jacobs, it "was an infectious sing-along with a Flintstonesque video that probably got played on MTV way too much. But even that seemingly good-time anthem had a dark side. [...] The song’s about nuclear Armageddon. It became a dance (anthem) because of the video. They connected it with the girls in the little Pebbles and Bam-Bam outfits. All the sudden it became, like, 'do the mashed potato' or 'the twist.'"[2]

Chart performance

"Walk the Dinosaur" appeared on the soundtrack of the 1994 film The Flintstones.[21] A remade version, performed by George Clinton, also appeared a previous year on the Super Mario Bros. soundtrack in 1993.[22]

References
  1. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. p. 3810. [Was (Not Was)] international breakthrough came several years later with the sublime funk of the US/UK Top 10 hit 'Walk The Dinosaur'.
  2. Bowe, Brian J. (December 29, 2004). "Out come the freaks". Metro Times. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  3. "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  4. "Ultratop.be – Was (Not Was) – Walk The Dinosaur" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  5. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6330." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  6. "30 Retail Singles". RPM. Vol. 50 no. 2. Library and Archives Canada. May 8, 1989. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  7. "European Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4 no. 45. November 14, 1987. p. 15. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  8. "Lescharts.com – Was (Not Was) – Walk The Dinosaur" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  9. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Walk the Dinosaur". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  10. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Was (Not Was) - Walk The Dinosaur" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  11. "Dutchcharts.nl – Was (Not Was) – Walk The Dinosaur" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  12. "Charts.nz – Was (Not Was) – Walk The Dinosaur". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  13. "Norwegiancharts.com – Was (Not Was) – Walk The Dinosaur". VG-lista. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  14. "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (W)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  15. "Swisscharts.com – Was (Not Was) – Walk The Dinosaur". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  16. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  17. "What Up Dog – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  18. "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending APRIL 1, 1989". Cash Box. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012.
  19. "Offiziellecharts.de – Was (Not Was) – Walk The Dinosaur". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  20. "Top Singles". RPM. Vol. 51 no. 8. Library and Archives Canada. December 23, 1989. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  21. Demalon, Tom. "Original Soundtrack – The Flintstones [Original Soundtrack]". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  22. Greenberg, Adam. "Original Soundtrack – Super Mario Brothers". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
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