Sunday is the Big Game! Of course, that’s what all these not-affiliated-with-the-National-Footbal-League commercials say the term “Super Bowl” is apparently copyrighted, and certain ad-execs haven’t figured out you can just call it by it’s full name “The Super Bowl of Football” and be fine. But whatever, there’s something much fluffier happening that’s become a beloved American tradition for a baker’s dozen years. That’s right, Puppy Bowl XIII is scampering right around the corner to delight absolutely everyone who has warmth in their heart.
Being that, as we speak, you’re hurrying to get everything in place for your Puppy Bowl party, we decided to drop a few treats in your bowl and assist with picking out the right tunes for all that unnecessary ruff-ruff-roughness. Here’s our Puppy Bowl Playlist.
George Clinton – “Atomic Dog”
Of course you knew this track was going to be on here, so let’s jump out the gate with it. You’ve heard it sampled countless times and plastered all over the ad-campaigns for any movies involving a dog that don’t involve a promise. So now that it’s been completely mainstreamed in ubiquity, let’s pull back and examine what a peculiar song and video this truly was for 1982. Clinton’s digital funk fits with how we’ve immortalize 1982 perfectly, and that moment age of ever-evolving digital entertainment lent itself to a video treatment perfectly. Breakdancing in a post-apocalyptic anthropomorphized video arcade interspersed with animation is pretty spot on. With MTV only being a year old at the time, imagine pitching this concept and seeing it through to fruition.
Harry Nilsson – “The Puppy Song”
You know how at sporting events sometimes they play that safe family friendly music before the hot gridiron action? Well, that’s perfect for what “The Puppy Song” is for, sort of a palate cleaners to remind you guests that puppies are nice and all are great before we celebrate the peak of puppy achievement.
DMX – “Get At Me Dog”
Can you imagine how DMX would sound in a world without dogs? The barking, growling and frequent use of the word “dog” are some of the best parts of his catalog! If you’re inviting people who are on the fence about the Puppy Bowl, just start blasting this or threaten them with putting them in a kennel. They’ll come over and get at you for sure!
The Stooges – “I Wanna Be Your Dog”
Don’t get it twisted. This is a competition. All these dogs are vying for the chance to be pUPPY Bowl MVP, immortalized among the greats like Cara and Fitz. All these dogs want to be your dog, and as adorable as they are, seeing all the four-legged friction set to The Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog.”
MC Esoteric – “Back to the Lab”
Boston rapper Esoteric has had quite the fascinating underground career trajectory. From breakthough through with the Transformers-sampling “Be Alert” through today where he’s one-third of CZARFACE with fellow Bostonite 7L and Wu-Tang Clan’s Inspektah Deck, he’s covered a lot of ground in two decades. One of his most heartfelt moments was 2009’s “Back to the Lab,” a song about his real life love for his Labrador Retriever. Finding a clever new use for the Rakim “back to the lab” soundbite, it’s one of the most touching tracks about man’s best friend ever recorded. A great track to play to close the night to remind us how special each of those pups we’re seeing play truly are.
