Login
Login

Big Scary Animal

{{Short description|1993 single by Belinda Carlisle}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Big Scary Animal

| cover = Belinda-Carlisle-Bigscaryanimal-39639-1-.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Belinda Carlisle

| album = Real

| B-side = Windows of the World

| released = {{start date|1993|9|13}}

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre =

| length = 4:08

| label = Virgin

| writer =

| producer = Ralph Schuckett

| prev_title = Little Black Book

| prev_year = 1992

| next_title = Lay Down Your Arms

| next_year = 1993

| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|UUAMVEZ6qus|"Big Scary Animal"}}}}

}}

"Big Scary Animal" (titled "It's Too Real (Big Scary Animal)" in the United States and Japan) is a song written by American singer-songwriter Belinda Carlisle with Charlotte Caffey and Ralph Schuckett, and produced by Schuckett for Carlisle's fifth studio album, Real (1993). The song was released on September 13, 1993, by Virgin Records, as the album's lead single. The CD single includes two B-sides: "Windows of the World", also from the Real album, and "Change", which is an eight-track demo. "Big Scary Animal" peaked at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart, reached number 26 in Iceland, and became a minor hit in Australia, Canada, and Germany. Three music videos were produced for the song.

Critical reception

Alan Jones from Music Week gave the song four out of five, writing, "Belinda's quirky upfront vocal style suits this acoustically jangling song which cames complete with appropriate jungle motifs via drums and sound effects. Tougher than a lot of her whimsical singles and a promising taster for her Real album."{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1993/Music-Week-1993-09-18-I.pdf|title=Market Preview: Mainstream – Singles|last=Jones|first=Alan|magazine=Music Week|date=September 18, 1993|page=16|access-date=February 1, 2023}} Push, writing for Melody Maker, could hear elements of the J. Geils Band's "Centerfold", Men Without Hats' "The Safety Dance", Adam and the Ants' "Kings of the Wild Frontier" and Dinosaur Jr.'s "Freak Scene" in the track. He felt that such influences would be "a recipe for disaster", but noted the song's catchiness, commenting that "having played this record just the once, I can't stop humming it."{{cite magazine |author=Push |date=September 25, 1993 |title=Singles |magazine=Melody Maker |page=31}}

Music video

There are three versions of the accompanying music video for "Big Scary Animal": the international UK video (directed by French filmmaker Michel Gondry), the director's cut, and US version (directed by Jim Gable).

Track listings

  • US cassette single{{cite AV media notes|title=It's Too Real (Big Scary Animal)|others=Belinda Carlisle|year=1993|type=US cassette single sleeve|publisher=Virgin Records|id=4KM-38402}}
  • Japanese mini-CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=Big Scary Animal|others=Belinda Carlisle|year=1993|type=Japanese mini-CD single liner notes|publisher=Virgin Records, Offside Records|id=VJDP-10211}}
  1. "It's Too Real (Big Scary Animal)" – 4:08
  2. "Windows of the World" – 3:26
  • Non-US 7-inch and cassette single{{cite AV media notes|title=Big Scary Animal|others=Belinda Carlisle|year=1993|type=UK 7-inch single sleeve|publisher=Virgin Records, Offside Records|id=VS 1472, 7243 8 92103 7 8}}{{cite AV media notes|title=Big Scary Animal|others=Belinda Carlisle|year=1993|type=UK cassette single sleeve|publisher=Virgin Records, Offside Records|id=VSC 1472}}{{cite AV media notes|title=Big Scary Animal|others=Belinda Carlisle|year=1993|type=Australian cassette single sleeve|publisher=Virgin Records, Offside Records|id=8921034}}
  • European CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=Big Scary Animal|others=Belinda Carlisle|year=1993|type=European CD single liner notes|publisher=Virgin Records, Offside Records|id=VSCDE 1472, 7243 8 92119 2 4}}
  1. "Big Scary Animal"
  2. "Windows of the World"
  • UK CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=Big Scary Animal|others=Belinda Carlisle|year=1993|type=UK CD single liner notes|publisher=Virgin Records, Offside Records|id=VSCDX 1472}}
  1. "Big Scary Animal"
  2. "Windows of the World"
  3. "Change" (8 track demo)
  4. "Too Much Water" (8 track demo)
  • European maxi-CD and Australian CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=Big Scary Animal|others=Belinda Carlisle|year=1993|type=European maxi-CD & Australian CD single liner notes|publisher=Virgin Records, Offside Records|id=VSCDT 1472, 7243 8 92103 23}}
  1. "Big Scary Animal"
  2. "Windows of the World"
  3. "Change" (8 track demo)

Charts

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

!Chart (1993)

!Peak
position

scope="row"|Australia (ARIA){{cite web|url=http://i.imgur.com/e6XgjQM.jpg|title=The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 06 Feb 1994|publisher=ARIA|access-date=February 22, 2016}}

| 56

{{single chart|Canadatopsingles|70|chartid=2326|rowheader=true|access-date=August 6, 2019}}
scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100){{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1993/MM-1993-10-09.pdf|title=Eurochart Hot 100 Singles|magazine=Music & Media|volume=10|issue=41|date=October 9, 1993|page=15|access-date=October 18, 2020}}

| 40

scope="row"|Europe (European Hit Radio){{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1993/MM-1993-10-16.pdf|title=EHR Top 40|magazine=Music & Media|volume=10|issue=42|date=October 16, 1993|page=30|access-date=April 10, 2024}}

| 15

{{single chart|Germany|63|artist=Belinda Carlisle|song=Big Scary Animal|songid=20841|rowheader=true|access-date=August 6, 2019}}
scope="row"|Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40){{cite news|url=https://timarit.is/page/2619141#page/n1/mode/2up|title=Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (4.–10. nóv.)|newspaper=Dagblaðið Vísir|language=is|page=20|date=November 4, 1993|access-date=September 30, 2019}}

| 26

{{single chart|UK|12|date=19931002|rowheader=true|access-date=August 6, 2019}}
scope="row"|UK Airplay (Music Week){{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1993/Music-Week-1993-10-09.pdf|title=The Airplay Chart|magazine=Music Week|date=October 9, 1993|page=34|access-date=May 2, 2024}}

| 7

Release history

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

!scope="col"|Region

!scope="col"|Date

!scope="col"|Format(s)

!scope="col"|Label(s)

!scope="col"|{{abbr|Ref.|Reference}}

scope="row"|United Kingdom

|September 13, 1993

|{{hlist|7-inch vinyl|CD|cassette}}

|rowspan="2"|{{hlist|Virgin|Offside}}

|{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1993/Music-Week-1993-09-11.pdf|title=Single Releases|magazine=Music Week|page=23|date=September 11, 1993|access-date=November 9, 2022}}

scope="row"|Japan

|October 20, 1993

|Mini-CD

|{{cite web|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/150885/products/298553/1/|title=イッツ・トゥー・リアル {{!}} ベリンダ・カーライル|trans-title=It's Too Real {{!}} Belinda Carlisle|publisher=Oricon|language=ja|access-date=November 21, 2023}}

References

{{Reflist}}

{{Belinda Carlisle}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1993 singles

Category:1993 songs

Category:Belinda Carlisle songs

Category:Songs written by Belinda Carlisle

Category:Songs written by Charlotte Caffey

Category:Songs written by Ralph Schuckett

Category:Virgin Records singles