Top 10 Super Furry Animals Songs

Photo: Jim Ellis/Ochr 1/Antena, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Our top 10 Super Furry Animals introduce us to a rock band considered part of the renaissance of 1990 Welsh music. The band was formed in Cardiff in 1993, with its members previously featured in other bands. While the band is best known for its impact on rock music, Super Furry Animals original members toured France as a techno ensemble. In 1995, the band released its debut EP after signing with the Ankst label. Little musicians have entered the Guinness Book of Records. However, the band’s debut EP might just have made Super Furry Animals quite famous at its time, having it possess the longest-ever title awarding the band a listing on the Guinness Book of Records.

The band released a second EP, Moog Droog, in 1995, named after a synth manufacturer and the Nadsat term for friend. After several performances in London in late 1995, Super Furry Animals would get the attention of Alan McGee of Creation Records. The record label had recently achieved commercial success with Oasis and home to My Bloody Valentine, Teenage Fanclub, and Primal Scream. Super Furry Animals would face one of their greatest setbacks, being criticized for singing in English rather than Welsh due to their deep Welsh accent. However, the band felt like this was still the way to go to have them broaden their reach and fanbase. The band went on hiatus in 2010, with the members expected to reconvene after working on the various projects they had. While the band might have reunited, Super Furry Animals would go on hiatus again, with Pryce, Leuan, and Ciaran forming Das Koolies without Rhys. Here are the top 10 Super Furry Animals songs from the band’s nine studio albums, with their last release being in 2009.

#10 – It’s Not the End of the World

Ushering us to the top 10 Super Furry Animals songs is the ballad “It’s Not the End of the World.” The song is featured as the last single in the band’s album Rings Around the World. According to the band’s vocalist Rhys, the song’s lyrics allude to the extinction of mankind and also a romantic ballad about aging. The song’s video went on to win the special jury prize at the 2002 Imagina Festival. “It’s Not the End of the World” peaked at number thirty on the UK Singles Chart.

#9- Northern Lites

“Northern Lites” is one of the best Super Furry Animals songs from the band’s album Guerrilla. Vocalist Rhys was inspired to write the song after inspiration by the El Nino phenomenon. Specifically, the song’s title refers to the Aurora Borealis, a natural light display Super Furry Animals were convinced they had seen before the song was penned down. In this song, Super Furry Animals supplemented a dash of Caribbean calypso, brass, and steel drums, adding to the song’s catchy vibe. The song peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart.

#8- God! Show Me Magic

When stuck in what you cannot save yourself from, probably the best thing to say is “God! Show Me Magic.” Super Furry Animals released a song under this title for their 1996 album Fuzzy Logic. The song features a Welsh quote that translates into the Welsh football association motto, “It is better to play together.” “God! Show Me Magic” peaked at number thirty-three on the UK Singles Chart.

#7- Demons

“Demons” is one of the best Super Furry Animals songs from the band’s album Radiator. The band members penned the song, with production involving the band members and producer Gorwel Owen. “Demons” has its video filmed in Colombia, showing humanist scenes of everyday life while the band looks and interacts with the locals at times. The song has been covered by Shy Nobleman but done in Hebrew. “Demons” peaked at number twenty-seven on the UK Singles Chart.

#6- Hello Sunshine

Number six on our top 10 Super Furry Animals songs is the ballad “Hello Sunshine.” The song is featured on the band’s album Phantom Power. “Hello Sunshine” starts with a sample of “By the Sea” by Wendy and Bonnie, ushering in amazing lyrics and awe-inspiring vocals. Vocalist Rhys revealed that the song is a courting ballad that breaks down for the bridge with simple bass, occasional drum rolls, and arpeggio guitar vibes. The song peaked at number thirty-one on the UK Singles Chart.

#5- Something 4 The Weekend

Co-written by the band members, the song “Something 4 The Weekend” is a single from the band’s album Fuzzy Logic. While tons of songs celebrate the upside of drugs and intimacy, “Something 4 The Weekend” might just have outdone most. Thanks to the spine-tingling chorus that the song proves to be the perfect jam to get you hyped up on your weekend. The song peaked at number eighteen on the UK Singles Chart.

#4- Bing Bong

While Super Furry Animals might not have released an album since their 2009 album Dark Days/Light Years, the band managed to release the single “Bing Bong.” The song came after the band returned after a hiatus released as an unofficial anthem for the Welsh football team a time the team was headed for the 2016 Euros. However, the song was initially written by Korki Buchek for Euro 2004. This experimental rock ballad is famed for its tempo changes and easy yet catchy vibes.

#3- Golden Retriever

“Golden Retriever” is one of the best Super Furry Animals songs from the band’s album Phantom Power. Vocalist Gruff Rhys wrote the song with the lyrics alluding to the relationship between his girlfriend’s two dogs. The song is famed for its catchiness as well as glam rock style, having it peak at number thirteen on the UK Singles Chart.

#2- Run-Away

Featured on the band’s album Hey Venus!, “Run-Away” is an autobiographical account of a love affair going wrong for the band’s singer Rhys. The vocalists exclaim in the song’s beginning that the song is a true story that would be better off, not autobiographical. “Run-Away” is a timeless song best known for its killer falsetto chorus and a “tongue-in-cheek” video. The song peaked at number one hundred and twenty on the UK Singles Chart.

#1- Juxtaposed with U

Number one on our top 10 Super Furry Animals songs list is the ballad “Juxtaposed with U.” The song was initially conceived as a duet for Bobby Brian and Brian Harvey, who turned it down. Rhys took on the song, which has its lyrics that echo “Plastic Soul” by David Bowie. “Juxtaposed with U” was inspired by “Ebony and Ivory” by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder, with Marvin Gaye’s work adding some influence to the song. The song peaked at number fourteen on the UK Singles Chart.