"Tommy the Cat" is a song by the American

funk metal Funk metal (also known as thrash-funk or punk-funk) is a subgenre of funk rock and alternative metal that infuses heavy metal music (often thrash metal) with elements of funk and punk rock. Funk metal was part of the alternative metal movement, ...

band Primus, released on their second album, ''

Sailing the Seas of Cheese ''Sailing the Seas of Cheese'' is the second studio album and major-label debut by the American rock band Primus, released on May 14, 1991. It spawned three singles: "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver", "Tommy the Cat", and "Those Damned Blue-Collar T ...

''.

Recording

The song contains spoken word portions (as the voice of Tommy the Cat) interspersed with the singing of

Les Claypool Leslie Edward Claypool (born September 29, 1963) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, and author. He is best known as the founder, lead singer, bassist, primary songwriter, and only continuous member of the ro ...

. In their live performances Claypool does both parts himself, but singer

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

provided the voice of Tommy the Cat on the studio version from ''Sailing the Seas of Cheese''.

Release

Primus released "Tommy the Cat" following their first major label single, "

Jerry Was a Race Car Driver "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver" is a song by the American funk metal band Primus (band), Primus. It was released as the first single from their 1991 album ''Sailing the Seas of Cheese'' and reached number 23 on the U.S. Alternative Songs chart. The ...

". In concert, Claypool started introducing all of their other songs by saying "This next song is ''not'' Tommy the Cat", apparently due to the popularity the song had gained after a video was released and played on MTV. The song was briefly featured in the 1991 film '' Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey'' during the "Battle of the Bands" portion of the movie, where Primus was shown performing it. The song was also used in the teaser trailers for '' South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut''. A version called " Butters the Cat" was performed by Primus and

Matt Stone Matthew Richard Stone (born May 26, 1971) is an American actor, animator, filmmaker, and composer. He is known for co-creating ''South Park'' (since 1997) and ''The Book of Mormon'' (2011) with his creative partner Trey Parker. Stone was interes ...

at the South Park: 25th Anniversary Concert.

Music video

A black-and-white music video was made featuring live action and animation. Les Claypool is seen as a bartender pouring milk for an elderly man dressed as a cat and a smiling figure. The animation featured a female cat strolling into an alley filled with numerous tomcats while the titular Tommy relays what happened. Interspersed are occasional footage of the band playing the song.

References

{{Primus Songs about cats Experimental rock songs Primus (band) songs 1991 singles 1991 songs Songs written by Les Claypool Songs written by Larry LaLonde Songs written by Tim Alexander Interscope Records singles