Cicada Mania

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March 22, 2016

Some Songs About Cicadas

Filed under: Music | Pop Culture — Dan @ 1:26 am

Everyone knows cicadas love to sing (the males) or be serenaded (the females).

A lot of people like to write songs inspired by cicadas. If you search online music stores or YouTube, you’ll find hundreds of songs about cicadas, in every genre imaginable including rap, country, rock, folk, dance, parody, classical and experimental.

Here are some cicada songs:

The Cicada Song by CincyPolly

Genre: Rock.

Cicada Serenade by The Pheromones

Genre: 1980s Rap.

Cicada By Hannah Gansen

Laura Imbruglia sings her song Cicada on a talk show for teens (YouTube Link):

(You might want to skip ahead 20 seconds to when the music starts.)

Here’s one of my favorite bands, Southern Culture on the Skids peforming their song Cicada Rock (YouTube link):

CICADA Song – SICKA CICADAS by Kathy Ashworth:

Not quite a song, but still very much an audio performance about cicadas: Tessa Farmer and David Rothenberg perform Magicicada in Dublin (YouTube Link):

Do you have a favorite cicada song? Let us know in the comments!

Bonus: Another cicada song send by a reader:

CICADA by Liam Titcomb (YouTube link):

And more:

Seventeen Years (a cicada love song) – Lloyd H. Miller (YouTube Link):

Baby Bug by Samm Bennett:

“Seventeen Years” by Jen Schaffer and the Shiners:

I Ate A Cicada Today:

Periodic Cicadas by Dr. Chordate:

No video for this song, but Dr Chordate wrote a song called Periodic Cicadas.

11 Comments »

  1. Christina says:

    Best cicada song is by group Junior Pez “Living With These Damned Locusts “ Unfortunately it is nearly impossible to locate. Wish I could provide a link.

    1. Dan says:

      Thank you for the tip!

    2. Dan says:

      Sound a story that mentions the song https://susanjenningslantz.medium.com/living-with-these-damned-locusts-bcd546d744df being played in the West Virginia area in 1999 (Brood V). I wonder if it was a regional thing.

  2. Jack N South says:

    In 1987.. there was a parody song.. to Jody Watley’s “looking for a new love”.. about the cicadas..called “looking for new BUG”. ANd the “Artist was “Jodi SWATLEY”. Anyone else..rememebr this ? Think it played on local stations in this area..

  3. Anne says:

    Ben and Brian in WMZQ wrote red eyed cicada to the tune of red neck woman. Anyone know where I can find it?

  4. Webmezzo says:

    Not mine, but was done here locally using a pizza joint jingle as the tune…

    “Snappy Cicada Pizza”
    https://youtu.be/YfEVAABIpAQ

  5. Diane Nahallage says:

    Here’s a link to my Cicada song called “Five Million Cicadas.” Please feel free to add it to your website. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKsS42EGWM4

  6. Bill Walter says:

    There used to be one on the radio 17 years ago to the tune of livin lavida loca called livin with those damn locusts. Wish I could find it- it was great!

  7. Jen Schaffer says:

    Great list! I wrote and recorded a song called “Seventeen Years” sampling the song of the Magicicada in the tune! The lyric references the cicada… “Waiting to emerge, a cicada from the ground, lost but then you’re found amongst the decomposed debris. First you die then you are reborn amongst the trees and after 17 long years you have finally broken free..” While the song is an allegory for cycles in human’s lives, it was sourced not only from a teen mother I represented in Athens, Ohio as a public defender back in the 90s but also the 17 year emergence that occurred in Athens in 1999 when my daughter was born! Here’s the link – a noteable song to add to your list 🙂 Cheers, Jen

    “Seventeen Years” by Jen Schaffer and the Shiners.
    http://youtu.be/0oBVfOEijzw

    1. Dan says:

      Thanks! I’ve added it to the page.

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