Big Scary Animal Explained

Big Scary Animal
Cover:	Belinda-Carlisle-Bigscaryanimal-39639-1-.jpg
Type:	single
Artist:	Belinda Carlisle
Album:	Real
B-Side:	Windows of the World
Length:	4:08
Label:	Virgin
Producer:	Ralph Schuckett
Prev Title:	Little Black Book
Prev Year:	1992
Next Title:	Lay Down Your Arms
Next Year:	1993

"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."^[1] 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."^[2]

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^[3]
• Japanese mini-CD single^[4]

1. "It's Too Real (Big Scary Animal)" – 4:08
2. "Windows of the World" – 3:26

• Non-US 7-inch and cassette single^{[5] [6] [7]}
• European CD single^[8]

1. "Big Scary Animal"
2. "Windows of the World"

• UK CD single^[9]

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^[10]

1. "Big Scary Animal"
2. "Windows of the World"
3. "Change" (8 track demo)

Charts

Chart (1993)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)^[11]	56
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[12]	40
Europe (European Hit Radio)^[13]	15
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)^[14]	26
UK Airplay (Music Week)^[15]	7

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)
United Kingdom	September 13, 1993			^[16]
Japan	October 20, 1993	Mini-CD		^[17]

Notes and References

1. Market Preview: Mainstream – Singles. Jones. Alan. Music Week. September 18, 1993. 16. February 1, 2023.
2. Push . 25 September 1993 . Singles . . 31.
3. It's Too Real (Big Scary Animal). Belinda Carlisle. 1993. US cassette single sleeve. Virgin Records. 4KM-38402.
4. Big Scary Animal. Belinda Carlisle. 1993. Japanese mini-CD single liner notes. Virgin Records, Offside Records. VJDP-10211.
5. Big Scary Animal. Belinda Carlisle. 1993. UK 7-inch single sleeve. Virgin Records, Offside Records. VS 1472, 7243 8 92103 7 8.
6. Big Scary Animal. Belinda Carlisle. 1993. UK cassette single sleeve. Virgin Records, Offside Records. VSC 1472.
7. Big Scary Animal. Belinda Carlisle. 1993. Australian cassette single sleeve. Virgin Records, Offside Records. 8921034.
8. Big Scary Animal. Belinda Carlisle. 1993. European CD single liner notes. Virgin Records, Offside Records. VSCDE 1472, 7243 8 92119 2 4.
9. Big Scary Animal. Belinda Carlisle. 1993. UK CD single liner notes. Virgin Records, Offside Records. VSCDX 1472.
10. Big Scary Animal. Belinda Carlisle. 1993. European maxi-CD & Australian CD single liner notes. Virgin Records, Offside Records. VSCDT 1472, 7243 8 92103 23.
11. Web site: The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 06 Feb 1994. ARIA. February 22, 2016.
12. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 10. 41. October 9, 1993. 15. October 18, 2020.
13. EHR Top 40. Music & Media. 10. 42. October 16, 1993. 30. April 10, 2024.
14. News: Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (4.–10. nóv.). Dagblaðið Vísir. is. 20. November 4, 1993. September 30, 2019.
15. The Airplay Chart. Music Week. October 9, 1993. 34. May 2, 2024.
16. Single Releases. Music Week. 23. September 11, 1993. November 9, 2022.
17. Web site: イッツ・トゥー・リアル ベリンダ・カーライル. It's Too Real Belinda Carlisle. Oricon. ja. November 21, 2023.