The Song That Shouldn't Have Worked
By 1978, the radio was dominated by slick disco, earnest singer-songwriters, and bombastic arena rock. A song about a well-dressed, hair-perfect lycanthrope ordering a big dish of beef chow mein didn't exactly fit the format. "Werewolves of London" was,
by any measure, a bizarre proposition for a hit single. It was built on a simple, repeating piano riff and punctuated by a chorus of howls. The lyrics were a masterclass in Zevon's signature sardonic storytelling, painting a picture of a dapper ghoul running amok in Kent and charming the Queen. Zevon himself considered it a novelty song. His label, Asylum Records, initially agreed, finding it too strange and silly for a mainstream audience that was just getting to know the artist primarily through Linda Ronstadt's covers of his more earnest work like "Poor Poor Pitiful Me."
A Joke Between Rock Royalty
The song's origin story is as quirky as its lyrics. In 1975, Zevon was working with the Everly Brothers. After watching the 1935 horror film "Werewolf of London," Phil Everly jokingly suggested Zevon write a song with that title and turn it into a dance craze. Zevon, along with his friends and collaborators Waddy Wachtel and LeRoy Marinell, took on the challenge. In about 15 minutes, they hammered out the core of the song, trading lines and laughing the whole time. Wachtel kicked things off with a howl, Zevon came up with the iconic opening line about a werewolf with a Chinese menu, and his then-wife, Crystal, wrote it all down. They all thought it was a goofy throwaway, a fun exercise not to be taken seriously.
The Reluctant Artist and the Insistent Label
Ironically, given the headline's premise, the story is a little more complicated. While Zevon and his producer Jackson Browne were hesitant about the song, the label eventually pushed for its release. Browne, a key champion of Zevon's career, had been performing the song in his own sets to build buzz for his friend. But when it came time to record Zevon's self-titled 1976 album, Browne and Zevon left "Werewolves" off, believing it was crucial to first establish his credentials with darker, more complex songs. For the 1978 follow-up, "Excitable Boy," the song was finally recorded, but it was a grueling process. They struggled to find the right rhythm section, finally landing on the powerhouse duo of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie of Fleetwood Mac, who gave the track its signature loping groove. Even then, Zevon objected when Asylum Records picked it as the lead single; he preferred tracks like "Johnny Strikes Up the Band." He and Wachtel felt almost insulted that the label would choose their "dumb song" over more serious work.
An Unlikely, Enduring Smash
The label, in this case, knew best. "Werewolves of London" became an instant, if unlikely, hit. It rocketed to number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Zevon's one and only Top 40 single in his long and critically acclaimed career. It introduced his singular, cynical worldview to a mass audience that might have otherwise missed it. The song became his calling card, a track he was forever associated with—for better or worse. While he sometimes expressed ambivalence about being known for a novelty hit, he also acknowledged its importance. Its use in the 1986 film "The Color of Money" gave it a second life and solidified its place in pop culture. The song that started as a joke, took years to record, and was resisted by its own creator became the perfect, ironic monument to an artist who never fit neatly into any category.
