Warren Zevon’s classic “Werewolves of London” is a comedic rock song about a werewolf wandering the streets of London, eating Chinese food, hanging out at cocktail bars, and occasionally mutilating people.
Below is a section-by-section interpretation of the lyrics in “Werewolves of London.”
- Song: Werewolves of London
- Artist: Warren Zevon
- Songwriters: Warren Zevon, LeRoy Marinell, Waddy Wachtel
- Released: 1978
- Album: Excitable Boy
- Genre: Rock, Comedy rock, Pop
What Is “Werewolves of London” About?
Verse 1: A Werewolf With a Chinese Menu
I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand
Walking through the streets of Soho in the rain
A creature from horror mythology is strolling through one of London’s most famous neighborhoods.
He’s just looking for takeout at this point rather than hunting or causing any other type of chaos.
To make this image a bit clearer, Soho at the time this song was written was London’s red-light district, full of sex shops and strip clubs.
He was looking for the place called Lee Ho Fook’s
Gonna get a big dish of beef chow mein
Lee Ho Fook was a real Cantonese restaurant in London’s Chinatown.
He’s currently not a terrifying monster lurking in the shadows. He’s just hungry for some Chinese food.
Chorus: The Howl
Ah-hoo, werewolves of London
Ah-hoo
Co-writer Waddy Wachtel came up with the howl on the spot the day they wrote the song, mimicking what a werewolf song would sound like.
Verse 2: He’s in Your Neighborhood
You hear him howling around your kitchen door
You better not let him in
This warning is delivered like actual advice.
It’s the kind of thing you’d say about a dangerous stray dog rather than a supernatural predator.
Little old lady got mutilated late last night
Werewolves of London again
This would obviously be horrible if it were actually happening, but the casualness of “again” makes it humorous.
This is just a thing that keeps happening in this neighborhood. Someone got mutilated. Werewolves of London, again.
Verse 3: A Well-Dressed Danger
He’s the hairy-handed gent who ran amok in Kent
Lately, he’s been overheard in Mayfair
He’s been busy.
Kent is the countryside southeast of London, and Mayfair is one of the city’s wealthiest districts.
“Overheard in Mayfair” is a funny choice of words. Not spotted or seen, but overheard, like he’s a wealthy socialite being gossiped about at a dinner party.
You better stay away from him
He’ll rip your lungs out, Jim
Nobody in the song is named Jim. It’s just the name that fits the rhyme.
The violence is mentioned with the same casual energy as the previous verses.
I’d like to meet his tailor
Werewolves tear their clothes when they transform, so having a good tailor would definitely matter to them.
Zevon pivots from a lung-ripping threat straight to admiring the monster’s wardrobe. He’s horrifying, sure, but he’s also impeccably dressed.
Verse 4: Famous Faces
Well, I saw Lon Chaney walking with the queen
Doing the werewolves of London
Lon Chaney Sr. was one of Hollywood’s most famous horror actors from the silent film era.
Spotting him strolling alongside the Queen of England, doing some kind of werewolf dance, puts the song fully into absurdist territory.
This was originally meant to be a dance song, so it makes sense that they included his bit in here.
I saw Lon Chaney, Jr. walking with the queen
Doing the werewolves of London
Lon Chaney Jr. played the Wolf Man in multiple Universal horror films starting in 1941.
Now both of them are walking with the Queen. The werewolves of London have become a social phenomenon, apparently.
I saw a werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic’s
And his hair was perfect
Trader Vic’s was an upscale tiki bar in the London Hilton on Park Lane, right in Mayfair. He’s upgraded from beef chow mein to tropical cocktails at a hotel bar.
“And his hair was perfect” is the punchline to everything. After all the mutilating and lung-ripping, what gets remembered is that he looked great.
“Werewolves of London” Song Meaning: A Monster With Perfect Hair
The joke running through “Werewolves of London” is that the werewolf is both genuinely terrifying and completely put together. He dines at restaurants, drinks at upscale bars, moves between London’s neighborhoods, and mutilates people, all while maintaining flawless grooming.
There’s also a subtle class angle in the song. He starts in Soho and Chinatown, runs amok in rural Kent, and ends up in Mayfair drinking cocktails. He moves through every level of London society, and he looks good doing it. The message seems to be that someone with enough style can get away with almost anything.
Jackson Browne described the song as being about “a really well-dressed ladies’ man, a werewolf preying on little old ladies.” Sounds about right.
Songs Like “Werewolves of London”
Here are some songs with similar themes:
1. “Monster Mash” by Bobby “Boris” Pickett
This classic novelty tune is about a mad scientist whose monster throws a Halloween party that turns into a dance craze.
Related: Best Halloween Songs
2. “Godzilla” by Blue Öyster Cult
This 1977 hard rock track describes a city-leveling monster with the same matter-of-fact tone as “Werewolves of London.”
3. “Thriller” by Michael Jackson
MJ’s 1982 hit is a horror dance track told from the perspective of someone trapped in a nightmare they can’t escape.
Final Thoughts
No one would call “Werewolves of London” a deep song, and it doesn’t totally make sense, but it’s definitely one of the catchiest of the late ’70s, and it was by far Warren Zevon’s biggest hit. He originally did not want the song released, but I, for one, am glad the record label went against his wishes.
Check out more 1970s Song Meanings!
