Walk The Dinosaur – Was (Not Was) | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning

Chart Performance: Pop (#7) and Hot Dance (#11); 1989

Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne

One of the most inventive “groups” of the 1980’s was Was (Not Was). The masterminds behind Was (Not Was) were two not-Was’: Don “Don Was” Fagenson and David “David Was” Weiss. The Was’ contributed songs while Sweet Pea Atkinson and Sir Harry Bowens handled the vocals.

Guest stars and musicians came and went as needed. Was (Not Was) remained under the mainstream radar from 1981 until the summer of 1987 when Spy In The House Of Love, then Walk The Dinosaur became surprise UK hits.

The U.S. finally caught on in late 1988 by which time the What Up, Dog? album was in the bins. The music was unlike anything else around, from classic soul (Anything Can Happen) to edgy commentary on the Kennedy assassination (11 MPH), interspersed with spoken word playlets, sound effects, and musical interludes.

Then there was Walk The Dinosaur. With its ” Boom boom acka-lacka lacka boom” chant and prehistory-meets-today phantasmagoric lyrics, Dinosaur danced to #9 in 1989.

This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.

Produced by:

  • David Was
  • Don Was

Lyrics Written by:

  • David Was
  • Don Was
  • Randy Jacobs

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Ed Osborne

Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).