Fire Dog's "Hellbender" and other Endangered Species songs on NatGeo

      Inspired by a NatGeo story by Jane J. Lee, U.S. Giant Salamander's Slipping Away: Inside the Plight of the Hellbender, Mark Pagano, songwriter and guitarist for the St. Louis band Fire Dog, sent NG a catchy tune about the hellbender that he'd written and the band performed. Check it out in Ode to the Giant Salamander and Other Songs Inspired by Nature on NatGeo.
     Having grown up in the 70's and being used to songs with socio-political bents like Marvin Gaye's environmental commentary Mercy Mercy Me and Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi, I thought Hellbender was especially fabulous. It may be that I'm out of touch with pop music but I don't hear tons of cause songs anymore; heck even in the 90's there was Crystal Waters Gypsy Music (She's Homeless), though TheCelebrityCafe.com has this list of environmental songs, the latest of which is Ray LaMongtagne's All the Wild Horses (2005).
     When I talked to Pagano about Hellbender one thing we discussed was other songs about endangered species andhow few there are. He's considering more songs on the subject and hopefully other artists will, too. Animals don't know jack about branding: someone has to give them the free PR.