I haven't found any essays on the depictions of muskrat in songs and music, but I figure any song with "muskrat" in the title must reflect the songwriter's view of the creature.

You'll see I've included many links to sites that sell recordings.  Since my site is called "Everything Muskrat", viewers may be looking for a particular version of Louis Armstrong's "Muskrat Ramble" or something.

Other than "Muskrat Love", I know very little about these selections.  There are several songs simply titled "Muskrat".  "Muskrat Rumble" may be a mispronunciation of "Muscat Ramble", but people may come here looking for it under "muskrat", so I list it here.

"Muskrat"

"Muskrat" is a selection on Animal Folk Songs For Children (performed by Mike, Peggy and Penny Seeger) CD at Tunes Network, Inc.  I found the sample of the song "Muskrat" is available from their Cross-Eyed Gopher link (it follows the sample of "Cross-Eyed Gopher") and is playable with the RealPlayer audio plug-in from RealNetworks, Inc.

A search for muskrat at the Tunes Network found other songs titled "Muskrat":  from the Everly Brothers' Walk Right Back and Golden Hits albums. It also found Bobby Byrne's Muskrat Ramble.

"Muskrat" appears on Heartaches and Harmony, Everly Bros. (4 CD box set) according to Cadence Related Albums at Both Sides Now Publications.

The Muskrats' album "Young and Restless" also features the same song "Muskrat" as the Everly Brothers' above.  It's featured on Nervous Records & Music Publishing - CD booklet gallery three; home page Nervous Records for Rockabilly and Psychobilly.  Thanks to Steve "muskrat" Nemeth for pointing this out.  Steve also told me that "Muskrat" was done by Shakin Pyramids on Virgin Records 1981 [but I don't find any reference to that on the web right now 2000-Jun-04 12:08 ET].

"Muskrat" tablature (as played by Sherman Hammons) with lyrics is available from Dwight Diller: Tablature, Dwight Diller - Clawhammer Banjo Instructor.

"Muskrat" is mentioned a couple of times in Wilko Johnson: Newsletter No.1 Feb.97 from Official Dr. Feelgood Website.

"Muskrat", "Muskrat Ramble", and "Muskrat Sally Ann" appear on Folk Music Index - Mul to My Cz from Folk Music Index to Recordings.

"Muskrat" with Doc Watson as principle performer appears on Traditional Music at Newport, 1964, Part 1 (Vanguard VSD 79182, 1965) and Essential Doc Watson (Vanguard VCD 45/46, 1986), according to Folk Music Performer Index - Wars to Wats, from Folk Music Index to Recordings.

Sarah Zupko, PopMatters Music Editor, wrote a music review of three of Doc Watson's albums, including The Best of Doc Watson, which includes "Muskrat".

"Muskrat Candlelight"/"Muskrat Love"

"Original Muskrat Love" by Mark Feldman is a favorable review of Willis Alan Ramsey's album Eponymous (which contains "Muskrat Candlelight").  From Music-Critic.com.

The 2000-Dec-08 Austin Chronicle contains a Record View by Christopher Hess of America's album Highway: 30 Years of America; it includes "Musrkat Love". Hess's review is not very favorable.

The UCLA Music Library's Carol Burnett Collection -_M has sheet music for "Muskrat Love" by  Ramsey, published by Wishbone Music.  Hosted by UCLA Library.

Album Tracks: Honored - Volume 1 tells us that "Muskrat Love" was originally written and  released as "Muskrat Candlelight" along with some other historical information about the song and Album Tracks: Honored - Volume 2 give some more historical tidbits.  Chords: Muskrat Love and Lyrics: Muskrat Love give chords and lyrics to the song.  From  America Fans Home Page.

The page Muskrat Love - Willis Allan Ramsey has the words to "Muskrat Love"; off of the home page of Gunther W. Anderson.

America - Lyric - Muskrat Love also has the words to "Muskrat Love"; from Sing365.com.

DT's Today in All Kinds Of History November 20th tells us that on 1976-Nov-20, "Muskrat Love" by Captain and Tennille peaked at number four on the pop singles chart.  Also, Big Daddy parodied that into "Hamster Love".  From David Tanny's page Dave's Today in History/Celebrity Birthday Datebooks.

1976 Singles - Month By Month shows "Muskrat Love" by Captain & Tennille as #4 during September 1976.  Home page: Super Seventies RockSite!

"Muskrat Love" is on the album Zoobilation: A Musical Celebration of Animals.  There is also an associated coloring book (but I don't know if it has a picture of a muskrat in it or not).  Reviews of the album are found at Review of Spirit - Zoobilation from RARB: The Recorded A Cappella Review Board.

"Muskrat Love" in included in the "America's Greatest Hits", a 60-page music book with music arranged for piano, vocal, and guitar.  From SuperDuperMusic.com. 

"Muskrat Love" is also available on Piano Sheet Music - America's Greatest Hits (Piano/Vocal/Guitar - Piano) and Guitar Music Book - The New Best Of America (Easy Tab Deluxe - Guitar) from Encore Music Company.

"Muskrat Love" in MIDI file format is available on Oldies Song Lists Alphabetical by Title: MO-MU from NativeFlair.com and (in my humble opinion, the best of the bunch) from Boone's Midi Page.

Words to "Muskrat Love" by Captain & Tennille are available off of Exitos del Top 40 de la letra M (Top 40 Hits Beginning With the Letter M) from Letra de Canciones en Inglés, Cosas Interesantes.

A search for "muskrat" at cdkaraoke.com yielded "Muskrat Love" by both America and Captain & Tennille.

A search for "muskrat" at KARAOKE.com found three instances of "Muskrat Love" all by Captain & Tennille.

"Muskrat, Oh Muskrat"

"Muskrat, Oh Muskrat" appears on Doug Elliott's Bullfrogs on Your Mind and (according to a page that is no longer available) in his 64-page Crawdads, Doodlebugs & Creasy Greens Songbook.  See Nature lore,animal stories & tales by Doug Elliott From Native Ground Music.

"Muskrat Rag"

Deep Creek Folk Music has a page KROS Sunday Parlor 04/02/00 Playlist that lists Old Time Music of West Virginia (County CO-CD-3518), Jarvis & Justice, "Muskrat Rag".

"Muskrat Ramble"

Muskrat Ramble gives "Some clues on the popular number 'Muskrat (aka Muscat) Ramble'" and tells why there is confusion over whether the name is "Muskrat Ramble" or "Muscat Ramble".  From Froggy's New Orleans Jazz & Mardi Gras.

Cam Miller tells us in a Music column for the week of March 31 - April 6, 2000, in the North County Times, that Kid Ory " ... would play ["Muskrat Ramble"] at the drop of an eighth note".

The UCLA Music Library's Carol Burnett Collection - M has sheet music (two copies) for "Muskrat Ramble" by Gilbert/Ory, published by George Simon, Inc. Hosted by UCLA Library.

At Boulder Early Music Shop, a search for muskrat within "Sheet Music" yields "Gilbert, Ray and Edward 'Kit' Ory" as composers of "Muskrat Ramble".

"Muskrat Ramble" is listed in 1926, the beginning of the "Golden Era of Jazz Recording" on Melody Lane Hit Songs from 1840 to 1960.

"Muskrat Ramble" appears on Firehouse Five Plus Two's At Disneyland and 16 Dixieland Favorites albums at Fantasy, Inc.'s collection of jazz.

"Muskrat Ramble", performed by various artists, is often offered for sale and/or auction by AllJazz, LLC, as evidenced by their page Featured Items.

"Muskrat Ramble" performed by various artists on cassette tape and/or compact diskette was available on the Classic Instrumental Music CDs and Cassettes page at Raspberry's Antiques. (1998-02-14)

"Muskrat Ramble" appears on the on-line text-file version catalog from MC Productions.

"Muskrat Ramble" in on Igor's Jazz Cowboys' Igor!, according to Campfire Songs from Igor's Jazz Cowboys' Online Hootenanny.

A search with Google.com for "muskrat ramble" within www.wwwax.com came up with 293 hits showing many different artists performing the tune.  A search for "muskrat" at World Wide Wax came up with "Muskrat Ramble" on Kid Ory's Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band 1954, J. P. Sasson & The Muskrats; Dixie Down Beat, and Harry James on various artists' Popular Favorites, Vol. 10.  From World Wide Wax.

Muskrat Ramble (Ory/Henderson) comes up when searching for "Muskrat" along with the albums Encore and Basin Street, (which include "Muskrat Ramble" as a selection) at The Canadian Brass Store.

"Muskrat Ramble" appears on CMC: The D's 3 - Sing! Sing! Sing!  From Creative Musicians Coalition.

The words to the song are given at Muskrat Ramble.  From Alfabetisk M-R, NJS Diskografi, New Jordal Swingers - Startside.

The words to "Muskrat Ramble" by the McGuire Sisters is given on http://www.summer.com.br/~pfilho/html/lyrics/m/muskrat_ramble.txt from Lyrics World.

"Muskrat Ramble" is included in "The Definitive Dixieland Collection", a 312-page music book with music arranged for piano, vocal, and guitar.  From SuperDuperMusic.com.  It's also available on Piano Music Book - The Definitive Dixieland Collection (Piano/Vocal/Guitar - Piano) from Encore Music Company.

Sweet Adelines International has a page with a very short "review" of "Muskrat Ramble".

NationsBank African-American Heritage Music Collection - Index - (for letter O) includes the entry "Ory, Edward 'Kid'. Muskrat Ramble. New York, NY. George Simon, Inc. 1950."  From NationsBank African-American Heritage Music Collection - Guide, Special Collections Department, University of South Florida Tampa Campus Library.

Saxophone Transcriptions has a link to a PDF file that gives sheet music for a Soprano Sax transcription of Sidney Bechet playing "Muskrat Ramble" from Sidney Bechet Immortal Concerts with Claude Luter and Son Orchestra.  Home Page: James Farrell Vernon

Words to "Muskrat Ramble" by The McGuire Sisters are available off of Exitos del Top 40 de la letra M (Top 40 Hits Beginning With the Letter M) from Letra de Canciones en Inglés, Cosas Interesantes.

"Muskrat Rap"

The words to "Muskrat Rap" by naturalist Stephen David appear on Winter 2000 Field Notes from For-Mar Nature Preserve, Burton, Michigan.

"Muskrat Song"

Muskrat Song has the words and RealAudio and AIFF files of the song as sung by Mr. John Mullins in Springfield, Missouri on May 22, 1960.  From Max Hunter Folk Song Collection, Music Department, Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield, Missouri.

"Muskrat Song" is listed on Red Allen and Frank Wakefield's The Kitchen Tapes on Allen, Red and Frank Wakefield, home page: Camsco Music; on http://www.midcontinentmusic.com/detail.cfm?Catalogid=213 from Mid-Continent Music; on http://www.getmusic.com/artists/amg/Album/455/A208455.html at GetMusic; and on The Kitchen Tapes from The Grateful Dead Family Discography.  Goodness gracious; it's even on Walmart.com's site at Kitchen Tapes.

Other Muskrat Music Links

"Mouton To Muskrat To Mink", appears on Naughty But Nice by Pearl Bailey according to Roulette Album Discography from Both Sides Now Publications.

Bruce Muskrat points out that his family's site Fresh Muskrat Tracks has a page Music & Recordings that gives music by Muskrats (specifically Nancy and Bruce Muskrat). (Also in Spanish at Música y CD; Spanish home page Muskrat Tracks.)

Monica N. Gatcomb mentioned that the children's song "Over in the Meadow" has a verse about muskrat.  It recently popped up on the 'net at KIDiddles- Song Lyrics- Over in the Meadow; home page KIDiddles.

MUSKRAT, MUSKRAT CANDLELIGHT, MUSKRAT LOVE, MUSKRAT LOVE RAMSEY, MUSKRAT PAMBLE, MUSKRAT RAMBLE, MUSKRAT RAMBLE DRY GILBERT, MUSKRAT RAMBLE ORY GILBERT, MUSKRAT RAMBLE ORY BALSAN FORE, and MUSKRAT RANMBLE (some of which have to be typographical errors) pop up when searching for titles of songs beginning with Muskrat at ASCAP's ACE on the web from ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers).

Trivia Time! The word muskrat appears in which Bruce Springsteen song? The answer: "Bishop Dance" (or "Bishop Danced", depending upon the source). See  Bishop Danced from Jeroen Boelhouwer's Home Page.

Hints for other sites to search for muskrat on the Internet are on my Search page.