Ever wonder who Hendrix was talking to when he tells Rover to roll over and let Jimi take over? Or the real inspiration behind The Beatles’ Martha My Dear? From dogs to cats to even rats, here are some of the great songs about pets by some of the most influential artists of our time.

"Lucifer Sam" by Pink Floyd (Cat)

Written by one of Pink Floyd’s founding members, Syd Barrett was going out with a girl named Jenny Spires at the time of the song’s release. Some people thought that the “cat” referred to in the song might be Barrett’s pet name for Jenny. However, Sam was Barrett’s little pet kitty and the track was originally going to be called Percy the Rat Catcher.

"Fire" by Jimi Hendrix (Dog)

When Jimi asks to stand next to your fire, he’s actually being quite literal. On a cold New Year’s Eve in Folkestone, England, after a show in 1967, the bass player for The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Noel Redding, invited Jimi as a guest to stay at his mother’s house. Jimi was cold and wanted to stand next to the fire to warm up, but their pet Great Dane didn’t want to give him any room, hence the “Aw, move over, Rover…”

"Death of a Martian" by Red Hot Chili Peppers (Dog)

Written in homage to bass player, Flea’s 200 lb. dog named Martian, who died while recording the album Stadium Arcadium, lead singer Anthony Kiedis has referred to Martian as the band’s “little spirit guide”. Kiedis’ dog, Buster, also died during the recording of the album. Both dogs were said to have helped the band through their darkest times.

"Quiche Lorraine" by The B-52’s (Dog)

Though there was never really a poodle named Quiche, the song is about a mangy mutt who likes to have a good time on a rainy day, and essentially stays true to the funky eccentric style of other tracks in the B-52 repertoire.

"Shannon" by Henry Gross (Dog)

Written and sung by Henry Gross in the year 1976, Shannon was written about the death of Beach Boy Carl Wilson’s dog.

"Ben" by Michael Jackson (Rat)

Don Black and Walter Scharf wrote this song for the 1972 movie Ben, the sequel to Willard. In the movie, a young boy befriends a rat, who becomes his only friend when all the other rats in town turn evil. The lyrics don’t in fact make any reference to a pet rat named Ben, but it has definitely become a meaningful song about friendship. It was originally written for Donnie Osmond, but then offered to Michael Jackson because Osmond was on tour. Ben was Michael Jackson’s first #1 hit as a solo artist. He was 14 when he recorded the song.

"Martha My Dear" by The Beatles (Dog)

While still with the Beatles, Paul McCartney was inspired to write Martha My Dear by his beloved Sheepdog Martha. However McCartney has said that the song itself was written to Jane Asher, his longtime love interest who was also the muse behind songs such as All My Loving, And I Love Her, I'm Looking Through You, You Won't See Me, We Can Work It Out, Here, There and Everywhere, and For No One.