Warren Zevon was a weirdo. I mean that in the most respectful, awe-filled way possible. In 1978, while the rest of the world was drowning in disco or getting punched in the face by punk rock, Zevon released a song about a monster getting a haircut. It shouldn’t have worked. It’s a three-chord mid-tempo shuffle with a goofy howl. Yet, here we are decades later, and werewolves of london warren zevon lyrics remain some of the most analyzed, quoted, and misunderstood lines in rock history.
It’s not just a Halloween song. Far from it.
If you actually sit down and look at the text, it’s a bizarrely specific travelogue of a well-dressed monster. You’ve got a creature with a Chinese menu in his hand walking through the streets of Soho in the rain. Most people just wait for the "A-hoo!" part, but the genius is in the mundane details. Zevon wasn’t writing a horror movie; he was writing a satire of the "jet set" lifestyle, just with more fur and teeth.
The Story Behind the Lyrics
The song started as a joke. Seriously. Phil Everly (of the Everly Brothers) saw the 1935 film Werewolf of London on television and suggested the title to Zevon as a song idea. Zevon, being the cynical, darkly humorous songwriter he was, took the bait. He wrote it with LeRoy Marinell and Waddy Wachtel. Wachtel has often recounted how they knocked out the lyrics in about 15 minutes.
Sometimes the best stuff comes when you aren't trying to be "Important" with a capital I.
The recording process was a different beast entirely. It took something like 50 or 60 takes to get that specific, rolling groove right. You had Mick Fleetwood on drums and John McVie on bass—basically the Fleetwood Mac rhythm section—trying to find the pocket. They were used to a different kind of polished California pop, but Zevon wanted something grittier. He wanted it to feel like a bar band that had just seen something they shouldn't have.
Lee Ho Fooks and the Beef Chow Mein
One of the most famous lines in the werewolves of london warren zevon lyrics is the mention of a specific restaurant: "I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand / Walking through the streets of Soho in the rain / He was looking for the place called Lee Ho Fooks / Gonna get a big dish of beef chow mein."
Lee Ho Fook was a real place. It was a Chinese restaurant located at 15 Gerrard Street in London's Chinatown. It wasn't some mystical, made-up location. By name-dropping a real, somewhat grimy eatery, Zevon grounded the supernatural in the painfully ordinary. That’s the core of his songwriting style. He takes the legendary and makes it local. He makes it human. Or, well, sub-human.
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The restaurant actually leaned into the fame for years. It’s since closed its Gerrard Street location, but for a long time, fans would make pilgrimages there just to order the chow mein. It’s the ultimate "if you know, you know" lyric.
Why the Tailor and Haircut Lines Matter
People always chuckle at the verse about the werewolf's grooming habits. "You see him walking through Mayfair, his hair was perfect." Then there’s the bit about the "tailor on Savile Row."
Savile Row is the gold standard for bespoke tailoring. Mayfair is where the old money lives. By putting a werewolf in these high-society settings, Zevon is poking fun at the "pretty boy" rock stars and socialites of the late 70s. He’s saying that beneath the expensive suits and the perfect hair, these people are predators. They’re monsters.
It’s a classic Zevon move. He’s the guy who wrote Excitable Boy, a song that sounds like a cheery 50s pop tune but is actually about a sociopathic killer. He loves that contrast. The "perfect hair" isn't just a funny image; it's a commentary on vanity. The werewolf isn't just a beast; he’s a dandy. He’s a monster who cares about his silhouette.
Honestly, it’s kind of a vibe.
The Lon Chaney References
The third verse takes a turn into classic Hollywood. "Well, I saw Lon Chaney walking with the Queen / Doing the Werewolves of London / I saw Lon Chaney, Jr. walking with the Queen / Doing the Werewolves of London."
Lon Chaney Sr. and Lon Chaney Jr. were horror royalty. Senior was the "Man of a Thousand Faces," and Junior was the one who actually played the Wolf Man in the 1941 Universal classic. Zevon is layering history here. He’s connecting the modern, Savile Row-wearing monster back to the black-and-white origins of the myth.
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And the "walking with the Queen" part? It’s just absurdism. It creates this image of the most fearsome monsters being invited to the palace. It’s high-camp horror. It’s also a nod to the fact that in the late 70s, celebrity culture was becoming so pervasive that even "monsters" were being welcomed into the inner circles of power.
The Technical Brilliance of "A-Hoo"
We have to talk about the howl. It’s the hook that launched a thousand karaoke nightmares.
Musically, the song is incredibly simple. It’s a G-C-D chord progression. It’s basically the same structure as "Sweet Home Alabama" (which came out a few years earlier). In fact, the two songs are so similar that Kid Rock eventually mashed them together for "All Summer Long."
But Zevon’s howl isn't a scream. It’s a falsetto, melodic "A-hoo!" It’s catchy. It’s something you can sing along to while you’re three beers deep at a dive bar. That’s the secret sauce. You take a dark, cynical lyric about a predatory monster in London and you pair it with a sing-along chorus. That’s how you get a hit.
The Misinterpretation of the "Little Old Lady"
"Little old lady got mutilated late last night."
It’s a brutal line. It’s visceral. But the way Zevon sings it is almost lighthearted. This is where most casual listeners get it wrong. They think it’s just a "spooky" song. But Zevon is using the werewolf as a metaphor for the casual violence of the world. The werewolf isn't some ancient curse; he’s just another guy in Mayfair who might kill you.
The alliteration of "mutilated late last night" is a masterclass in songwriting. Those "L" and "M" sounds roll off the tongue. It’s fun to say. It’s grotesque, sure, but it’s linguistically satisfying.
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The Legacy of the Werewolves
Warren Zevon never really had another hit as big as this one. It became his "Macarena," in a way, which is a bit of a tragedy because his catalog is deep and brilliant. But "Werewolves of London" gave him the financial freedom to keep being a weirdo for the rest of his life.
The song has appeared in countless movies, most notably The Color of Money, where Tom Cruise does a whole choreographed routine to it while playing pool. It’s become a staple of classic rock radio.
But for the true fans, the werewolves of london warren zevon lyrics are a gateway drug. You start with the howl, then you realize he's talking about beef chow mein, then you realize he's mocking the British upper class, and suddenly you’re listening to Transverse City and wondering why Zevon isn't in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (He finally got nominated recently, but it took way too long).
What Most People Get Wrong
People think this is a "Halloween song." It's not.
If you play this only in October, you're missing the point. It’s a song for when you’re feeling a little bit dangerous, a little bit cynical, and you’ve got a really good haircut. It’s about the monster in the mirror who just happens to be wearing a very nice suit.
Zevon’s werewolf isn't hiding in the woods. He’s at the bar. He’s at the tailor. He’s at the Chinese restaurant. He’s everywhere.
Actionable Steps for Music Lovers
If you want to truly appreciate the genius behind Zevon’s work, don't just stop at the radio edit.
- Listen to the "Excitable Boy" album in full. "Werewolves of London" is the hit, but tracks like "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" and the title track provide the context you need to understand Zevon's dark humor.
- Check out the live version from "Stand in the Fire." Zevon was a chaotic, brilliant live performer. The live versions often feature even more ad-libs and a higher energy level that makes the studio version feel tame.
- Read "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon." It’s a biography written by his ex-wife, Crystal Zevon, using his journals and interviews with friends. It’s one of the most honest, brutal, and hilarious music bios ever written. It explains exactly who the man behind the werewolf was.
- Analyze the rhyme schemes. If you're a writer, look at how he uses internal rhyme and alliteration. The song is a clinic on how to make "ugly" subject matter sound "pretty."
The world is full of monsters. Most of them don't have hair that perfect. But thanks to Warren Zevon, we know exactly what to look for when we're walking through Soho in the rain.