Jethro Tull's Bungle in The Jungle... What the hell is he talking about?

[Bucky]

For years I've just kinda half heard this song on the radio and assumed it was about either the Vietnam War or one of Mohammed Ali's superhyped overseas boxing matches. When I finally looked up the lyrics just now... I found nothing about what I expected.

[Robeson]

1. I don't think Ian really took it that seriously, and it was just....

...a riff or filler song to him. As stated in "Minstrels in the Gallery: a History of Jethro Tull", ..."the unrepresentative and surprisingly simple "Bungle In The Jungle"...failed to chart in the UK, but did reach the top 20 in America. Anderson was surprised by the success of the almost disco-friendly single, and joked that he was slightly disappointed by it: "I'd always been fond of the idea that Jethro Tull was a group that nobody could dance to, except me!"