MesozoicMind.com - Give me a Mesozoic Mind....

Did the song “Mesozoic Mind” suddenly pop into your head after all these years? You’re not alone. It’s from Dinosaurs! A Fun-Filled Trip Back in Time!, the 1987 video where a young Fred Savage hears the song on the radio and decides to do his school report on dinosaurs.

I started this site in 2003 for moments just like that, and I still get e-mail from people with the same story. Here you’ll find the song, the video, the lyrics, guitar tabs and a whole lot of fans. Follow along on X and Facebook!

“Mesozoic Mind” by Charmer, from Dinosaurs! A Fun-Filled Trip Back in Time! (1987)

Lyrics Lyric video Download the song Read the letters

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Image Gallery

50 pictures from the video, from the dinosaur band to Fred Savage’s big idea.

Browse the gallery →

Play it!

Learn the song: chords, tabs, full arrangements, and fan covers.

Hear the covers →

Fan Letters

Stories from people all over the world who suddenly remembered the song, years later.

Read the letters →

Dinosaurs in Television

Denver, Dino-Riders, Dinosaucers and more dinosaur shows from the same era.

Watch the openings →

The ’80s

The movies, TV shows and music we grew up with.

Take a trip back →

Latest news

October 12, 2026

A fresh coat of paint (and some fossil cleanup)!

MesozoicMind.com has been online since 2003, and a lot of the site was still running on parts that belonged in a museum. So I dug in and gave the whole place an overhaul.

The site has a new look. It's the same blue it's always been, but with bigger, easier-to-read text and a brand new stone-carved logo. The menu has moved to a bar across the top of the page; hover over (or tap) a heading to see everything in that section.

Under the hood, I cleared out a pile of buttons and widgets for services that shut down years ago, and swapped the old Flash video players for ones that actually work again. The fan mail box no longer shows garbled characters, the Contact form has been made more secure, and the Links page has been cleaned up: dead sites removed, and a few new ones added.

The old discussion forum is gone, but you can still leave a comment at the bottom of every page.

If you spot anything that's broken, please let me know through the Contact page. And as always, if you've got a Mesozoic Mind story of your own, I'd love to hear it!

May 29, 2017

What is the music that plays at the beginning of Dinosaurs!?

We've been in search of the music that plays at the beginning of Dinosaurs! A Fun-Filled Trip Back in Time! for years. It's the music that sounds like Sting and the Police's song "Every Breath You Take." But that's not what it is.

We found it! (Check it out here at OMNI Music. It's track #21.)

The track is called "Step by Step" and it was written by Vic Sepanski.
It is described as Modern rock sound with guitars and synthesizer.

Length: 2:38

Publisher: Franklin-Douglas, Inc. (ASCAP)
Tempo: Medium
Dynamic: 4
Keywords: Pop, Rock, 1980's
Instrument: Electric Guitar, Mute Guitar

October 2, 2015

A message from the T-Rex: Charmer lead guitarist Pat Tenneriello!

I haven't heard this song in over 27 years and then one day I went looking for it on YouTube to show my little nephew. Once on YouTube, your website came up and here I am.

Charmer was a four piece pop rock band based out of Chicago, IL. We were actively playing the Chicago club circuit from 1985-1989.

Our manager at the time had very good connections around the Chicago land area. While recording our first album, one of his connections happened to be at the recording studio one day and heard our energetic pop rock sound. He told us about a kid Dinosaur movie that was in production starring Fred Savage and the producers were at the time actively looking for a song that would feature Dinosaur cartoon characters singing along to the song. Needless to say, we were on board with the entire thing. The lyrics were already written by the person who wrote the screenplay while the music along with the song's arrangement was left up to us.

We went into the studio on a weekend and wrote, arranged, and recorded the entire music track along with all the vocals. Due to the contractual agreement, we sadly had to relinquish all rights and therefore any ownership of the song.

I honestly thought Mesozoic Mind had been long forgotten. But according to this website, the song has had a long lasting impact on many young and adult lives and I'm proud and honored to have been a part of it. As a songwriter/musician, you always hope that your music can somehow capture the hearts and minds of your listeners. As a result of finding your website and reading all the wonderful stories and memories, I can truly say that one song did.

Many grateful thanks!

We never did get to meet Fred Savage. Oh Well!

Pat Tenneriello

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