The book is mentioned in the Italian entry for the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest "Occidentali's Karma" by Francesco Gabbani, in which most of the lyrics contain philosophical references. The lyricist had read "The Naked Ape" himself. Morris, "fascinated by the culture, beauty and richness" of the references to his theories, sent Gabbani a signed copy of the Italian translation of the book as a sign of gratitude and support for the latter.