"Animal"
Single by Miike Snow
from the album Miike Snow
B-side"Billie Holiday"
Released17 February 2009 (2009-02-17)
StudioRobotberget (Stockholm, Sweden)
GenrePop
Length4:24
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Miike Snow
Miike Snow singles chronology
"Animal"
(2009)		 "Black & Blue"
(2009)

"Animal" is a song performed by Swedish indie pop band Miike Snow. It was released as the first single from the band's 2009 self-titled debut album on 17 February 2009 through Columbia and Downtown Records. Written by the band alongside Henrik Jonback, "Animal" is a pop song with instrumentation provided by horns and staccato synthesizers. Lead singer Andrew Wyatt has explained that it has an ambiguous meaning; its lyrics can be interpreted as dealing with matters such as addiction, basic instincts or dissatisfaction when one's needs are not met by society.

Applauding its catchiness and pop sound, critics were positive towards "Animal". Following its release, the single managed to peak at number 50 in Scotland and number 98 on the UK Singles Chart. It was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Two music videos were made to promote the release of "Animal"; the first was directed by Sebastian Mlynarski and depicts the band wearing different animal masks, and the second video, directed by Anthony Dickenson, features a mixture of projections, animation and performance footage.

Background

"Animal" was written by Miike Snow's three members, Christian Karlsson, Pontus Winnberg and Andrew Wyatt, in collaboration with Henrik Jonback.[1] In an interview with Dustin Fitzharris of Out, Wyatt explained that the song has an ambiguous meaning, "It can deal with addiction. It can deal with just the basic instincts – some of them are wonderful and some of them are very dangerous."[2] In a separate interview with Joe Zadeh for Clash, Wyatt deemed it a "very simple song" and elaborated on its subject matter, "Directing your attention to man's underlying nature and how sometimes things in society just don't work out to meet your needs. And a lot of people end up feeling very dissatisfied. And the way people feel the need to fit into certain circumstances without even thinking about what they want."[3] "Animal" was recorded at Robotberget, the band's own studio in Stockholm, Sweden.[1][4] The band produced the track and then mixed it with Anders Hvenare.[1]

Downtown Records first released "Animal" as the band's debut single on 17 February 2009 via digital download in the United States.[5][6] The record label then sent it for alternative airplay in the country on 12 April 2009.[7] In the United Kingdom, Columbia Records first released the single as a 12" remix vinyl on 27 July 2009.[8] The label later digitally released it on 7 August 2009,[9] and as a CD single on 10 August 2009.[10] The CD and digital releases in the UK include the song "Billie Holiday", written by Karlsson, Winnberg and Wyatt,[11] as a B-side.[12] A digital extended play (EP) with remixes by Crookers, Fake Blood, Fred Falke, Punks Jump Up and Style of Eye was released in European countries on 7 August 2009.[13] Two remixes by Peter Bjorn and John and Mark Ronson were digitally released in the US on 8 December 2009.[14] Ronson's remix also appears on the UK iTunes Store release of the band's next single, "Black & Blue" (2009),[15] and was featured on the soundtrack album of the film Crazy, Stupid, Love (2010).[16]

Composition

"Animal" is a pop song with horn and staccato synthesizer instrumentation.[17][18][19][20] According to sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Alfred Publishing, the song is written in the time signature of common time with a moderate beat rate of 118 beats per minute. It is written in the key of E major and Wyatt's vocal range spans the notes of B3 to C♯6. It has an E–F♯m7–C♯m chord progression and a verse-chorus structure.[21] Sam Richards of NME and Ben Hogwood of musicOMH compared the sound and rhythm of the song to works by English band The Police,[22][23] while Paul Lester of The Guardian likened lead singer Wyatt's vocals to those of The Police's lead singer Sting.[24] Jason Lymangrover of AllMusic compared the hook to works by American band Vampire Weekend, and said that "dubby synths circulate around flighty vocals with heavy sentiments".[17] Wyatt sings lyrics such as "But I'm still trying to make my mind up, am I free or am I tied up?" with "unassuming cheeriness",[18] and the chorus contains the line "I change shapes just to hide in this place, but I'm still, I'm still an animal".[17]

Reception

"Animal" received a positive response from music critics. Natalie Kaye of Contactmusic.com described it as a "solid pop song", before adding that the "infectious" chorus is "irrefutably something you'll end up whistling in the shower".[25] Similarly, Ian Wade of BBC Music commented that it "takes approximately one play for its catchiness to cluster bomb your memory bank",[26] and John Bergstrom of PopMatters called it "sharp, catchy pure pop" with a chorus that "charm[s] [its] way into your brain".[27] Rudy Klapper of Sputnikmusic commended lead singer Wyatt's "chameleonic" vocals, calling them "a highlight from the beginning".[18] Klapper concluded, "['Animal'] bounc[es] along a deceptively catchy progression to a jangly chorus that hits immediate pop pay dirt."[18] Neil Ashman of Drowned in Sound commented that it "boasts a number of indelible hooks worked around its staccato synth blasts".[19]

Jordan Bimm of Now described "Animal" as "catchy and creative" and said that the horns and the "playful vocal hook" will appeal to listeners who enjoyed Britney Spears' "Toxic" (2003), a production of Miike Snow members Karlsson and Winnberg.[20] Sam Richards of NME viewed "Animal" as an "impressive piece of sleight of hand" and compared its sound to that of The Police, "while remaining bearable".[22] Ben Hogwood of musicOMH said that it sounds like a "lost Police song given a new, vividly coloured change of clothes".[23] He felt that the lyrical vignettes and hooks seem "awkward" during the first listen, and "gloriously different the next".[23] Hogwood furthermore said that this applied for the album as a whole.[23] Marc Hogan of Pitchfork Media called it a "kiddie-pop lilt".[28]

Commercially, "Animal" was a minor chart success. It made its first chart appearance on 16 August 2009, on the Scottish Singles Chart at number 50.[29] The single also peaked number 98 in the issue dated 22 August 2009 of the UK Singles Chart.[30] "Animal" achieved some airplay in Russia, spending five weeks in the lower ends of the Tophit airplay chart and peaking at number 297.[31] In December 2013, the single was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the band's first certification, indicating 1,000,000 digital sales.[32]

Music videos

Two music videos were released to promote "Animal". The first video, directed by Sebastian Mlynarski, was released in July 2009.[33] It opens with the band performing on a street at night, holding umbrellas. The band then appears wearing different surgical masks with animal prints throughout the video. Near the end, they are seen performing in a grass field. Anthony Dickenson directed the single's second music video,[34] released in August 2009.[35] Dickenson created projections and sculptures, utilizing both animation and performance footage.[36] The video features projections of a forest which turns into a city as the video progresses. It interspersed with shots of the band performing in a dark room. The video ends with the band's jackalope logo being projected onto the cityscape. The video was nominated in the category Best Visual Effects in a Video at the 2009 UK Music Video Awards.[37]

Formats and track listings

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the Miike Snow liner notes.[1]

Charts

Chart (2009) Peak
position
Russia Airplay (Tophit)[31] 297
Scotland (OCC)[29] 50
Switzerland Airplay (Schweizer Hitparade)[41] 80
UK Singles (OCC)[30] 98

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[42] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[32] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Country Date Format Label
United States[5][6][7] 17 February 2009 Digital download Downtown Records
12 April 2009 Alternative radio
United Kingdom[8][9][10] 27 July 2009 12" vinyl Columbia Records
7 August 2009 Digital download
10 August 2009 CD single

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Miike Snow (Media notes). Miike Snow. Downtown. 2009. DWT70085.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ↑ Fitzharris, Dustin (24 September 2009). "Need To Know: Miike Snow". Out. Here Media. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  3. ↑ Zadeh, Joe (13 August 2009). "Live Talking – Miike Snow". Clash. John O'Rourke. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  4. ↑ McKnight, Ren (28 March 2012). "10 Essentials: Miike Snow". GQ. Condé Nast Publications. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  5. 1 2 "Animal (Digital Download – Downtown)". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  6. 1 2 "Animal: Miike Snow". Amazon. Archived from the original on 11 June 2011.
  7. 1 2 "Alternative – Week of: April 12, 2009". Radio & Records. Radio & Records, Inc. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
  8. 1 2 "Animal [12" vinyl]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  9. 1 2 "Animal: Miike Snow". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
  10. 1 2 "Animal". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  11. ↑ "Billie Holiday (Legal Title)". Broadcast Music, Inc. Archived from the original on 17 April 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  12. 1 2 "Animal (2009)". 7digital. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  13. 1 2 "Animal – EP av Miike Snow" (in Swedish). iTunes Store (Sweden). Apple. 7 August 2009. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  14. 1 2 "Animal (Remixes) – Single by Miike Snow". United States: iTunes Store. Apple, Inc. January 2009. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  15. ↑ "Black & Blue – EP by Miike Snow". iTunes Store (United Kingdom). Apple. 16 October 2009. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  16. ↑ Newman, Jason (26 July 2011). "'Crazy, Stupid, Love.' soundtrack aims to create the perfect mixtape". MTV. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  17. 1 2 3 Lymangrover, Jason. "Miike Snow – Miike Snow". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Klapper, Rudy (21 June 2009). "Miike Snow – Miike Snow". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  19. 1 2 Ashman, Neil (29 October 2009). "Miike Snow – Miike Snow". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  20. 1 2 Bimm, Jordan (5 August 2009). "Miike Snow". Now. Now Communications. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  21. ↑ "Miike Snow, 'Animal' - Composition Sheet Music". Musicnotes.com. Alfred Publishing. 13 September 2010.
  22. 1 2 Richards, Sam (12 August 2009). "Album review: Miike Snow – 'Miike Snow'". NME. IPC Media. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  23. 1 2 3 4 Hogwood, Ben. "Miike Snow – Miike Snow". musicOMH. OM Media. Archived from the original on 20 October 2009.
  24. ↑ Lester, Paul (26 May 2009). "New Band of the day – No. 554: Miike Snow". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  25. ↑ Kaye, Natalie (3 December 2009). "Miike Snow – Miike Snow Album Review". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  26. ↑ Wade, Ian (14 August 2009). "Review of Miike Snow". BBC Music. BBC. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  27. ↑ Bergstrom, John (11 June 2009). "Miike Snow: Miike Snow". PopMatters. Sarah Zupko. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  28. ↑ Hogan, Marc (11 June 2009). "Miike Snow: Miike Snow". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  29. 1 2 "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  30. 1 2 "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  31. 1 2 "Miike Snow – Animal". Tophit. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  32. 1 2 "American single certifications – Miike Snow – Animal". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  33. ↑ Animal (first version) | Miike Snow. YouTube. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  34. ↑ Animal (second version) | Miike Snow. YouTube. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  35. ↑ Knight, David (21 August 2009). "Miike Snow's Animal and The XX's Basic Space by Anthony Dickenson". Promo News. Archived from the original on 27 August 2011. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  36. ↑ "Miike Snow 'Animal' directed by Anthony Dickenson". CreativeReview. August 2009. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  37. ↑ "UK Music Video Awards 2009 – here are the nominations". Promo News. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  38. ↑ Animal (12" single). Miike Snow. United Kingdom: Columbia. 2009. 88697565531.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  39. ↑ Animal (CD single). Miike Snow. United Kingdom: Columbia. 2009. 886975676026.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  40. ↑ "The Secret Life Of Pets 2 | The Final Trailer [HD] | Illumination". YouTube. 16 May 2019. Archived from the original on 15 November 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  41. ↑ "Schweizer Airplay Charts 37/2009 - hitparade.ch". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  42. ↑ "British single certifications – Miike Snow – Animal". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
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