Animals (Maroon 5 song)

"Animals"
Single by Maroon 5
from the album V
ReleasedAugust 25, 2014 (2014-08-25)
Studio
Length3:51
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Shellback
Maroon 5 singles chronology
"Maps"
(2014) 		"Animals"
(2014) 		"Sugar"
(2015)
Music videos

"Animals" is a song by the American pop rock band Maroon 5. It was released on August 25, 2014, as the second single from the band's fifth studio album V (2014). The song was written by Adam Levine, Benny Blanco and its producer Shellback.

The song peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 giving Maroon 5 their tenth top 10 single in the U.S.

Promotion

[edit]

To promote the song, Kia Motors debuted an advertisement of 2015 Kia Soul EV model on August 21, 2014.[1] For a limited time after the commercial premiered, "Animals" was available for free download on the Kia website only.[2] Later, Maroon 5 released the song's lyric video on August 22, 2014, from their YouTube channel.[3] The commercial also appeared at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards on August 24,[4] and the song was released the next day.

Remixes

[edit]

The remix versions of "Animals" featuring with American rappers, J. Cole released on September 30, 2014,[5] and Big Boi premiered execlusively on Pigeons & Planes website on December 18,[6] both written and produced by Freaky Ta, DCBC and Aftermath artist Me3mo (Sameem Nadeem).

Critical reception

[edit]

Rolling Stone ranked "Animals" at number 32 on its year-end list of the 50 best songs of 2014.[7]

Music video

[edit]

The music video was released on September 29, 2014, on Vevo. Directed by Samuel Bayer, the video features Adam Levine and his wife, Behati Prinsloo. The other musicians of Maroon 5 (including their touring member Sam Farrar, the first time he appeared in a music video with the band) also make an appearance -- they are seen playing at a nightclub in some scenes of the video. The story of the video is inspired by the film American Psycho (2000).[8]

Synopsis

[edit]
A scene from the video, presenting a fantasy that features Levine and Prinsloo as obsessed lovers.

The video starts with a woman entering a slaughterhouse, where Levine's character works. After she leaves, an infatuated Levine begins to stalk the woman by following her in the streets and standing outside her apartment in the pouring rain to watch her. He also watches the woman sleep and takes numerous photos of her, which he later trims and places on wires around a dark room. Intercut with this are scenes of a shirtless Levine dripping in fake blood, singing the song inside a meat locker and using animal carcasses for punching bags (an apparent reference to Rocky). One evening, Levine follows the woman into a nightclub, where he tries to talk to her. Though Prinsloo is amused by Levine and his interest in her, she spends the evening talking to her girlfriends instead. Eventually, Levine is left with no luck, so he goes back to fantasizing about her. After an erotic dream, Levine wakes up in shock and returns to stalking Prinsloo by standing outside her apartment in the rain, watching in a dazed state, leading to the similar opening. The final scenes feature Levine and Prinsloo as obsessed lovers having sex while covered in blood (an apparent reference to Carrie).[9]

Reception and controversy

[edit]

The music video was heavily panned by critics and has been condemned for dehumanizing women and glamorizing violence.[10][11][12] Jessica Valenti of The Guardian criticized the video for attempting to make violence against women seem "edgy", stating that "there is nothing 'alternative' about showing women being stalked, hunted, raped or killed because it’s something that happens every damn day."[10] RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) released a statement condemning the video, which said that "no one should ever confuse the criminal act of stalking with romance. The trivialisation of these serious crimes, like stalking, should have no place in the entertainment industry."[11]

In a 2018 interview with The Independent, Levine dismissed the criticism, calling it "fucking ridiculous", and saying about the video, "It was supposed to be creepy! I play the role of the creep, it's literally a character out of a movie. And the song is about animalistic tendencies, I'm talking about eating someone alive. Use your fucking imagination. It's like watching a horror film and notifying the people who made it to tell them you think they're disgusting. People are sometimes too rooted in reality and they can't differentiate. They take everything too personally."[13]

Chart performance

[edit]

Commercially in the United States, "Animals" debuted at number 86 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. On October 8, 2014, the song rose from the number 33 to 8,[14] giving the band their tenth top-ten hit overall and their seventh consecutive Hot 100 top-ten hit since the 2011 chart-topping single "Moves like Jagger". The song reached its million sales mark in the US in November 2014.[15] The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 issue dating November 22, 2014 and spent fourteen weeks in the top 10.

In other countries, "Animals" made the top-ten progress as well, peaking at number two on the Canadian Hot 100 in Canada. It was also a moderate success in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number 27 on the UK Singles Chart.

Live performances

[edit]

On October 20, 2014, Maroon 5 performed "Animals" for the 2014 NRJ Music Tour at Maison de la Mutualité in Paris, France.[16] The same month, Maroon 5 performed the song on Saturday Night Live (along with "Maps"),[17] as well as The X Factor,[18] and the television talk shows C à vous (C to You) in France and The Graham Norton Show in the UK, respectively.[19][20] On November 10, 2014, Maroon 5 performed the song on the seventh season of The Voice.[21] In December 2014, the band performed "Animals" in a mash-up with "This Love" for A Very Grammy Christmas concert (December 5) at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California,[22] and performed the song at the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour 2014 (December 12) in Madison Square Garden, New York City.[23]

The band played the track in Puerto Rico for the first edition of Victoria's Secret Swim Special, which aired on February 26, 2015.[24] Maroon 5 played the song at the Capital One JamFest between 2016 and 2018.[25][26] It is part of a setlist for the worldwide concert tour, the Maroon V Tour (2015–2018).

Track listing

[edit]

Credits and personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of V.[27]

Locations

Personnel

  • Songwriting – Adam Levine, Shellback, Benjamin Levin
  • Production – Shellback
  • Lead vocals – Adam Levine
  • Instrumentation, background vocals, programming – Shellback
  • Mixing – Serban Ghenea
  • Vocals recording – Shellback, Max Martin
  • Engineering – Noah Passovoy
  • Assistant engineers – Eric Eylands, Tim Roberts
  • Mix engineer – John Hanes
  • Lead and rhythm guitar – James Valentine, Jesse Carmichael
  • Bass – Mickey Madden
  • Drums and percussion – Matt Flynn
  • Keyboards and synthesizers – Jesse Carmichael, PJ Morton

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[95] 3× Platinum 210,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[96] 3× Diamond 750,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[97] 2× Platinum 160,000*
Germany (BVMI)[98] Platinum 400,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[99] Platinum 30,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[100] Platinum 40,000‡
Sweden (GLF)[101] 2× Platinum 80,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[102] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[103] Platinum 1,000,000[15]
Streaming
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[104] Platinum 2,600,000†
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[105] Gold 4,000,000†

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Release history

[edit]
Region Date Format Version Label(s) Ref.
Various August 25, 2014 Digital download Original
[106]
United States September 23, 2014 Contemporary hit radio [107]
Various September 30, 2014 Digital download Remix featuring J. Cole [108]
United States October 21, 2014 Rhythmic contemporary radio [109]
Italy November 7, 2014 Contemporary hit radio Original Universal [110]
Germany November 14, 2014 CD
  • Original
  • Remix featuring J. Cole
 [111]
Various November 17, 2014
Gryffin Remix
  • 222
  • Interscope
 [112]
Sammy Bananas Remix [113]
United States December 18, 2014 Digital download Remix featuring Big Boi [6]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Kia Motors' Iconic Hamsters Turn Science Lab Into Hotbed Of Innovation In Campaign For The Brand's First Electric Vehicle – The Soul EV". Kia Media. August 21, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  2. ^ "New Maroon 5 Song "Animals" Featured in New KIA Commercial, Download It for Free". ABC News Radio Online. August 22, 2014. Archived from the original on September 4, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
  3. ^ Scott, Jason (August 22, 2014). "Maroon 5 Rolls In The Hay With Bunnies & Snakes In 'Animals' Lyric Video!". Popdust. Archived from the original on August 24, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  4. ^ "Kia Resurrects Its Hamsters for the MTV VMAs and Flexes Its Media Muscle". iSpot TV. August 28, 2014. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  5. ^ Montes, Patrick (September 30, 2014). "Maroon 5 featuring J. Cole - "Animals" (Remix)". Hypebeast. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Jon Blistein (December 18, 2014). "Hear Big Boi's Lusty New Verse in Maroon 5's 'Animals' Remix". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  7. ^ "50 Best Songs of 2014". rollingstone.com. December 3, 2014.
  8. ^ Atkinson, Katie (September 29, 2014). "Watch Adam Levine Become an American Psycho in Maroon 5's 'Animals' Video". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  9. ^ Rees, Alex (September 30, 2014). "A Definitive Ranking of All the Creepy Moments in Maroon 5's Disturbing New "Animals" Music Video". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  10. ^ a b Guardian (October 2014). "Guardian review". Guardian. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  11. ^ a b Independent. "Independent". Independent. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  12. ^ Clarke, Suzan (October 3, 2014). "Maroon 5's Video for 'Animals' Sparks Outrage Over Depiction of Stalking". ABC News. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  13. ^ O'Connor, Roisin (July 25, 2018). "Adam Levine: 'I don't know what the f*** Maroon 5 are anymore... we occupy a weird space'". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  14. ^ Trust, Gary. "Meghan Trainor Leads Hot 100's Record-Setting All-Female Top Five". Billboard.com. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  15. ^ a b Paul Grein (November 21, 2014). "Taylor Swift Replaces Herself At #1 on the Hot 100". Yahoo! Music.
  16. ^ "The NRJ Music Tour of Paris with Maroon 5 and your NRJ superstars!". NRJ. October 21, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  17. ^ Daw, Robert (October 5, 2014). "Maroon 5 Perform "Animals" And "Maps" On 'Saturday Night Live': Watch". Idolator. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  18. ^ Deen, Sarah (October 19, 2014). "The X Factor 2014: Adam Levine provides a welcome distraction from the results". Metro. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  19. ^ "Maroon 5 – Animals in C à vous (22/10/2014)". YouTube. October 22, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  20. ^ "Maroon 5 - Animals (The Graham Norton Show)". Dailymotion. October 25, 2014. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  21. ^ "The Voice 2014 Live Playoffs – Maroon 5: "Animals"". The Maroon 5 Blog. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  22. ^ "A Very Grammy Christmas: Maroon 5 Perform "This Love" & "Animals"". Metatube. December 10, 2014.
  23. ^ Cobb, Douglas (December 13, 2014). "IHeart Jingle Ball 2014 Concert Sang in the Holiday Season Right [Recap]". Guardian Liberty Voice. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  24. ^ "Maroon 5 – Animals (Victoria's Secret Swim Special)". YouTube. February 27, 2015.
  25. ^ Schroder, Reid (April 4, 2016). "Maroon 5 thrills gigantic Madness crowd, but even those who didn't get in had a lot fun". Culture Map Houston. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  26. ^ Kies, Jim (April 2, 2018). "Thousands sing along to Maroon 5 to close out March Madness Music Festival". My San Antonio. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  27. ^ V (inlay cover). United States: Interscope. 2014. p. 4.
  28. ^ Ryan, Gavin (October 11, 2014). "The Veronicas Spend Third Week On Top Of ARIA Singles Chart". Noise11. Noise Network. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  29. ^ "Maroon 5 – Animals" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  30. ^ "Maroon 5 – Animals" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  31. ^ "Maroon 5 – Animals" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  32. ^ "Airplay Top5 - 15.12.2014 - 21.12.2014". Bulgarian Association of Music Producers. Archived from the original on December 23, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  33. ^ "Maroon 5 Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  34. ^ "Maroon 5 Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  35. ^ "Maroon 5 Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2014.
  36. ^ "Maroon 5 Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2014.
  37. ^ Maroon 5 — Animals. TopHit. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  38. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 44. týden 2014 in the date selector. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  39. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 35. týden 2015 in the date selector. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  40. ^ "Maroon 5 – Animals". Tracklisten. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  41. ^ "Maroon 5: Animals" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  42. ^ "Maroon 5 – Animals" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  43. ^ "Maroon 5 – Animals" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  44. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  45. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  46. ^ "Chart Track: Week 36, 2014". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  47. ^ "Media Forest Week 47, 2014". Israeli Airplay Chart. Media Forest. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  48. ^ "Maroon 5 – Animals". Top Digital Download. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  49. ^ "The Official Lebanese Top 20". The Official Lebanese Top 20. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  50. ^ "Maroon 5 Chart History (Mexico Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  51. ^ "Top 20 Inglés Del 29 de Diciembre 2014 al 4 de Enero 2015". Monitor Latinoaccessdate=2018-05-02. January 5, 2014.
  52. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Maroon 5" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  53. ^ "Maroon 5 – Animals" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
  54. ^ "Maroon 5 – Animals". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  55. ^ "Maroon 5 – Animals". VG-lista. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  56. ^ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  57. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  58. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201443 into search. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
  59. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201435 into search. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
  60. ^ "SloTop50 – Slovenian official singles chart". slotop50.si. Retrieved January 31, 2018.[permanent dead link]
  61. ^ "EMA Top 10 Airplay: Week Ending 2014-11-12". Entertainment Monitoring Africa. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  62. ^ "Gaon Chart" (in Korean). Gaon. Archived from the original on December 17, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  63. ^ "Maroon 5 – Animals" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
  64. ^ "Maroon 5 – Animals". Singles Top 100. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
  65. ^ "Maroon 5 – Animals". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
  66. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  67. ^ "9, 2015 Ukraine Airplay Chart for February 9, 2015." TopHit. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  68. ^ "Maroon 5 Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  69. ^ "Maroon 5 Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  70. ^ "Maroon 5 Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  71. ^ "Maroon 5 Chart History (Dance Mix/Show Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  72. ^ "Maroon 5 Chart History (Latin Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  73. ^ "Maroon 5 Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  74. ^ "Maroon 5 Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  75. ^ "Canadian Hot 100 – Year End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  76. ^ "Top de l'année Top Singles 2014" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  77. ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  78. ^ "Rádiós Top 100 - hallgatottsági adatok alapján - 2014". Mahasz. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  79. ^ "Single Top 100 - eladási darabszám alapján - 2014". Mahasz. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  80. ^ "FIMI - Classifiche Annuali 2014 "TOP OF THE MUSIC" FIMI-GfK: un anno di musica italiana" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Archived from the original on January 13, 2015. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  81. ^ Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2014 (in Dutch). top40.nl. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  82. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 2014" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
  83. ^ "Årslista Singlar – År 2014" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  84. ^ "Ukrainian Top Year-End Radio Hits (2014)". Tophit. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  85. ^ "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  86. ^ "Canadian Hot 100 – Year End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  87. ^ "Top de l'année Top Singles 2015" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  88. ^ "Rádiós Top 100 - hallgatottsági adatok alapján - 2015". Mahasz. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  89. ^ "Classifiche "Top of the Music" 2015 FIMI-GfK: La musica italiana in vetta negli album e nei singoli digitali" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  90. ^ "Top 100 Songs Annual 2015" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  91. ^ "Hot 100: Year End 2015". Billboard. billboard.com. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  92. ^ "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  93. ^ "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  94. ^ "Pop Songs – Year End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  95. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  96. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Maroon 5 – Animals" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  97. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Maroon 5 – Animals". Music Canada.
  98. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Maroon 5; 'Animals')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  99. ^ "Italian single certifications – Maroon 5 – Animals" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  100. ^ "Spanish single certifications – Maroon 5 – Animals". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  101. ^ "Sverigetopplistan – Maroon 5" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  102. ^ "British single certifications – Maroon 5 – Animals". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  103. ^ "American single certifications – Maroon 5 – Animals". Recording Industry Association of America.
  104. ^ "Danish single certifications – Maroon 5 – Animals". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  105. ^ "Top 100 Streaming - Semana 49: del 1.12.2014 - 7.12.2014" (PDF) (in Spanish). PROMUSICAE. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  106. ^ "Animals by Maroon 5". Amazon Music. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  107. ^ "®R&R :: Going For Adds™ :: CHR/Top 40". Archived from the original on April 11, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  108. ^ "Maroon 5 – Animals (Remix) (feat. J. Cole)". Apple Music. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  109. ^ "Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases - R&B Song and Hip-Hop Music Release Dates - ..." All Access. Archived from the original on October 7, 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  110. ^ "Maroon 5 – "Animals" (Radio Date: 7/11/2014)". radiodate.it.
  111. ^ "Animals (2-Track)". Amazon Germany. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  112. ^ "Animals (Gryffin Remix) - Single by Maroon 5". Spotify. November 17, 2014. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  113. ^ "Animals (Sammy Bananas Remix) - Single by Maroon 5". Spotify. November 17, 2014. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Animals_(Maroon_5_song)&oldid=1245547313"