Animals (Nickelback song)

"Animals"
Single by Nickelback
from the album All the Right Reasons
Released	November 21, 2005 (2005-11-21) [1]
Studio	Mountainview (Abbotsford, British Columbia)
Genre	Hard rock
Length	3:06
Label	Roadrunner
Songwriter(s)	Daniel Adair Chad Kroeger Mike Kroeger
Nickelback singles chronology
"Photograph" (2005) "Animals" (2005) "Far Away" (2006)

"Animals" is a song by Canadian rock band Nickelback. It was released in November 2005 as the second American single from their fifth studio album, All the Right Reasons . In Australia, the song was released as the album's fourth single in mid-2006. "Animals" reached number one on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and number 27 in Australia.

Music

"Animals" is a fast-paced song with a "thick, aggressive hard rock tone," according to Guitar Chalk. ^[2] The song features lyrics about a couple having sex in a car, ^[3] with their sexual interaction compared to "animals", until the couple are discovered by the woman's father. ^[4]

Reception

Christopher Rosa of VH1 wrote: "I'm confused why women in Nickelback's lyrics have to get sexual the second they enter a scene. They're capable of more than playing with your gears, Chad." ^[5]

Track listing

CD

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Animals"	3:03
2.	"Animals" (live)	3:50
3.	"Follow You Home" (live)	4:21

Charts

Chart (2005–2006)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA) [6]	27
Canada Rock Top 30 ( Radio & Records ) [7]	2
US Billboard Hot 100 [8]	97
US Alternative Airplay ( Billboard ) [9]	16
US Mainstream Rock ( Billboard ) [10]	1

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ) [11]	Gold	15,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [12]	Silver	200,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

• List of Billboard Mainstream Rock number-one songs of the 2000s

References

1. "Going for Adds". Radio & Records . No. 1633. November 18, 2005. p. 23.
2. "Amp Settings for Animals by Nickelback (guitars and tone)". Guitar Chalk. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
3. "Nickelback: All The Right Reasons - Album Of The Week Club review". October 11, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
4. Flannery, Bryan (September 1, 2023). "Ranking 3 Of The Best Songs By Nickelback" . Retrieved December 22, 2023.
5. "These Misogynistic Nickelback Lyrics Will Make You Lose Faith in Music". www.vh1.com. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
6. "Nickelback – Animals". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
7. "R&R Canada Rock Top 30" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1642. January 27, 2006. p. 63. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
8. "Nickelback Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
9. "Nickelback Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
10. "Nickelback Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
11. "New Zealand single certifications – Nickelback – Animals". Radioscope. Retrieved January 26, 2025.Type Animals in the "Search:" field.
12. "British single certifications – Nickelback – Animals". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved October 6, 2023.