Dirty Paws

"Dirty Paws"
Single by Of Monsters and Men
from the album My Head Is an Animal
Released	12 April 2012
Recorded	2011–12
Genre	Indie folk indie pop
Length	4:38
Label	Universal
Songwriters	Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir Ragnar Þórhallsson
Producers	Of Monsters and Men Aron Arnarsson
Of Monsters and Men singles chronology
"Little Talks" (2011) "Dirty Paws" (2012) "Mountain Sound" (2012)
Lyric video
"Dirty Paws" on YouTube

"Dirty Paws" is a song written and recorded by Icelandic band Of Monsters and Men for their debut studio album, My Head Is an Animal (2011). It is the opening track and the title of the album comes from a line in the song, and was released as its second single in April 2012 in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Europe. The lyrics describe a war among animals, launched by the bees against the birds, but won by an alliance of animals against them.

It was featured in the trailer and soundtrack to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty . In 2021 it was also featured in the first episode of Sweet Tooth

Lyric video

A lyric video to the song was released in 2014. The video features a large two-legged creature carrying a flag through an Icelandic mountainscape, with squadrons of phoenix-like birds flying in the sky.

Track listing

CD / digital download

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Dirty Paws"	Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir Ragnar Þórhallsson	4:38

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "Dirty Paws"

Chart (2012–2014)	Peak position
Canada Rock ( Billboard ) [1]	19
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [2]	35
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [3]	75
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs ( Billboard ) [4]	24
US Rock & Alternative Airplay ( Billboard ) [5]	25

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for "Dirty Paws"

Chart (2014)	Position
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard) [6]	98

Certifications

Certifications for "Dirty Paws"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [7]	Platinum	60,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ) [8]	Platinum	30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [9]	Gold	400,000‡
United States (RIAA) [10]	Platinum	1,000,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Of Monsters and Men Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard . Retrieved 18 February 2015. ^{[ dead link ]}
2. "Of Monsters and Men – Dirty Paws". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
3. "Of Monsters and Men – Dirty Paws". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
4. "Of Monsters and Men Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard . Retrieved 4 June 2014.
5. "Of Monsters and Men Chart History (Rock & Alternative Airplay)". Billboard . Retrieved 4 June 2014.
6. "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs – Year-End 2014". Billboard. Archived from the original on 31 May 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
7. "Brazilian single certifications – Of Monsters and Men – Dirty Paws" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil . Retrieved 14 March 2024.
8. "New Zealand single certifications – Of Monsters And Men – Dirty Paws". Radioscope. Retrieved 1 February 2026.Type Dirty Paws in the "Search:" fieldand press Enter.
9. "British single certifications – Of Monsters & Men – Dirty Paws". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 6 December 2025.
10. "American single certifications – Of Monsters & Men – Dirty Paws". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 19 October 2023.