Hayley Williams is extending her huge tour with new UK and European shows•
Miley has announced her new album ‘Bass Persuades’ and two huge Hollywood Bowl shows•
The Streets are taking ‘A Grand Don’t Come For Free’ back on the road•
Keo are heading to O2 Academy Brixton next March•
Fontaines D.C. have recruited Hayley Williams for a huge Slane Castle show•
Chloe Slater has turned online scrutiny into a single with 'I've Never Felt So Hated'•
James Marriott has announced a huge O2 Academy Brixton show•
MNEK is getting vulnerable about body image on new single ‘MUSCLE MARYS..’•
JENNIE has shared her new EP ‘Fallen Angel’ alongside its title-track video•
Nieve Ella is choosing desire over consequences on new single ‘Romance Is A Desert’•
underscores has shared ‘Unlimited Love’ alongside a Frost Children remix of ‘The Peace’•
Fontaines D.C. have announced their biggest headline tour yet, including London’s O2 Arena•
Haute & Freddy have shared their lusty new single ‘Touch Touch’•
Olivia Rodrigo has shared her fiery new track, ‘serena joy’•
Tame Impala has announced a 2027 UK and European tour with Wet Leg•
Audrey Hobert has unveiled a new video for 'Sex and the City' as she begins her headline tour•
The Dork 2025 Readers' Poll nominations are in, featuring CMAT, Turnstile, Wolf Alice, Djo, Hayley Williams and loads more•
flowerovlove has released her first-ever first Christmas track, 'wishlist'•
Mighty Hoopla and Olly Alexander have announced Trans Mission, a concert for trans solidarity•
JADE has announced a deluxe edition of her debut album, 'THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY! THE ENCORE'•
Hayley Williams is extending her huge tour with new UK and European shows•
Miley has announced her new album ‘Bass Persuades’ and two huge Hollywood Bowl shows•
The Streets are taking ‘A Grand Don’t Come For Free’ back on the road•
Keo are heading to O2 Academy Brixton next March•
Fontaines D.C. have recruited Hayley Williams for a huge Slane Castle show•
Chloe Slater has turned online scrutiny into a single with 'I've Never Felt So Hated'•
James Marriott has announced a huge O2 Academy Brixton show•
MNEK is getting vulnerable about body image on new single ‘MUSCLE MARYS..’•
JENNIE has shared her new EP ‘Fallen Angel’ alongside its title-track video•
Nieve Ella is choosing desire over consequences on new single ‘Romance Is A Desert’•
underscores has shared ‘Unlimited Love’ alongside a Frost Children remix of ‘The Peace’•
Fontaines D.C. have announced their biggest headline tour yet, including London’s O2 Arena•
Haute & Freddy have shared their lusty new single ‘Touch Touch’•
Olivia Rodrigo has shared her fiery new track, ‘serena joy’•
Tame Impala has announced a 2027 UK and European tour with Wet Leg•
Audrey Hobert has unveiled a new video for 'Sex and the City' as she begins her headline tour•
The Dork 2025 Readers' Poll nominations are in, featuring CMAT, Turnstile, Wolf Alice, Djo, Hayley Williams and loads more•
flowerovlove has released her first-ever first Christmas track, 'wishlist'•
Mighty Hoopla and Olly Alexander have announced Trans Mission, a concert for trans solidarity•
JADE has announced a deluxe edition of her debut album, 'THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY! THE ENCORE'•
Dork
News
Features
Reviews
Magazine
  • Dork
  • Popzines
Shop
Listings
Directory
Festivals
Hype-THE BEST NEW NAMES, FIRST
Upset-DORK'S HOME FOR ALL THINGS LOUD
Festival Guides-YOUR ESSENTIAL FESTIVAL COMPANION
Hype-THE BEST NEW NAMES, FIRST
Mixtape-DORK'S BEST NEW TRACKS
Play-DORK'S NEW MUSIC FRIDAY EDIT
Upset-DORK'S HOME FOR ALL THINGS LOUD
Playlist Covers
Playlist Directory
Recommender
Before Doors-LIVE SESSIONS
After Gates-FESTIVAL SESSIONS
Music Video Directory
Down With Boring-THE DORK PODCAST
Chart Attack-UK NUMBER ONES, DISSECTED
Dork Live
Dork Radio
Live
Live 24/7
Dork Radio
Dork
Down With Boring

Join thousands of music lovers getting the best new tracks, exclusive interviews, and breaking news delivered straight to your inbox every week.

In print now

August 2026

Latest issue variants

View archive
Dork, August 2026 (Fat Dog cover)

Fat Dog

Dork, August 2026 (Ravyn Lenae cover)

Ravyn Lenae

Dork, August 2026 (Yard Act cover)

Yard Act

Advertise|Support|About Dork|Privacy Policy|Genres|Years|Sitemap|RSS|Cookie settings
© 2026 The Bunker Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.
Powered by PlaywireAdvertise on this site.
  1. Tracks
  2. Maroon 5
  3. V
  4. Animals
Animals by Maroon 5

SINGLE

Maroon 5

Animals

Release date: 1st September 2014

From V
Track 2
3:51
PopMusic
Spotify Apple Music More on Maroon 5

About This Track

Released on 25th August 2014 as the second single from Maroon 5's fifth studio album 'V', 'Animals' was written by Adam Levine with Benny Blanco and Shellback, who also produced the track. The song uses predator-prey imagery to frame a toxic relationship neither party can quite escape, Levine adopting the voice of someone who acknowledges the compulsion even as he leans into it.

The chorus literalises the metaphor with lines about hunting and scent, whilst the verses admit to a cycle of cutting ties and relapsing. The bridge strips the conceit down to its bluntest form, insisting on 'the beast inside' as something undeniable. It's a song about obsession dressed as inevitability, the animal language doing double duty as both seduction and warning.

The production, handled by Shellback, keeps the arrangement tight and the hook insistent, the repetition mirroring the lyrical subject's inability to move on. It's Maroon 5 leaning into darker subject matter without abandoning the melodic accessibility that had defined their previous work.

"Animals" is a single by Maroon 5 , from the album V, released 1st September 2014. The track is 3:51 long. It's filed under Pop. Full lyrics are available below.

About the Artist

Maroon 5

Maroon 5

Lyrics

Animals

Baby, I'm preying on you tonight
Hunt you down, eat you alive
Just like animals, animals
Like animals-mals

Maybe you think that you can hide
I can smell your scent for miles
Just like animals, animals
Like animals-mals, baby, I'm...

So, what you trying to do to me?
It's like we can't stop, we're enemies
But we get along when I'm inside you, yeah
You're like a drug that's killing me
I cut you out entirely
But I get so high when I'm inside you

Yeah, you can start over, you can run free
You can find other fish in the sea
You can pretend it's meant to be
But you can't stay away from me
I can still hear you making that sound
Taking me down, rolling on the ground
You can pretend that it was me, but no, oh

Baby, I'm preying on you tonight
Hunt you down, eat you alive
Just like animals, animals
Like animals-mals

Maybe you think that you can hide
I can smell your scent for miles
Just like animals, animals
Like animals-mals, baby, I'm...

So, if I run, it's not enough
You're still in my head, forever stuck
So you can do what you wanna do, yeah
I love your lies, I'll eat 'em up
But don't deny the animal
That comes alive when I'm inside you

Yeah, you can start over, you can run free
You can find other fish in the sea
You can pretend it's meant to be
But you can't stay away from me
I can still hear you making that sound
Taking me down, rolling on the ground
You can pretend that it was me, but no, oh!

Baby, I'm preying on you tonight
Hunt you down, eat you alive
Just like animals, animals
Like animals-mals

Maybe you think that you can hide (yeah)
I can smell your scent for miles
Just like animals, animals
Like animals-mals, baby, I'm...

Don't tell no lie, lie, lie, lie
You can't deny-ny-ny-ny
The beast inside, si-si-side
Yeah, yeah, yeah

No, girl, don't lie, lie, lie, lie (no, oh-oh)
You can't deny-ny-ny-ny (you can't deny)
The beast inside, si-si-side
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Yo-oh, oh
Whoa-oh, oh-oh
Whoa-oh, oh-oh-oh

Just like animals, animals
Like animals-mals
Just like animals (yeah), animals (yeah)
Like animals-mals (yeah)
Ah-ooh!

Baby, I'm preying on you tonight
Hunt you down, eat you alive
Just like animals (yeah), animals (oh)
Like animals-mals (oh-oh)

Maybe you think that you can hide
I can smell your scent for miles (for miles)
Just like animals (yeah), animals (yeah)
Like animals-mals (oh), baby, I'm...

Don't tell no lie, lie, lie, lie
You can't deny-ny-ny-ny (oh-oh, oh, oh)
The beast inside, si-si-side
Yeah, yeah, yeah

No, girl, don't lie, lie, lie, lie (no, no, don't lie)
You can't deny-ny-ny-ny (you can't deny)
The beast inside, si-si-side
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Lyrics provided by LRCLIB

View full lyrics page →

Track details

From V

3:512014Single
Listen
Album
V
V
Maroon 5
2nd September 2014
Track number
2
Release year
2014
  1. 1Maps
    3:10
  2. 2Animals
    3:51
  3. 3It Was Always You
    4:00
  4. 4Unkiss Me
    3:58

More from Maroon 5

Albums & EPs

Love Is Like
Love Is Like
2025
JORDI
JORDI
2021
Red Pill Blues
Red Pill Blues
2017
Singles
Singles
2015
V (Asia Tour Edition)
V (Asia Tour Edition)
2015
Overexposed
Overexposed
2012

Explore

More tracks by Maroon 5

  1. All NightLove Is Like
    2:45
  2. Burn Burn BurnLove Is Like
    2:34
  3. CaliforniaLove Is Like
    2:16
  4. CigarettesLove Is Like (Deluxe)
  5. CloserLove Is Like (Deluxe)
  6. Closer (Live)
  7. Crash On Me
  8. HideawayLove Is Like
    2:49
  9. I Like ItLove Is Like
    2:32
  10. Ice CreamLove Is Like (Deluxe)

Showing 10 of 20

If you like Maroon 5

OneRepublic

OneRepublic

Adam Levine

Adam Levine

The Script

The Script

Train

Train

Bruno Mars

Bruno Mars

Rixton

Rixton

5Sugar
3:56
  • 6Leaving California
    3:24
  • 7In Your Pocket
    3:40
  • 8New Love
    3:17
  • 9Coming Back for You
    3:47
  • 10Feelings
    3:15
  • 11My Heart Is Open (feat. Gwen Stefani)
    3:58
  • 12This Summer
    3:44
  • —My Heart Is Open

    • Credits

    Production & Engineering

    Writer
    Adam Levine, benny blanco, Shellback
    Writer
    Adam Levine, Benjamin Levin, Shellback (2)
    Producer
    Shellback
    Producer
    Shellback (2)
    Engineer
    Eric Eylands, John Hanes, Noah Passovoy, Tim Roberts
    Bass
    Mickey Madden, Shellback (2)
    Drums
    Matt Flynn, Shellback (2)
    Guitar
    Shellback (2)
    Keyboards
    Jesse Carmichael, PJ Morton, Shellback (2)
    Vocals
    Adam Levine
    Additional Bass
    Shellback
    Additional Drums
    Shellback
    Additional Guitar
    Shellback
    Additional Keyboards
    Shellback
    Assistant Engineer
    Eric Eylands, Phil Seaford
    Assistant Mixing Engineer
    Tim Roberts
    Background Vocals
    Shellback, Shellback (2)
    Electric Guitar
    James Valentine (2)
    Executive Producer
    Max Martin
    Instrumentation
    Shellback
    Lead Guitar
    James Valentine
    Mixing Engineer
    John Hanes, Șerban Ghenea
    Percussion
    Matt Flynn
    Performer
    Shellback (2)
    Programmer
    Shellback, Shellback (2)
    Recording Engineer
    Max Martin, Shellback, Shellback (2)
    READ MORE ABOUT MAROON 5 READ MORE ABOUT MAROON 5
    READ MORE ABOUT MAROON 5 READ MORE ABOUT MAROON 5

    No coverage available for Maroon 5 yet.