Pearl Jam discussed “Animal” off of Vs. on the new SiriusXM special celebrating the album’s 25th anniversary on SiriusXM. Alternative Nation transcribed their comments.
Stone Gossard: Animal was a song I remember working on in the Potato Head Gallery, which was our rehearsal place. I can’t remember when I wrote sort of the main riff, but I remember bringing it in. We must have rehearsed it a couple of times in Seattle before we went to the studio, and it was just basically two parts, sort of the main riff and a little riff change. Jeff wrote the movement in the bass, which sort of defines a couple of big parts in the song. It really is kind of a coproduction with Jeff.
Jeff Ament: That was one of the 4 or 5 really super aggressive tracks off the Vs. record. We were trying to load up the front of this record with some good energy, so that fits right in there.
Eddie Vedder: Animal, I’m looking at the lyric sheet, and that’s the one lyric that’s not printed out really, and I think that was for a reason. I didn’t explain it then, and I’m not going to explain it now.
Lyrics:
One, two, three, four, five against one
Five, five, five against one
Said one, two, three, four, five against one
Five, five, five, five, five against one
Torture from you to me, yeah
Abducted from the street
I’d rather be
I’d rather be with
I’d rather be with an animal
Why would you want to hurt me? Oh
So frightened of your pain
I’d rather be
I’d rather be with
I’d rather be with an animal
I’d rather be
I’d rather be
I’d rather be with an animal
I’d rather be
I’d rather be with
I’d rather be with an animal
I’d rather be
I’d rather be
I’d rather be with an animal
Said one, two, three, four, five against one
Five, five, five, five, five against one
One, two, three, four, five against one
Five, five, five, five, five against one, said
