"Animal (F**k Like a Beast)" is a song by American
heavy metal band
W.A.S.P. It was originally intended to be the opening track on their
self-titled 1984 debut album, but was dropped before the album's release, although it appears as a bonus track on the 1998 reissue. Written by
Blackie Lawless
Steven Edward Duren (born September 4, 1956), better known by his stage name Blackie Lawless, is an American singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist (formerly bassist) for heavy metal band W.A.S.P.B ...
, the song was released as the band's first single.
In the United States, the song was first released in a live version in 1988. The studio version was available in that region only in 1998, on the reissue of
W.A.S.P.'s debut album, which omitted the asterisks used to censor the title originally.
History
Recorded in early 1984, the debut single intended for the self-titled album of ''
W.A.S.P.'' was close to not being released at all after being dropped from the album. Deemed too controversial,
Capitol Records did not want to risk the album being banned from major retail chains.
The record company had subsequent plans to release the single only in Europe, in a black plastic bag and with a warning sticker about the explicit lyrics. Capitol backed out at the last minute and the single was shelved until the band was able to strike a one-off publishing deal with the independent label
Music For Nations
Music For Nations (MFN) is a British independent record label focusing mainly on rock and metal. It was a subsidiary of the larger label distributor Zomba Records, which was a division of BMG and later Sony Music Entertainment.
Launched i ...
.
The single was finally released in April 1984, complete with the original sleeve and art depicting a
codpiece
A codpiece () is a triangular piece that attached to the front of men's hose, covering the fly. It may be held in place by ties or buttons. It was an important fashion item of European clothing during the 15th–16th centuries. In the modern er ...
and a
circular saw blade.
Story behind the lyrics
According to a 1997 article that accompanied a reissue of W.A.S.P's debut album which features this track, the basis of the song, according to an article in ''
Kerrang!
''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...
'' magazine, was that Lawless had observed a photo of two
lions mating in ''
National Geographic'' magazine. The ''Kerrang!'' article was penned by assistant editor Dante Bonutto, who had written the magazine's first cover feature on the band, originally published in April 1984.
1984 debut singles
1984 songs
W.A.S.P. songs
Obscenity controversies in music
Restless Records singles
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