Animals

Pink Floyd’s “Animals” is the the first album you pick up when you are starting to listen to them. That spot is reserved for “Dark Side of the Moon” and “The Wall”. However, “Animals” is a marvelous album in its own right, and one of the absolute cornerstones of the Pink Floyd discography. “Animals” is based of of George Orwell’s famous “1984”, but it has differences. The main similarity is the the animals mentioned in each all represent a different type of human. By doing this, Pink Floyd successfully portrays capitalism as they view it: flawed and merciless. Although “1984” is a commentary on socialism, “Animals” is anti-capitalist in origin. Waters divided the capitalistic society into three different types of animals: Dogs, Pigs, and Sheep, each receiving a track on the album, sandwiched between the more hopeful Pigs on the Wing Parts I and II.

Dogs:The first type of human to be represented by an animal on the album is a dog. The dogs are high-powered businessmen. They are combative and cutthroat, they will stop at nothing to reach the ultimate standard of wealth and achievement. The dog has mastered the art of business, with the “sudden look in the eye, and an easy smile.” If you are a dog, you “have to be trusted by the people that you lie to, so that when they turn their back on you, you’ll get the chance to put the knife in.” This line is one of my favorites, as it shows the backstabbing nature of these businessmen. These businessmen, however, are not the super rich and wealthy, they have superiors, and are “given a pat on the back” when they do well. These men are “fitted with collar and chain” by their superiors, like dogs on leashes, and are “stranger(s) at home”, showing how they spend more time at work than with their families. However, this lifestyle catches up with them, as he becomes “a sad old man, all alone, dying of cancer.” He is dragged down by the “stone” which, in the song, symbolically fades into a sort of a barking sound, representative of a dog. The way of a Dog will not last.

Pigs (Three Different Ones): The Pigs are the super rich, the CEO’s, the billionaires, what have you. Three Different Ones refers to three specific individuals, of which only one is known for sure, because she is mentioned: Mary Whitehouse, who is notable for her anti-liberalism. Waters wrote Pigsto represent the super rich as incredibly manipulative, stopping at nothing to keep their wealth, control others, and remain on top of the social and economic ladder. He tells his employees to “keep on digging” while he relaxes and continues to make his money, and is portrayed by the media as a morally superior citizen, all through manipulation. The Pig truly is a disgusting example of Waters’ idea of Capitalism gone wrong.

Sheep: The Sheep are the final animals portrayed by Waters and they represent the common idea of sheep: followers. It is most likely that Waters meant this to be religious people. The Sheep are very united as a group, and they believe it is their duty to stay out of the way of things. “You better look out, there may be dogs about!” If you are a sheep, you are “harmlessly passing your time in the grassland away, only dimly aware of a certain unease in the air…” They either do not understand or choose not to acknowledge what is wrong with the world, for fear of being “devoured” by the dogs. They are “meek and obedient” and “follow the leader”. Then, an edited version of Psalm 23:

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want
He makes me down to lie
Through pastures green He leadeth me the silent waters by.
With bright knives He releaseth my soul.
He maketh me to hang on hooks in high places.
He converteth me to lamb cutlets,
For lo, He hath great power, and great hunger.
When cometh the day we lowly ones,
Through quiet reflection, and great dedication
Master the art of karate,
Lo, we shall rise up,
And then we’ll make the bugger’s eyes water.”

This shows, at least to me, that Waters is referring mainly to certain Christians showing blind faith and feeling morally superior. The edited Psalm shows that the Sheep plan to rise up as their God has made them strong. They decide to kill the other animals, perhaps due to their “moral insuperiority”. 

"Bleating and babbling I fell on his neck with a scream.
Wave upon wave of demented avengers 
March cheerfully out of obscurity into the dream.”

This is one of my all-time favorite song lyrics as it flows so well. In addition, demented avengers is the perfect way to describe the scene that I see in my head when I listen to this part of the song. Incredibly, after they overpower the other animals, they return to their homes and “do as [they’re] told”! They maintain the idea that they really are morally superior, even after causing the death of others.

"Animals" is a very politically charged album that once again showcases the magic of Pink Floyd with its metaphorical lyrics and mesmerizing music. It offers a view of capitalism that is both eye-opening and familiar at the same time, but the real reason the album shines is the music, which is an absolute joy to listen to.

MY RATINGS:

Music: 9.5/10

Concepts: 9.5/10

Story: N/A

OVERALL: 9.5/10