Animal I Have Become

2006 single by Three Days Grace

"Animal I Have Become" is a song by Canadian rock band Three Days Grace. It was released on April 10, 2006, as the first single from their second studio album, One X. The song was released digitally on April 18, 2006. The song spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and two weeks at No. 1 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song alongside "Riot" are used in the video game, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007. It is the band's first single with their fourth member Barry Stock. Critical reception to the song was generally favorable, with emphasis on the song's catchiness combined with its thick guitars.

Lead singer Adam Gontier has stated that while he was addicted to the painkiller OxyContin, he was abusive and angry and had no idea who he was anymore. He wrote "Animal I Have Become" while in rehab for his addiction. Gontier also added, "'Animal I Have Become' is my realization that change had to happen, I had to ask for help." The band wrote a demo version of the song in 2004 while on a bus in Germany. Bassist Brad Walst spoke to Billboard about the song stating, "I remember saying [that] that riff would be great heavy. As soon as we got back to North America, we started jamming it as a heavy song, and it was like, 'Shit, I think we've nailed it.'" before it was released as a single for radio airplay on April 10, 2006.

The video was directed by Dean Karr and was shot in downtown Toronto. It was released on April 24, 2006.

Music critics widely described "Animal I Have Become" as a highlight of One X. Writing for Melodic, Kaj Roth praised "Animal I Have Become" as "really good" and a "great single" from the album. In a review of One X for The Lewiston Tribune, journalist Nate Gibb named the song as "catchy tune" with thick guitars and "straightforward beats." Similarly to Gibb in his review, AllMusic's Corey Apar singled out "Animal I Have Become" as having "a slight singsongy chorus to complement the track's thick riffing."

RegionDateFormatLabelRef(s). (Reference(s)) United States April 10, 2006 Alternative radio Jive Various April 18, 2006 Digital download