| Cover | Of Monsters and Men - "Dirty Paws".jpg |
|---|---|
| Artist | Of Monsters and Men |
| Album | My Head Is an Animal |
| Released | 12 April 2012 |
| Recorded | 2011–12 |
| Genre | Indie folk · indie pop |
| Length | 4:38 |
| Label | Universal |
| Writer | Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir · Ragnar Þórhallsson |
| Producer | Of Monsters and Men · Aron Arnarsson |
| Prev year | 2011 |
| Next year | 2012 |
"Dirty Paws" is a song written and recorded by Icelandic band Of Monsters and Men for their debut studio album, My Head Is an Animal (2011). It is the opening track and the title of the album comes from a line in the song, and was released as its second single in April 2012 in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Europe. The lyrics describe a war among animals, launched by the bees against the birds, but won by an alliance of animals against them.
It was featured in the trailer and soundtrack to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. In 2021, it was also featured in the first episode of Sweet Tooth.
Lyric video
A lyric video to the song was released in 2014. The video features a large two-legged creature carrying a flag through an Icelandic mountainscape, with squadrons of phoenix-like birds flying in the sky.
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (2012–2014) | Peak position |
|---|
Year-end charts
| Chart (2014) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[1] | 98 |
References
- ^ "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs – Year-End 2014". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 31, 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2025.