The song originated with its opening riff, written by guitarist Bernard Butler who was inspired "totally secretly" by "Smells Like Teen Spirit".

[5] According to Butler, he conceived this guitar part during rehearsal in early 1992 and presented it to singer Brett Anderson, who was slow to warm to it.

"[6] Chris Jones, reviewing Suede's debut album for the BBC, concurred: "Despite its punning title it’s a thrill-seeking slice of cynicism that perfectly summed up what it was like to be young and chemically imbalanced in the nation’s capital at the time.

Initially, Anderson was convinced that the ballad "Sleeping Pills" would be the third single, but he was overruled by Nude Records owner Saul Galpern who insisted that "Nitrate" had the broader commercial appeal.

"[10] Indeed, Anderson had stated in the first Melody Maker cover story in April 1992 that his fantasy was to have written a top-10 UK single about "some bizarre sexual experience.

[15] At the time this was considered a rare feat for an indie band, something which Saul Galpern points to the Brits performance as the reason for its success.

Two weeks prior to the release of the single, Sony Music Sweden had ordered finished product directly from Nude Records and sent it to key radio producers, media and retailers.

The promotion efforts paid off when "Animal Nitrate" became a big radio hit in Sweden and generated strong interest in the band's first Swedish gig.

"[3] Richard Plunkett of The Age awarded it 'Single of the Week', writing: "This single is their album's strongest, an irresistible mix of strange guitar riffery, manic rhythm section and a personality desperately craving to be noticed.

"[21] Previewing the band’s 27 March show at Dublin’s Tivoli Theatre, Tony Clayton-Lea of the Sunday Tribune called it "a cracker of a song.

He wrote: "Brett's ever so English (and ever so affected) vocals judder through sometimes awkward guitars in what ends up as, at times, just a jittery and sinister racket.

[28] A 2010 Radio X poll of listeners, presenters and a team of experts compiled a list of the top 1000 songs of all time, where "Animal Nitrate" ranked at No.

"[31] Paul Nolan of Hot Press called the song "one of the greatest singles of the ’90s," in a review of the band's first night performance of their eponymous album at the 2011 three-night residency at the Dublin Olympia Theatre.

The band caused some controversy with the video as scenes involving a fat lady in a bikini, and someone kissing a man with a pig's head were cut from various screenings.

[33] In the UK, the ITV network refused to air the video during daytime programming as it features scenes of two men kissing and embracing.

Howard Wuelfing, a New York publicist for Columbia Records, defended the video as mere "flirting with sexual imagery... through androgyny.

[48] Zachary Houle of PopMatters wrote that the cover "strip[ped] away all of the glam" of the original, making it "a straightforward rock anthem.

[51] In September 2015, the Libertines performed a live version of the song at a gig at Camden's Dublin Castle in London.