Burdon left also this band and run back to stardome in the mid-70s with The Eric Burdon Band producing heavy rocking songs. He went on forming short-living groups such as Eric Burdon's Fire Dept. in 1980, another Eric Burdon Band in 1981, especially for a motion picture-starring role in Comeback for which he made the soundtrack and a reunion band with The Animals in 1983 to get back to the Mainstream Charts. The 1980s saw Burdon in genres such as heavy metal, new wave, pop, reggae, disco, blues, rock and roll, punk, funk and rap. He also published his album "I Used To Be An Animal" as well as his autobiography with the same title. He went on touring in stadiums as well as in small clubs around the world.
In 1990 he formed the Eric Burdon & Robby Krieger Band who toured mainly in America. They recorded some demo tapes, but never released them. In 1991 he toured the world again as Eric Burdon & Brian Auger Band. They released a double-live album, "Access All Areas" in 1993, showing versions of Burdon's old hits in new musical outfits, once again as a blues, metal, reggae and fusion performer.
In 1994 they got disbanded, Burdon got introduced into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where he performed 1995 with Bon Jovi and created a new group of high-professional musicians, Eric Burdon's i Band. They disbanded in 1998 and he formed Eric Burdon & The New Animals. In 2003 they changed their name in Eric Burdon & The Animals, after some band changes. In 2004 the long awaited studio-album "My Secret Life" was released and brought him back into the mainstream charts and in late 2005 the live album "Athens Traffic Live" was released.
Burdon formed a new band-line-up, also touring as Eric Burdon & The Animals. In January 2006 he released "Soul of a Man", with good critics worldwide. He wanted to create an album who is dedicated to the blues and rnb. Since then he toured the world without a break, always looking for new material, performing with other famous musicians.
Recently, Burdon wrote a screenplay called "Twisted Oliver" and is working on a new studio album. He turned down tours with War and Linkin Park in the last year, but it seems that the new year is bringing many surprises.
Many of his bands also used elements of speed metal, thrash metal, grindcore and death metal.
He's definitely one of the most important people in music history, while recording the first #1 hit with a length more than four minutes, "House of the Rising Sun", the most popular anti-vietnam song "We Gotta Get out of this Place", the first song recorded in stereo, "Sky Pilot" and the first latin rap in pop music, "Spill the Wine". His self-written rock song "Year of the Guru" (1968) proves that he created the first rap rock-song. His political environment can be seen in his multi-racial project with the band War from late 1969 to early 1971. In 2008 he reunited with the band at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Without his experimental vocals, hip hop, rap, heavy metal, rock, pop and rnb would have a completely different face.
His singing style and music also influenced artists such as Joe Cocker, The Doors, Deep Purple, The Brute Chorus, Ted Nugent, Janis Joplin, The Sonics, Steppenwolf, Chester Bennington, Bruce Springsteen, The Black Crowes, Tom Petty, The White Stripes, Ryan Adams, John Mellencamp, The Compulsive Gamblers, The Vines, Julian Thome, The Hives, MC5 and many more.
In November 2008 the magazine Rolling Stone ranked him #57 on their list of the Best Singers of all Times.
Formations:
The Animals & Sonny Boy Williamson (December 30, 1963)
The Animals (1964 - September 1966, 1976, 1983/84)
Eric Burdon & The Animals (1967 - 1968)
Eric Burdon & War (1969 - 1971)
Eric Burdon & Jimmy Witherspoon (1971)
The Eric Burdon Band (1973 - 1975)
Eric Burdon's Fire Department (1980)
Eric Burdon, Robbie Krieger & Friends (1990)
Eric Burdon & Brian Auger Band (1991 - 1993)
Eric Burdon's I Band (1995 - 1998)
Eric Burdon & The New Animals (1999 - 2002)
Eric Burdon (1976 - ...)
40 days
Eric Burdon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Since my baby left this town
Sunshinin' all day long
But the rain keep comin' down
She's my life I need her so
Why she left I just don't know
Forty days and forty nights
Keep rainin' all the time
But the river is runnin' dry
Lord help me it just ain't right
I love that girl with all-a my might
Forty days and forty nights
Since my baby broke my heart
Searchin' for her in a while
Like a blind man in the dark
Love can make a poor man rich
Or break his heart I don't know which
Forty days and forty nights
Like a ship out on the sea
Prayin' for her each night
That she would come back-a home to me
Life is love and love is right
I hope she come back home tonight
The lyrics to Eric Burdon's "40 Days" evoke a sense of longing and heartbreak. The singer laments the absence of his lover, stating that it has been forty days and nights since she left town. Despite the sunshine, rain continues to pour, symbolizing the singer's persistent sadness. He confesses that he needs her in his life but doesn't understand why she left.
As the song progresses, the singer continues to express his sorrow, stating that he has cried for forty days and nights. While the rain still falls, the river has run dry, emphasizing the hopelessness of his situation. He asks for God's help, imploring that his love for the girl is true and sincere.
The third stanza sees the singer searching for his lover, comparing himself to a blind man in the dark. He acknowledges the power of love, stating that it can either make a man rich or break his heart. In the final stanza, the singer compares his situation to being lost at sea, hoping each night that his lover will return home. He concludes by stating that life is about love and that he hopes she will return to him.
Overall, the lyrics to "40 Days" are a poignant representation of heartbreak and longing. The repetitive nature of the chorus, with the constant mention of forty days and nights, emphasizes the singer's sense of time standing still. Burdon's delivery of the lyrics is emotive, with his powerful vocals conveying the singer's desperation and yearning.
Line by Line Meaning
Forty days and forty nights
It has been 40 days and nights since his love interest left town.
Since my baby left this town
His significant other left the town, and he's been longing for her ever since.
Sunshinin' all day long
Despite the sun shining all day, he's still feeling terrible as she's not around.
But the rain keeps comin' down
Though it's sunny outside, he feels like it's raining every day since she's gone.
She's my life I need her so
He cannot imagine his life without her and needs her back in his life.
Why she left I just don't know
He's unsure of the reasons why his partner left him.
Since I set right down and cried
He's been crying nonstop for forty days and nights since she left.
Keep rainin' all the time
He feels like it's raining all the time because of his emotional distress.
But the river is runnin' dry
Despite it raining all the time, he feels like he's run out of tears after crying so much.
Lord help me it just ain't right
He's pleading for some divine intervention because he can't believe that she's gone.
I love that girl with all-a my might
He loves her with everything that he has, and he can't imagine life without her.
Since my baby broke my heart
His significant other broke his heart, and he's been searching for her ever since.
Searchin' for her in a while
He's been searching for her for some time, but he hasn't been successful yet.
Like a blind man in the dark
He feels like he's lost and unable to find her, much like a blind man in the dark.
Love can make a poor man rich
Love has the power to make someone feel rich even if they're poor in material possessions.
Or break his heart I don't know which
On the flip side, love can also break someone's heart, and he's unsure which way it'll go for him.
Like a ship out on the sea
He feels like he's lost at sea, with no direction or sense of where to go next.
Prayin' for her each night
He spends his nights praying for her safe return and to come back to him.
That she would come back-a home to me
He's desperate for her return and hopes she'll come back to him where she belongs.
Life is love and love is right
For him, life revolves around love, and it's the only thing that feels right.
I hope she come back home tonight
He's hoping that tonight is the night where she'll come back home to him.
Contributed by Sadie R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.