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 - ...)
Feeling blue
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
Eric Burdon's "Feeling Blue" is a sad, nostalgic song about a man who is heartbroken and struggling to come to terms with the fact that his lover has left him. The lyrics speak of the pain and loneliness that he is feeling, as well as his desperate need for the woman he loves. The first verse mentions that it has been forty days and forty nights since his baby left. Despite the sun shining all day long, the rain keeps coming down, symbolizing the constant sense of gloom that he feels. He mentions that he needs her in his life and doesn't understand why she left.
The second verse continues with his feelings of despair, highlighting that he has been crying for all of the forty days and nights since she left. Despite the never-ending rain, the river is running dry, perhaps symbolizing that his feelings for her are slowly fading away. The man acknowledges that it's not right, but he loves her with all his might.
The third verse expresses his frustration at not being able to find her - he is searching for her like a blind man in the dark. He says that love has the power to make a poor man rich or break his heart, and he doesn't know which has happened to him. The final verse touches on the hope that he has that she will come back to him as he prays for her each night. He believes that life is love and love is right, maybe hopeful that they will find their way back to each other.
Overall, "Feeling Blue" is a raw and honest reflection on heartbreak, showcasing the intensity of emotions one can feel when going through a breakup. Eric Burdon's soulful voice and the bluesy melody add to the bittersweet atmosphere of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Forty days and forty nights
It has been a long period of time since my lover left me.
Since my baby left this town
My lover left this town and I feel incomplete without her presence.
Sunshinin' all day long
The weather is bright and perfect but it doesn't uplift my mood as I still feel blue.
But the rain keep comin' down
My sadness and despair remain constant, just like the rain that keeps pouring.
She's my life I need her so
My lover is my reason to live and I am unable to function without her.
Why she left I just don't know
I cannot fathom the reason behind my lover leaving me, it is beyond my understanding.
Since I set right down and cried
I have been constantly crying since the day my lover left me.
Keep rainin' all the time
Just like the rain, my tears keep falling and show no signs of stopping.
But the river is runnin' dry
Despite my constant tears, I feel like I am emotionally drained and empty inside.
Lord help me it just ain't right
I am in dire need of divine intervention as the situation I am in feels unjust.
I love that girl with all-a my might
I am deeply and completely in love with my lover, and losing her feels unbearable.
Since my baby broke my heart
My lover has caused me immense emotional pain by breaking my heart.
Searchin' for her in a while
I have been trying to find my lover, hoping to reconcile and mend our relationship.
Like a blind man in the dark
My search for my lover feels futile and directionless, like a blind man trying to navigate in the dark.
Love can make a poor man rich
Love has the power to uplift and make a person feel rich and abundant, even if they lack material wealth.
Or break his heart I don't know which
However, love can also cause immense pain and heartbreak, and I am unsure which experience I am currently going through.
Like a ship out on the sea
I feel lost and adrift, like a ship lost in the vast expanse of the sea.
Prayin' for her each night
I pray and hope every night that my lover will come back to me and mend our relationship.
That she would come back-a home to me
I yearn for my lover to return to me and our shared home so we can be together once again.
Life is love and love is right
Love is an essential part of life and doing what is right for love is the only way to live.
I hope she come back home tonight
I wish and hope that my lover will return to me tonight so that we can be reunited and start anew.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ERIC BIBB
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind