Eric Victor Burdon (May 11, 1941 in Newcastle, England) is a singer. He for… Read Full Bio ↴Eric Victor Burdon (May 11, 1941 in Newcastle, England) is a singer. He formed The Animals in 1963, a blues rock group who were one of the early influences of punk rock. They were known for their organ-guitar sound and Burdon's aggressive show performance, screaming, growling and howling. In September 1966 he formed Eric Burdon & The Animals, a psychedelic/progressive/hard rock group, who influenced grunge, heavy metal and the modern alternative rock genre. When they disbanded in late 1968, Burdon formed War, an experimental funk/soul/jazz/blues/latin rock-outfit.

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 - ...)

Light Out
Eric Burdon Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Standin' on the front porch
I grabbed her and I kissed her
Boy was I surprised
When I heard your little sister

Lights out, lights out
Glad now that the lights went out
Sister knows what it's all about

What you do when the lights go out

Mama looked at me
She was peeping through the window
When she looked at me
Boy you think I was a sinner

Now I'm on the front porch
Sitting on the swing
I can almost hear
Them wedding bells ring

Now we married
And we got a little home

A cute little sister
When the lights go out

Overall Meaning

The song "Lights Out" by Eric Burdon is a tale of a mischievous couple who are caught by the girl's little sister when they are passionately kissing on the front porch of the girl's home. The lyrics describe how the singer is surprised when he hears the little sister's voice and realizes that they have been caught. He continues to sing about how they enjoy their secret rendezvous in the darkness and how the girl's mother disapproves of their behavior.

The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "lights out," which refers to the moment when they are caught by the girl's little sister. However, the singer also seems to celebrate this moment because he is glad that the lights went out and that they were able to act on their impulses without getting caught.

The last part of the song describes how the couple gets married and starts a family. However, the final line of the song, "When the lights go out," suggests that their passion never dies and that they continue to enjoy secret encounters in the darkness.

Overall, "Lights Out" is a nostalgic song that celebrates the thrill of young love and the rebelliousness of youth. It captures a moment in time when everything is exciting and forbidden, and the lovers are able to find joy in the shadows.

Line by Line Meaning

Standin' on the front porch
I was outside my house, checking everything out

I grabbed her and I kissed her
I showed affection to the person beside me

Boy was I surprised
I was shocked by what happened next

When I heard your little sister
I became aware that someone heard or caught us

Lights out, lights out
The electricity has stopped working

Glad now that the lights went out
I became relieved because that incident was covered by darkness

Sister knows what it's all about
Someone else has personal experience with what happened

What you do when the lights go out
The act that took place when the lights went out is kept a secret

Mama looked at me
My mother saw what happened

She was peeping through the window
She was secretly looking out from the window

When she looked at me
When she faced me again