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 - ...)
Mama Told Me Not To Come
Eric Burdon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or sugar with your tea?
What are these crazy questions
That they're asking of me?
This is the wildest party there ever could be
Oh, don't turn on the light 'cause I don't want to see
Mama told me not to come
Mama said, "That ain't no way to have fun"
Open up the window, let some air into this room
I think I'm almost choking on the smell of stale perfume
And that cigarette you're smoking 'bout to scare me half to death
Open up the window, let me catch my breath
The radio is blasting, someone beatin' on the door
Our hostess is not lastin', she's out on the floor
I seen so many things here I ain't never seen before
I don't know what it is but I don't wanna see no more
Mama told me not to come
Mama told me not to come
Mama said, "That ain't no way to have fun"
The lyrics to Eric Burdon & The Animals's song Mama Told Me Not To Come are about a wild party where the singer is being asked strange questions like whether they want whiskey with their water or sugar with their tea. The party is so wild that the singer doesn't want to turn on the light because they don't want to see it. The singer's mother had warned them not to come to parties like this, telling them that it wasn't a way to have fun.
The singer is almost choking on the smell of stale perfume and asks for the window to be opened to let in some air. The cigarette smoke is also bothering them. The radio is blasting and someone is beating on the door. The hostess, who is not doing well, is on the floor. The singer has seen things at this party that they have never seen before and doesn't want to see anymore.
The song is both a cautionary tale and a commentary on the counterculture of the 1960s. The singer's mother represents the conventional and conservative values of an earlier generation. The lyrics show the singer's reluctance to fully embrace the new lifestyle of drugs, music, and sexual promiscuity that was prevalent during this time.
Line by Line Meaning
Will you have whiskey with your water
Do you prefer to have whiskey mixed with your water?
Or sugar with your tea?
Or do you prefer to have sugar added to your tea?
What are these crazy questions
Why are they asking such strange and unusual questions?
That they're asking of me?
Why are they directing these questions at me?
This is the wildest party there ever could be
This is the most chaotic and bizarre party that could exist
Oh, don't turn on the light 'cause I don't want to see
Please don't turn on the lights because I don't want to witness anything tonight
Mama told me not to come
My mother advised me not to attend this party
Mama told me not to come
My mother advised me not to attend this party
Mama said, "That ain't no way to have fun"
My mother believed that this is not a proper way to enjoy oneself
Open up the window, let some air into this room
Please open the window and allow some fresh air to circulate inside this room
I think I'm almost choking on the smell of stale perfume
I feel like I'm struggling to breathe due to the overwhelming scent of old perfume
And that cigarette you're smoking 'bout to scare me half to death
Watching you smoke that cigarette is making me extremely anxious
Open up the window, let me catch my breath
Please open the window and allow me to take a deep breath
The radio is blasting, someone beatin' on the door
The radio is playing loudly, and I can hear someone pounding on the door
Our hostess is not lastin', she's out on the floor
The hostess is not doing well, and has collapsed on the ground
I seen so many things here I ain't never seen before
I have witnessed countless strange and unfamiliar things at this party
I don't know what it is but I don't wanna see no more
I don't understand what's happening, but I don't want to witness any more of it
Mama told me not to come
My mother advised me not to attend this party
Mama told me not to come
My mother advised me not to attend this party
Mama said, "That ain't no way to have fun"
My mother believed that this is not a proper way to enjoy oneself
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RANDY NEWMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Marti Grant
OMG. I can't believe I'm just now discovering The Animals' version of this song. The epitome of this band.
Laurentia T
They were the original version
Laurentia T
It was written by Randy Newman, first performed by the Animals
James Berry
It was written by Randy Newman. Very odd hearing to him singing and playing piano
Pedro Escamilla
Me too! I always thought 3DogNight was the first release.
pam wilson
Got the album
Stan Menshic
A great song & perfect example of a transition from pure RnB to more soul & psychedelic regions. Honestly Eric Burdon and the Animals not only kept pace but were up there at the very forefront with the very best bands right through the 1960's.
Keith Arnold
They were way before their time.
PlanetRockJesus
I just learned tonight that Randy Newman (of Toy Story's "You've Got a Friend in Me" fame) wrote this song. Eric Burden was the first to cover it, and if you listen to Randy's version, and then Eric's version, you can hear how Eric's contributions to the song influenced Three Dog Night's version, which hit #1!!! Randy Newman is an huge talent. Did you know that his uncle wrote the music for the 20th Century Fox movie intro thingy? And Randy Newman's family is "the most nominated Academy Award extended family," with a collective 92 nominations in various music categories. Wow!
k t trouble
Also wrote"you can leave your hat on" "naked man" "rednecks" and scores of other undisney like tunes. An amazing body of work