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 - ...)
Nights In White Satin 1
Eric Burdon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never reaching the end,
Letters I've written,
Never meaning to send
Beauty I'd always missed
With these eyes before,
Just what the truth is
'Cause I love you,
Yes, I love you,
Oh, how, I love you
Gazing at people,
Some hand in hand,
Just what I'm going thru'
They can understand
Some try to tell me
Thoughts they cannot defend,
Just what you want to be
You will be in the end,
And I love you,
Yes, I love you,
Oh, how, I love you
Oh, how, I love you
Nights in white satin,
Never reaching the end,
Letters I've written,
Never meaning to send
Beauty I'd always missed
With these eyes before,
Just what the truth is
I can't say anymore
'Cause I love you,
Yes, I love you,
Oh, how, I love you
Oh, how, I love you
'Cause I love you,
Yes, I love you,
Oh, how, I love you
Oh, how, I love you
The lyrics of the song Nights in White Satin by Eric Burdon and The Animals speak of unrequited love and the pain of not being able to express it. The singer talks about writing letters to their love interest but never sending them because they fear rejection. They also mention how they had missed out on seeing true beauty before and how they cannot comprehend the truth anymore. Throughout the song, they express their love for their partner and how they feel that no one can understand their current state of mind except the person they love. The song ends with the repetition of the words “I love you” - a testament to the depth of emotion the singer feels for their partner.
The song is also about the complexity of human emotions and relationships. The singer talks about how even though some people may seem to understand what they are going through, they cannot fully comprehend their thoughts and feelings. This highlights the uniqueness of every human emotion and how it can be difficult to communicate with others about what one is going through.
Nights in White Satin was a commercial success, reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart and number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was originally recorded by The Moody Blues, and Eric Burdon and The Animals released it as a cover version. The song has since become a classic rock standard and has been covered by numerous artists over the years.
Line by Line Meaning
Nights in white satin,
Eric Burdon and The Animals spent many nights in a luxurious and pure white fabric which symbolized the endlessness of their emotions.
Never reaching the end,
Their journey of love was never-ending and does not seem to have any closure.
Letters I've written,
Burdon had written many letters expressing his emotions.
Never meaning to send
However, he never intended to send these letters to the receiver, possibly because he was unsure about the other person’s feelings.
Beauty I'd always missed
Burdon never realized the beauty of life and his surroundings until he experienced it through this journey of love.
With these eyes before,
He had seen the exterior beauty of life but now it's more profound and with deeper meaning.
Just what the truth is
Burdon is unsure about what reality holds and what he perceives as truth may not be so.
I can't say anymore
He can no longer confidently answer this question.
'Cause I love you,
The reason for all of these emotions is that Burdon truly loves the other person.
Yes, I love you,
There is no hesitation in the confession of his love.
Oh, how, I love you
The deepness of his love is so profound, it cannot be described or measured.
Gazing at people,
Burdon is looking at other people who may also be in love.
Some hand in hand,
Some of them are holding hands, which is seen as a symbol of love and affection.
Just what I'm going thru'
Burdon is going through a range of emotions related to love which cannot be expressed in words.
They can understand
Others who are also in love can empathize with his feelings and understand his current state of mind.
Some try to tell me
Some people try to advise him.
Thoughts they cannot defend,
Their advice cannot be justified or put into words.
Just what you want to be
Burdon is unsure about his future and what he wants to achieve in life.
You will be in the end,
Whatever decision he makes, it will ultimately shape his life and future.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Justin Hayward
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind