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 - ...)
Over The Border
Eric Burdon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He made his living selling heroin
I checked the cactus it don't need no water
TV set it was quite a salaughter
Slam the hood down on the Plymoth Roadrunner
Put the cigar out I don't like the smell or the flavor
Check your mirror and then check your radiator
Over the Border
I caught a plane out of Cincinnati
He was a third generation pimp kind of pretty
He laughed as he asked me for a favor
I put a 9mm in his ear and said I see you later
Slam the hood down on the Plymoth Roadrunner
Put the cigar out I don't like the smell or the flavor
Check your mirror and then check your radiator
Where we going, where we going
Over the Border
All you really needed was to be somebody
They took the kindness from your eyes
That's the break how you like them
30 years on the highway running
I've got a trunk full of guns no love and no woman
So I sleeped into this bar in downtown Miami
There is a cocaine czar making lot's of money
Check the safety on both your ouzi's
30 seconds later it's a kind of gooey
Slam the hood down on the Plymoth Roadrunner
Put the cigar out I don't like the smell or the flavor
Check your mirrors and then check your radiator
Where we going, where we going
Over the Border
Where we going, where we going
Over the Border
The lyrics of Over The Border by Eric Burdon are about a person who is on the run and is trying to escape from their past life. They are trying to escape their previous crimes and the people they have encountered on the way. The first verse talks about how the singer is leaving Hong Kong and closing the door on a man who sold heroin. He then checks everything in the house and the car as if he is being followed or watched. The chorus, "Where we going, where we going Over the Border," shows that the singer doesn't know where they're going.
The second verse mentions how the singer takes a plane out of Cincinnati, and they meet a pimp who asks for a favor. The singer doesn't like the sound of it and puts a 9mm gun to his ear. The chorus, "Where we going, where we going Over the Border," is repeated to show that they're still on the move. The final verse is about the singer stopping at a bar in Miami where they find a cocaine dealer making lots of money. The verse ends with the chorus, and it seems like the singer will continue running.
Line by Line Meaning
I closed the door on a Hong Kong man
I refused to associate with someone who was involved in the illegal and dangerous practice of selling heroin.
He made his living selling heroin
This man's livelihood was centered around selling drugs, which is a serious crime and poses a significant risk to those who use the drugs.
I checked the cactus it don't need no water
I made sure to take care of my belongings, but also recognized which things didn't require my attention, like a sturdy cactus plant.
TV set it was quite a slaughter
I witnessed something intense or violent on TV, which may have affected me emotionally or mentally.
Slam the hood down on the Plymoth Roadrunner
I made a forceful gesture, possibly to indicate anger or frustration, towards my car, a Plymouth Roadrunner.
Put the cigar out I don't like the smell or the flavor
I actively chose not to smoke a cigar because I didn't enjoy it.
Check your mirror and then check your radiator
I made sure to keep tabs on both my car and my surroundings, recognizing the importance of remaining aware and alert to potential issues or dangers.
Where we going, where we going
I am expressing a sense of urgency around our destination, indicating that we are moving quickly and possibly recklessly.
I caught a plane out of Cincinnati
I took a flight out of Cincinnati, indicating that I am traveling and potentially escaping something or someone.
He was a third generation pimp kind of pretty
I encountered a man who was involved in the illegal and morally bankrupt practice of pimping, though he was physically attractive.
He laughed as he asked me for a favor
Despite the fact that I had a gun and was potentially threatening, this man felt secure enough to make light of the situation and ask me for help.
I put a 9mm in his ear and said I see you later
I resorted to violence and intimidation to get what I wanted, threatening this man with a gun and then leaving him.
All you really needed was to be somebody
I reflect on the idea that people are often driven by a need for power, status, and validation, which can lead them to make questionable decisions or adopt unsavory behaviors.
They took the kindness from your eyes
I suggest that people who are consumed by greed and ambition may lose the kindness and compassion that can make them human.
That's the break how you like them
I express a resigned attitude towards the challenges and obstacles that life has thrown my way, recognizing that these difficulties may be beyond my control.
30 years on the highway running
I have spent several decades on the move, potentially traveling for work or as a means of escaping something.
I've got a trunk full of guns no love and no woman
I am alone and well-armed, reflecting a sense of isolation and potential danger.
So I sleeped into this bar in downtown Miami
I entered a bar in Miami, potentially looking for a way to pass the time or to find companionship.
There is a cocaine czar making lot's of money
I observe someone who is profiting off the illegal drug trade and potentially perpetuating negative social outcomes and harm to others.
Check the safety on both your ouzi's
I feel the need to be constantly prepared for danger, checking the safety mechanisms on my weapons to ensure I am able to defend myself if necessary.
30 seconds later it's a kind of gooey
I describe a scene of violence or conflict, suggesting that something has been destroyed or broken, perhaps even violently.
Where we going, where we going
I continue to emphasize the sense of haste and urgency around our journey, indicating that we are potentially making choices that are reckless or dangerous.
Over the Border
I suggest that our destination lies beyond the relative safety of the border, indicating that we may be entering into a dangerous or precarious situation.
Contributed by Caleb T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.