San Franciscan Nights
Eric Burdon Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

This following program is dedicated to the city
And people of San Francisco
Who may not know it but they are beautiful
And so is their city
This is a very personal song
So if the viewer cannot understand it
Particularly those of you who are European residents
Save up all your bread
And fly Trans-Love airways to San Francisco U.S.A.
Then maybe you'll understand the song
It will be worth it
If not for the sake of this song
But for the sake of your own peace of mind

Strobe lights beam creates dreams
Walls move, minds do too
On a warm San Franciscan night
Old child, young child, feel alright
On a warm San Franciscan night
Angels sing leather wings
Jeans of blue Harley Davidsons too
On a warm San Franciscan night
Old angel, young angel, feel alright
On a warm San Franciscan night

I wasn't born there
Perhaps I'll die there
There's no place left to go
San Francisco

Cop's face is filled with hate
Heavens above, he's on a street called love
When will they ever learn?
Old cop, young cop, feel alright
On a warm San Franciscan night

The children are cool
They don't raise fools




It's an american dream
Includes Indians too

Overall Meaning

This song is a tribute to San Francisco and the people who live there. The opening lines of the song dedicate the track to those living in the city, emphasizing their beauty and that of their home. The singer recognizes that San Francisco, and the song he is to sing, may not be readily understood, especially by European audiences. He advises those who seek to understand the song to save up and travel to the city, in order to truly grasp the essence of the lyrics. The song then moves on to describe the city and what it represents. The use of strobe light imagery and the idea of creating dreams reflect the vibrant and psychedelic energy that San Francisco became famous for throughout the 1960s. During this time, the city became known as the center of the counterculture movement. The song alludes to the heavy presence of bikers and other non-conformists who roamed the streets. The city was also full of music, with many important figures such as Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane rising to fame from gigs in venues throughout the city. The mention of young and old people feeling alright is a reflection of the sense of community that existed among the groups that frequented the city.


The song's final lines make a statement about society as a whole, touching on the idea of the American Dream and how it was not all-inclusive. While many young people at the time seemed to have it figured out, the police force was still marred by hate and racism. The line about 'street called love' is a pointed remark at the contradiction that exists between the 'love generation' that was blossoming amidst the turmoil of the time, and the police force who, seen as antagonists by many of the youth, were supposed to protect them. The final lines of the song suggest that the American Dream, as it existed at the time, still had work to do in order to include all people.


Line by Line Meaning

This following program is dedicated to the city
I am singing this song for the city.


And people of San Francisco
I am singing about the people of San Francisco.


Who may not know it but they are beautiful
The people of San Francisco are beautiful, and they may not know it.


And so is their city
San Francisco is a beautiful city.


This is a very personal song
This song is very personal to me.


So if the viewer cannot understand it
If you don't understand this song


Particularly those of you who are European residents
If you come from Europe


Save up all your bread
Save up all your money


And fly Trans-Love airways to San Francisco U.S.A.
And travel to the United States so you can experience San Francisco.


Then maybe you'll understand the song
Then you will understand this song.


It will be worth it
It will be worth the trip.


If not for the sake of this song
Even if you don't like this song


But for the sake of your own peace of mind
You will have peace of mind by visiting San Francisco.


Strobe lights beam creates dreams
The strobe lights create a dreamlike atmosphere.


Walls move, minds do too
The walls move and people's minds can race on a warm San Franciscan night.


On a warm San Franciscan night
On a warm night in San Francisco.


Old child, young child, feel alright
Both old and young people feel good.


On a warm San Franciscan night
On a warm night in San Francisco.


Angels sing leather wings
Bikers with leather jackets are called angels because they are feared and respected.


Jeans of blue Harley Davidsons too
Bikers wear blue Harley Davidson jeans.


Old angel, young angel, feel alright
Both old and young bikers feel good.


On a warm San Franciscan night
On a warm night in San Francisco.


I wasn't born there
I was not born in San Francisco.


Perhaps I'll die there
Maybe I will die in San Francisco.


There's no place left to go
There is no other place like San Francisco.


San Francisco
San Francisco.


Cop's face is filled with hate
The police officer doesn't like the people of San Francisco.


Heavens above, he's on a street called love
The police officer is on Love Street.


When will they ever learn?
When will people learn to love one another?


Old cop, young cop, feel alright
Both old and young police officers feel good.


On a warm San Franciscan night
On a warm night in San Francisco.


The children are cool
The young people in San Francisco are cool.


They don't raise fools
They don't raise foolish children.


It's an american dream
The idea that anyone can succeed in America.


Includes Indians too
Native Americans are also part of this dream.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BARRIE ERNEST JENKINS, DANNY MCCULLOCH, ERIC VICTOR BURDON, JOHNNY WEIDER, VIC BRIGGS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@exentr

@@alisonshenton I assume that he liked this song. Weird choice imo but I am just happy for the weird choice. Sometimes 'weird' is good. I know he did performed Wake Up Little Susie. The reason is say weird, well, San Fransican Nights was out of our league. I had barely heard of The Animals, well, only The House of the Rising Sun. Also our teacher, if I'd guess, I'd say conservative. Hard to say.
The school year were unforgettable. It is a 'Folkehøyskole'. You may recognize as 'Folk High School' (FHS) the the only aim is to develop individual character for universal humanistic values. We have lots of FHSs in Norway and the Nordic. Socializing and culture activity is essential. My FHS did offer class in agriculture, music, media, sports and outdoor life (hunting, fishing, haiking, camping, skiing, interest in nature etc) and household subject (primarily preparing food). We worked on culture projects. We had theater groups, we sang and played. We had concerts. You may compare to the tv show Fame.
The location for my school is at the Russian border. We could see a Russian City from the school. Just a few miles east, and we'd be in Russia. The border is in the midle of The Pasvik River which is just nearby the school.
Pasvik FHS had a tradition to end the school year with an annual school trip to /USSR/Russia. So did we in April 1986. You may already know The Chernobyl accident that happened in late April of 1986 just when we were about to head for Russia.
We got green light from the Norwegian authorities. We could go on school trip to USSR. We did celebrate May 1st in a parade in St.Petersburg (Leningrad at that time). It was a little rainy and I remember our teachers did small in the air. They claimed they could smell sulfur. I couldn't smell anything.
After Leningrad, we flew Aeroflot over Chernobyl and Kyiv to Odesa. Odesa is a harbor. It was city with a disturbing atmosphere. I bet there were sailors from all over the world. One afternoon just before sunset, a man pointed a hand gun at us from his hotel balcony. We were standing at our hotel room balcony one or two floors above. We jumped back and inside our hotel room. Two girls started to cry. We called our teachers. The girls explained but they cried so hard. One teacher looked at me and asked very seriously. - What happened? I said. - It is like the girls say. Someone pointed a hand gun at us.
Back from school trip, on the Norwegian/USSR border, representatives from The State's Radiation Service meet us. They could find a little bit radiation on a shoe.
Pasvik FHS YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLrlPQcvcVx5bK6JGYdUNbg
Pasvik FSH homepage: https://www.pasvikfolkehogskole.no/folk-high-school
Google maps: https://www.google.no/maps/place/Pasvik+Folkeh%C3%B8gskole/@67.4556047,30.9259827,4z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x4434ab48f01b0dd3:0x8749f7dede92b3f4!8m2!3d69.4552865!4d30.0492651



All comments from YouTube:

@ArmandoCruzPerez

Thanks everyone for liking the BEST MUSIC in History. - I´m Mexican. :D. Don´t Suscribe PLEASE., I don´t have more videos.

@adamhepburn9701

You're more than welcome, Armando Cruz Perez. I would also like to say a very big thank you very much for uploading this performance of The Animals singing this beautiful song. I've loved this song for so many years, but I've never been able to find any footage of The Animals singing this fantastic song until now. Thank you very much once again, and rock on!!

@ArmandoCruzPerez

@@adamhepburn9701 Thank you so much friend. - This video was here some years ago and I was able to save it. Someone helped me to upload it. Sorry for the bad quality. Yes, a BIG Song from the New Animals, a Favourite from the sixties. Thanks again, you´re welcome. And yes, ROCK ON...!!! :D PEACE & LOVE.

@ArmandoCruzPerez

@SandyQuinn50 Exactly. The world needs this MAGIC again. Thank You so much. Hello from Puebla, México. :D

@enriqueramirezgarcia383

What brother 👋👋saludos desde Bensalem Pennsylvania USA

@ArmandoCruzPerez

@@enriqueramirezgarcia383 :D Hola, gracias. Saludos también desde Puebla, Mexico.

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@ronkirk5099

Scott Mackenzie's 'San Francisco' was one vision of this great city, but Eric Burdon expresses the vibe of my San Francisco.

@danadesimone9322

It does mine too and I'm born, raised and still here..we used to play this along with Santana, Sly, Tommy James, etc..in Dolores Park, Speedway Meadows, Kelly's Cove, etc..usually drinking Red Mountain Wine

@craigchapman1068

Expresses the vibe and the culture of the time what amazing times those were

@sattwa2

@@danadesimone9322One of my favorite. SF Nights are rarely warm—But Eric’s forgiven😉 He caught the vibe. It was warm in the heart.

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