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 - ...)
We've got to get out of this place
Eric Burdon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where the sun refused to shine
People tell me there ain't no use in tryin'
Now my girl you're so young and pretty
And one thing I know is true
You'll be dead before your time is due, I know
Watched his hair been turnin' grey
He's been workin' and slavin' his life away
Oh yes I know it
(Yeah!) He's been workin' so hard
(Yeah!) I've been workin' too, baby
(Yeah!) Every night and day
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!)
We gotta get out of this place
If it's the last thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
'cause girl, there's a better life for me and you
Now my girl you're so young and pretty
And one thing I know is true, yeah
You'll be dead before your time is due, I know it
Watch my daddy in bed a-dyin'
Watched his hair been turnin' grey, yeah
He's been workin' and slavin' his life away
I know he's been workin' so hard
(Yeah!) I've been workin' too, baby
(Yeah!) Every day baby
(Yeah!) Whoa!
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!)
We gotta get out of this place
If it's the last thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
Girl, there's a better life for me and you
Somewhere baby, somehow I know it
We gotta get out of this place
If it's the last thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
Girl, there's a better life for me and you
Believe me baby
I know it baby
You know it too
"We've Gotta Get Out Of This Place" is a classic rock song recorded by Eric Burdon and The Animals in 1965. The song focuses on the desire for change and escape from a difficult situation. The first verse of the song sets the tone for the story. The place in question is a dirty, sunless part of the city where people have lost hope and advise against even trying to make anything better.
The lyrics of the chorus represent the sense of urgency of the lifestyle the artists lead: “We gotta get out of this place if it's the last thing we ever do”. The repetition of the phrase emphasizes the intensity of the situation they find themselves in. Eric Burdon talks about watching his father suffer from a life of working hard and slaving away that has only led him to death. This personal tragedy is what motivates this desire for change, and pushing his lover to pursue greater goals in life before it is too late is one of the outcomes of this tragedy.
In conclusion, "We've Gotta Get Out Of This Place" is a song that speaks to all the people who, for one reason or another, find themselves stuck in bad conditions with little hope for the future, the deep desire for a better existence and the tenacity to make it happen.
Line by Line Meaning
In this dirty old part of the city
This part of the city is run-down and not a good place to live
Where the sun refused to shine
The area is grim and lifeless
People tell me there ain't no use in tryin'
The people in this area have given up on trying to improve their lives
Now my girl you're so young and pretty
The artist is addressing his young and attractive partner
And one thing I know is true
The artist is sure of this fact
You'll be dead before your time is due, I know
Because of their circumstances, the singer believes that his partner will die young
Watch my daddy in bed a-dyin'
The singer's father is terminally ill
Watched his hair been turnin' grey
The illness is taking a physical toll on the father
He's been workin' and slavin' his life away
The artist's father has worked hard his entire life and has little to show for it
Oh yes I know it
The artist is certain of this fact
(Yeah!) He's been workin' so hard
The father has been working tirelessly
(Yeah!) I've been workin' too, baby
The artist has also been working hard
(Yeah!) Every night and day
The singer has to work constantly
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!)
An expression of tension and frustration
We gotta get out of this place
The singer and his partner need to leave this area
If it's the last thing we ever do
Leaving this area is a matter of life or death
'cause girl, there's a better life for me and you
The artist is convinced that life will be better outside of this area
Somewhere baby, somehow I know it
The singer is confident that a better life is out there
Believe me baby
The singer is trying to convince his partner of the need to leave
You know it too
The artist believes his partner is aware of their need to leave
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BARRY MANN, CYNTHIA WEIL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind