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 - ...)
What Am I Living For
Eric Burdon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What am I living for if not for you?
Well, what am I living for if not for you?
Baby, Baby, nobody else, nobody else will do.
Well, what am I longing for each lonely night?
To feel you lips close to mine and hold you tight.
Well, you'll be my only love my whole life through.
Well, I want you close to me
That's all I know.
And I want you all the time
'Cause darling I love you so.
Well, what am I living for if not for you?
What am I living for if not for you?
Well, what am I living for if not for you?
Baby, Baby, nobody else, nobody else will do.
The lyrics of Eric Burdon & The Animals' song What Am I Living For express a deep devotion and love towards another person. The singer asks a series of rhetorical questions to emphasize that without the other person, life would have no purpose, and no one else could ever take their place. The repetition in the chorus reinforces this sentiment, hammering home that this person is the only true love and companion for the singer.
The lyrics also convey a sense of longing and desire for physical closeness and intimacy, with phrases like "feel your lips close to mine and hold you tight." It's clear that the singer is entirely focused on this other person, and their presence is what gives their life meaning.
This song encapsulates the intense emotion of being in love, and the fear of losing that love. It communicates a deep need for another person, and the ways in which they complete and fulfill the singer's life.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, what am I living for if not for you?
I have no reason to live if it's not for you. You are the only thing that brings meaning to my life.
What am I living for if not for you?
I can't imagine going through life without you. You are everything to me.
Baby, Baby, nobody else, nobody else will do.
I only want you. No one else can replace the love and happiness that you bring to my life.
Well, what am I longing for each lonely night?
Every night I dream of being close to you, feeling your touch and holding you tight. It's the only thing that can ease my loneliness.
To feel your lips close to mine and hold you tight.
The only thing I want is to be near you, to kiss you and hold you in my arms.
Well, you'll be my only love my whole life through.
I know without a doubt that you are the only person I'll ever love. My love for you will never die.
Well, I want you close to me. That's all I know.
I don't know much, but I do know that I need you close to me. I can't imagine life without you.
And I want you all the time 'cause darling I love you so.
I want you with me every moment of the day, because I love you so much. You are everything to me.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: FRED JACOBSON, ART HARRIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind