History
First incarnation
Formed in Newcastle-upon-Tyne during 1962 and 1963 when Burdon joined the existing Alan Price Rhythm and Blues Combo, the original line-up comprised Eric Burdon (vocals), Alan Price (organ and keyboards), Hilton Valentine (guitar), John Steel (drums), and Bryan "Chas" Chandler (bass). The Animals' moderate success in their hometown and a connection with The Yardbirds manager Giorgio Gomelsky motivated them to move to London in 1964, in time to be grouped with the British Invasion. They performed fiery versions of the staple rhythm and blues repertoire (Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker, Nina Simone, etc). Signed to the Columbia Graphophone subsidiary of EMI, a rocking version of the standard "Baby Let Me Follow You Down" (retitled Baby Let Me Take You Home) was their first UK hit single.
It was followed in June 1964 by the huge transatlantic hit "House of the Rising Sun". Burdon's howling vocals and the dramatic arrangement created arguably the first folk rock hit. Whether the arrangement was inspired by Bob Dylan's version of the song (which in turn was inspired by folk singer Dave Van Ronk) or by blues singer Josh White's (who recorded it twice in 1944 and 1949) or by singer/pianist Nina Simone (who recorded it in 1962 on At The Village Gate, predating Dylan's interpretation) remains a subject of dispute, as does whether all five Animals deserved credit for the arrangement and not just Price.
The Animals' two-year chart career, masterminded by producer Mickie Most, featured singles that were intense, gritty pop covers such as Sam Cooke's Bring It On Home To Me and the Nina Simone number Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood. In contrast their album tracks stayed with rhythm and blues, with Hooker's Boom Boom and Ray Charles' I Believe to My Soul being notable examples. Burdon's powerful, deep voice and the use of keyboards as much or more than guitars were two elements that made the Animals' sound stand out.
By May 1965 the group was starting to feel internal pressures. Price left due to personal and musical differences as well as a fear of flying on tour; he went on to a successful career as a solo artist and with the Alan Price Set. Mickey Gallagher filled in for him on keyboards for a spell, until Dave Rowberry replaced him and was on hand for the hit working-class anthems We Gotta Get Out of this Place and It's My Life. Around that time, an Animals Big Band even made a one-time appearance.
Many of The Animals' hits had come from Brill Building songwriters recruited by Most; the group, and Burdon in particular, felt this was too restrictive. As 1965 ended the group switched to Decca Records and producer Tom Wilson, who gave them more artistic freedom. In early 1966 MGM Records, their American label, collected their hits onto The Best of The Animals; it became their best-selling album in the U.S. In February 1966 Steel left and was replaced by Barry Jenkins; a leftover cover of Goffin-King's Don't Bring Me Down and the powerful hard rock tune See See Rider were the last hits as The Animals.
By this time their business affairs "were in a total shambles," according to Chandler (who would go on to manage Jimi Hendrix), and the group disbanded. Even by the standards of the day, when artists tended to be financially naïve, the Animals made very little money from their successes, eventually claiming mismanagement and theft on the part of their manager Mike Jeffery.
Second incarnation
A group with Burdon, Jenkins, and new sidemen John Weider (guitar/violin/bass), Vic Briggs alias Antion (guitar/piano), and Danny McCulloch (bass) was formed under the name Eric Burdon and the New Animals (or sometimes just Eric Burdon & the Animals) in October 1966, and changed direction. The hard-driving blues was transformed into Burdon's version of psychedelia, as the former heavy-drinking Geordie (who later said he could never get used to Newcastle, "where the rain comes at you sideways") relocated to California and became a spokesman for the Love Generation, but also a former heavy metal act and one of the upcoming stars of the genre such as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple..
Some of this group's hits included "San Franciscan Nights", "Monterey" (a tribute to the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival), and the anti-war "Sky Pilot". There were further changes to this line-up: George Bruno (a/k/a Zoot Money, keyboards) was added in April 1968, and in July 1968 Andy Summers [sic] (guitar)—later of The Police—replaced Briggs and McCulloch.
By 1969 these Animals had dissolved, and Eric Burdon joined forces with a Latin group from Long Beach, California called War.
The first hit under Eric Burdon & War was the funky/chill-out song Spill the Wine. The Group with 8 members disbanded in July 1971.
Later incarnations
The original Animals line-up of Burdon, Price, Valentine, Chandler, and Steel briefly reunited for a benefit concert in Newcastle in 1968, for an album in 1977 and again for an album and tour (supplemented by Zoot Money on keyboards and Steve Grant on guitar) in 1983. Chandler died in 1996.
In the 2000s Burdon has toured with a new set of musicians under the name "Eric Burdon and the Animals". Periodically during the 1990s and 2000s Valentine, Steel, and Dave Rowberry toured under the name "(Hilton Valentine's) The Animals" and Valentine and Steel under the name "Animals II". Rowberry died in 2003. As of 2005 "Animals & Friends" was also active, consisting of Steel and Mickey Gallagher; this group frequently play gigs on a Color Line ship that travels between Scandinavia and Germany.
Legacy
The original Animals were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Their influence can be heard in artists as varied as The Doors, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Canned Heat, David Johansen, Joe Cocker, Fine Young Cannibals, Iggy Pop, Mando Diao and many, many more.
Paint it Black
The Animals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I see a red door and I want to paint it black
No colors in my life, you better turn them black
I see people walking by, dressed in their colorful clothes
I see them strolling by, my happiness just flows
No more will my grey sea turn a deeper blue
I cannot foresee this thing happening to you
No
I see people walking by dressed their summer clothes
I see them strolling by, my happiness flows
Turn it black
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
I said I know baby
Everything is black I know
Since you been gone
Eveything is black before my eyes
Baby eh
Everything is black I know
Turn to me
And help me see again baby
Help me walk once more
And help me talk again, walk again
Stand up like a man baby
Since you been gone, gone
There is no color in my life baby
Its turning so very very bone-black
Humph, I walk down the street
And I see a line of cars
Maybe blue, maybe brown, maybe green
But their turning black
Before my very eyes
And you could not know
What its like when your whole world is black
When everything you see and touch
Turns so very very black hmm
Oh baby now
I need you by my side
Bring some color into my life
Once again
I even tripped down and fell
Didn't see no colors anymore baby
Bad, bad scene
And I have to tell you baby
No more will my grey sea go turn a deeper blue
I cannot foresee this thing ever happening to you
No
I see people walking by me
They're all going in different directions
I see them strolling by and my heart splinters like a flame
Turning black baby
Turning black I know
Everything
Since you've been gone is turning black, turning black, turning black, turning black, turning black
Yeah yeah yeah yeah, baby
Oh lord, oh babe, whoa lord, help me see again, baby
Help me walk, talk, walk stand up like a man I know
Need you standing by my side
Because I'm blind and I cannot see
Color blind
I'm color blind
Paint everything so black
Go ahead and paint it black baby
Everything is black black, black, its turning black I know
Need some color in my life...
The Animals's song Paint It Black is a song about grief and depression. The singer suffers from a lack of color in his life since his lover left him. He sees a red door and wants to paint it black, a metaphor for his desire to remove all the colors from his life. He sees people walking by dressed in their colorful clothes, but they only serve to remind him of what he has lost. His grey sea, a metaphor for his sadness, will not turn a deeper blue, meaning he cannot find happiness again. He knows he is colorblind when he says "I'm blind and I cannot see, Color blind." He even fell down and saw no colors anymore. He pleads for his lover to return and bring color back into his life.
Line by Line Meaning
Hmm, ah
Vocalization to establish tone of the song
I see a red door and I want to paint it black
I have a desire to remove all colors from my surroundings and paint everything black, even a red door
No colors in my life, you better turn them black
There are no colors in my life, so make sure you turn everything into shades of black
I see them walking by dressed in their colorful clothes
I see people wearing clothes of various colors
My happiness de
My happiness disappears due to the presence of colors in my surroundings
No more will my grey sea turn a deeper blue
My surroundings will no longer become more colorful
I cannot foresee this thing happening to you
I cannot imagine you having the same desire to remove all colors from your surroundings
I see people walking by dressed their summer clothes
I see people wearing clothes that are appropriate for the summer weather
I see them strolling by, my happiness ?
I see them walking by, and it makes me unhappy because they are wearing colorful clothes
Turn it black
I want everything to be painted black, remove all colors from my surroundings
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
Vocalization to establish tone of the song
I said I know baby
I am aware of what I want
Everything is black I know
Everything around me is black, just the way I want it
Since you been gone
My surroundings have turned black since you left
Everything is black before my eyes
I see everything around me as black
Baby eh
Vocalization to establish tone of the song
Everything is black I know
Everything around me is black, just the way I want it
Turn to me
Come to me
And help me see again baby
Help me see colors in my surroundings again
Help me walk once more
Help me move forward in life
And help me talk again, walk again
Help me regain my voice and confidence
Stand up like a man baby
Be brave and confident like a man
Since you been gone, gone
My surroundings have turned black since you left
There is no color in my life baby
There are no colors in my life, it's all black
Its turning so very very ? black
My surroundings are becoming darker and darker
Humph, I walk down the street
I am walking down the street
And I see a line of cars
I see a row of cars
Maybe blue, maybe brown, maybe green
Those cars could be blue, brown, or green
But their turning black
But my surroundings are turning everything black, even colorful objects
Before my very eyes
I am witnessing the transformation of my surroundings into a sea of blackness
And you could not know
You couldn't possibly understand what I am going through
What its like when your whole world is black
You can't imagine how it feels when everything you see and touch is black
When everything you see and touch
When all the things around you
Turns so very very black hmm
Become darker and darker
Oh baby now
Addressing someone as 'baby'
I need you by my side
I want you to be with me, to help me see colors again
Bring some color into my life
Bring some vibrancy and happiness into my life
Once again
Just like before
I even tripped down and fell
I even tripped and fell down
Didn't see no colors anymore baby
I couldn't see any colors anymore
Bad, bad scene
A very unpleasant situation
And I have to tell you baby
Addressing someone as 'baby'
No more will my grey sea go turn a deeper blue
My surroundings will not become more colorful
I cannot foresee this thing ever happening to you
I can't imagine you having the same desire to remove all colors in your surroundings
No
Negating the previous statement
I see people walking by me
I see people walking near me
They're all going in different directions
They're all walking in different directions
I see them strolling by and my heart splinters like a flame
I see them walking by, and my heart aches like a flame being extinguished
Turning black baby
Everything around me is turning black
Turning black I know
I know everything is turning black
Everything
All aspects of my surroundings
Since you've been gone is turning black, turning black
My surroundings have been turning black since you left
Yeah yeah yeah yeah, baby
Vocalization to establish tone of the song
Oh lord, oh babe, whoa lord, help me see again, baby
Asking for help to regain the ability to see colors
Help me walk, talk, walk stand up like a man I know
Asking for help to regain confidence and the ability to walk and talk normally
Need you standing by my side
I need you to be with me
Because I'm blind and I cannot see
Because I can't see colors anymore
Color blind
Unable to distinguish colors
I'm color blind
I can't see colors anymore
Paint everything so black
I want everything to be painted black
Go ahead and paint it black baby
Addressing someone as 'baby' and urging them to paint everything black
Everything is black black, black, its turning black I know
Everything is turning black, and I am aware of it
Need some color in my life
I need some vibrancy and happiness in my life
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Abkco Music Inc.
Written by: Keith Richards, Michael Jagger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@barrysmith8193
Eric Burden and The Animals were an important part of the recipe that got us through Vietnam. Their sound still takes me back to days in combat that we thought would be our last days on earth. God bless this band for being part of the light that got us home. Vietnam Veteran 66-67.
@lindajackson4631
They helped to save me during that era also
@marczekowski753
And thank you for serving.
@user-rl1rq7lp7p
Вьетнамцы хорошо надрали вам задницы.
@erichvonmanstein3012
@@user-rl1rq7lp7p Напомнить про Совок и Афганистан?)
@user-rl1rq7lp7p
@@erichvonmanstein3012 Напомни.
@christianlibertarian5488
I can't believe this. I have known the Animals for 55 years, and the Stones with Paint it Black just as long. I have never heard the Animals do this song before. It's outstanding! Right out of the Psychedelic Rock sound!
@candle3585
From what I've heard from an interview on UK Radio Eric said he recorded the song 3 times, the communication between the bands wasn't rival and that he still sings songs from them
@robinsheppard6400
When I was about 15, I was at a party with a friend, and 'Paint It Black' was on. It caught my ear (mainly listened to Zeppelin and Hendrix back then), and I asked one of the guys who it was, and he tells me it was The Animals.
When I'm back home, I'm going through my dad's old vinyl, and my mom's insisting it was the Stones. Turns out she was half right.
@johnnystuarthorn4573
Good man I feel same , peace bro