Animals – It’s My Life

The Animals were one of the many British bands I learned through reading about the Beatles. A friend had House of the Rising Sun and I was mesmerized by the lead singer’s voice. Eric Burdon’s voice was huge and commanding. The Animals may have had the hardest edge of any of the British Invasion bands with the exception of the lesser-known Them with Van Morrison.

This song was written by Carl D’Errico and Roger Atkins specifically for The Animals. Eric Burdon didn’t like the song at all but changed a few words and he recorded it. This song starts off with Chad Chandler’s bass line and it sets the tone for the rest of the song. Eric Burdon sounds tough, determined, and cocky through the verses. The song peaked at #23 on the Billboard 100, #7 in the UK, and #2 in Canada in 1965.

They formed in 1963, from the fusion between two rival bands, one headed by bassist Chas Chandler, the other headed by organist Alan Price, stage veteran, former jazz pianist, and disciple of Ray Charles. Eric Burdon, who had played with Price until 1962, was hired as the singer. The Kontours changed their name first to The Alan Price Combo, after adding drummer John Steel, and then to The Animals, after adding guitarist Hilton Valentine.

The original lineup only recorded three albums, yet nevertheless broke out eight Top 40 hits between 1964 and 1966. Alan Price left in 1965, and John Steel the following year. Also in 1966, Chandler left to start managing artists, and he discovered Jimi Hendrix in Greenwich Village. Now a very different group, they were known as Eric Burdon & The Animals and had six additional Top 40 hits before finally disbanding in 1968.

It’s My Life

It’s a hard world to get a break in
All the good things have been taken
But girl there are ways to make certain things pay
Though I’m dressed in these rags, I’ll wear sable some day

Hear what I say
I’m gonna ride the serpent
No more time spent sweatin’ rent
Hear my command
I’m breakin’ loose, it ain’t no use
Holdin’ me down, stick around

But baby (baby)
Remember (remember)
It’s my life and I’ll do what I want
It’s my mind and I’ll think what I want
Show me I’m wrong, hurt me sometime
But some day I’ll treat you real fine

There’ll be women and their fortunes
Who just want to mother orphans
Are you gonna cry, when I’m squeezin’ the rye
Takin’ all I can get, no regrets
When I, openly lie
And leave only money
Believe me honey, that money
Can you believe, I ain’t no saint
No complaints
So girl go out
Hand it out

And baby (baby)
Remember (remember)
It’s my life and I’ll do what I want
It’s my mind and I’ll think what I want
Show me I’m wrong, hurt me sometime
But some day I’ll treat you real fine

(It’s my life and I’ll do what I want) Don’t push me
(It’s my mind and I’ll think what I want) It’s my life
(It’s my life and I’ll do what I want) And I can do what I want
(It’s my mind and I’ll think what I want) You can’t tell me
(It’s my life and I’ll do what I want) I’ll do what I want

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

65 thoughts on “Animals – It’s My Life”

  1. Pingback: Animals – It’s My Life – MobsterTiger

      1. On a literal level iI heard it as a young couple in a dirty industrial town, yearning for an escape to a better life, while feeling doomed to follow in their families’ tracks.

        On a figurative level, it was adopted by soldiers in Viet Nam as an anthem about getting out of that war, surviving individually, and as a country.

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    1. Thanks Jim…they had such great songs in a small amount of time. Like halfbicycle said…it sounds like an anthem.
      it’s so nice to talk to everyone today again.

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      2. Yes I am Jim. It’s odd to have this much time. I never realized how much time I put into this…it just became part of my life. It does make me look forward to the weekends.

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  5. Hey Max my friend! I was just watching a YouTube video of the Animals on the Ed Sullivan Show in black & white singing ‘Crying’. The Animals were a classic ‘Blue Eyed Soul’ group that reintroduced the U.S. to it’s roots with R & B. Their bassist was the person who got Jimi Hendrix his start. He was singing off cue in that clip of ‘Cryin’ tho’. It was kinda funny as he started the chorus before everyone else other than that the performance sounded just like the record. I had their greatest hits album from ’68 also at one time.

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    1. Oh yea Chas Chandler…he was a smart man…he left the Animals and started to manage and produce.
      That voice that Burdon has is just awesome. They were so rough sounding and I love it.

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  6. that’s a mighty good tune. They really had something for a couple of years. You’re right that they were British Invasion but sometimes I forget that since they kind of seemed more Americanized than the Beatles, Stones, Kinks etc

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    1. Yea they had a nice career as well after those string of hits they had during the invasion…. like Sky Pilot, San Franciscan Nights, and Monterey…kind of reinvented themselves from R&B to more psychedelic I guess.

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  7. When we lived in west London in mid-1980s, the sister of out next door neighbour was married to Alan Price. We had the pleasure of meeting him numerous times. He had this party trick whereby we have him 10 minutes to come up with a song on a topic we’d selected. He never failed to impress.

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    1. Wow! That is so cool Sheree that you met him. I remember him in the Dylan documentary when he toured the UK in 65 I believe called Don’t Look Back. Price had just quit the Animals and Bob was talking to him. Thank you for the story

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    2. (Oddly enough just last night I was looking on YouTube at parts of ‘O Lucky Man’ which Alan did the soundtrack to- and is seen playing in the movie. The soundtrack really fits the film well. Any movie with Malcolm McDowell and Helen Mirren is worth seeing IMHO!)

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      1. Oh I get it: objectifying females. Thank God we have moved away from such blatant depictions of women as objects.

        I agree on your assessment of Burdon’s voice. You know what my favorite song is by him (I think?)

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      1. The trophy head on the wall reminded me of an unforgettable scene in, “Sin City.” What adds insult to injury is that she is acting like she enjoys it. Be happy in being a possession! Stepford Wives anyone? Hullabaloo and Shindig are 2 I don’t remember but it seems like they were made around the time of all of those surf/beach movies? I do remember Frankie and Annette, Elvis, and The Beach Boys.

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  12. Great pick, Max. I saw these guys live in 1965 in Memphis, TN. They were part of the Dick Clarks Tour. There were other good acts on the show, but the Animals cleaned everyone’s clock. BJ Thomas and the Triumphs came close, but hard to beat Eric Burdon.

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  13. Absolutely brilliant gritty voice- but with real strength behind it. On the record the power of his delivery towards the end ‘don’t push it’ is literally awesome. Their version of Cookes ‘Bring It On Home To Me’ is stellar too.

    (I believe I first made mention of the Animals on Hanspostcards site quite a few years back now, when I first started shyly commenting on music sites.)

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    1. OH…the single of House of the Rising Sun I bought in the late seventies had Bring It On Home To Me…is the definite one to me now…and that is saying something.
      I didn’t know you knew him! I talk to him a few times a week. He is the first person to really comment on my blog and he reblogged something of mine (movie 1967 Bedazzled) and I took off after months of striking out.

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      1. Yes, when Hans went suddenly silent I followed yours as the musical views seemed to align. I believe the first music site I followed was Daves. It took me a quite a while to start actually using WP ‘properly’ by commenting etc. I am by nature a shy and retiring flower…(?)

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      2. Yeah, him and I when we talk we can’t believe how much we have in common and musical taste. It’s damn near the same. I was the same way. I’m very shy in person and he helped me get out of it a little bit.
        I noticed Dave as well a little after Hans. It took me months before Hans to comment with anyone.

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  16. They had so many great songs. Eric Burdon’s voice was a force to be reckoned with. I bought a solo album of his from about 10 years ago or so, called ‘Til Your River Runs Dry. His voice was still great. There’s a great song on it called “Devil And Jesus”.

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  19. I had several Animals singles and this was one of them. It’s a hard hitting song, not just the lyrics but for the style and of course his voice. Never saw them live in the ’60s but did in the 80s, and met Burdon and his – then – touring band as they were all staying at the same hotel as me when I was on holiday (vacation). Will tell you about it in email sometime, it’s quite a tale…!

    The Animals were from Newcastle-upon-Tyne which was a very industrialized city in the north of England and swathes of the population were very hard-working to try to overcome poverty. So, much of the aggression and drive in his voice and the lyrics of their songs come from that background. I think their music is probably closest to the American black community’s with their struggle to rise up from hardship.

    The gig I went to while on holiday was just a year after this one and, while they had a different lineup, the sound and vibe was very similar. This isn’t ‘It’s My Life’ but ‘We Gotta get out of this place’ (which is a personal favourite of mine).

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8b0jZX42SmY

    By the way, the second video you posted has already been taken down. 😦

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    1. I would have loved to see them at anytime. One blogger here saw them in the 60s in Texas on one of those packaged tours.
      I wish I would have known they were touring in the 1980s like that video…I would have went without a doubt.

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  22. In the comments somebody mentioned Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home To Me.” That has to be my favorite Animals track of all time. Burdon is superb. Yes, I heard that before I heard Cooke’s version.

    And yes, I read all the comments on these posts. I am new to this blog, and with no insult to Max, I find the comments more interesting than the blog contents. Max chooses the topic and the rest of us have at. Now that’s a great combination!!!

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