When I Was Young By The Animals - Songfacts

Toggle navigation

• Home
• Categories
• Places
• Blog
  • Blogs Home
  • News
  • Lists
  • Features
  • Songwriter Interviews
  • Song Writing
  • Fact or Fiction
  • They're Playing My Song
  • Music Quiz
  • Songfacts Pages
  • Songwriting Legends
  • Songfacts Podcast
  • All Titles
  • Authors
    • Amanda Flinner
    • April Fox
    • Bruce Pollock
    • Carl Wiser
    • Corey O'Flanagan
    • Dan MacIntosh
    • Developer
    • Ed Pearce
    • Greg Prato
    • Jeff Suwak
    • Jess Grant
    • Laura Antonelli
    • Leslie Michele Derrough
    • Maggie Grimason
    • Nicole Roberge
    • Roger Catlin
    • Shawna Ortega
    • Stephanie Myers
    • Trevor Morelli
• Browse
  • Songs
  • Artists
  • Places
  • Years
  • Categories

Search

When I Was Youngby The Animals

Album: Very Best of Eric Burdon & The Animals (1967)Charted: 45 15 License This Song  artistfacts

Songfacts®:

• "When I Was Young" was written by Eric Burdon and included on various Animals albums as well as being a single release.Burdon's composition marks an important turning point for the Animals: many of The Animals' hits had been Brill Building productions, most notably the husband-and-wife team of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, which was an effort by their producer Mickie Most to make this British Invasion band sound more American. Burdon found this too restricting, and the group moved to Decca Records by 1966. This was amongst their first hits after this move.
• Cover versions of this song include versions by Golden Earring, Eddie Fisher, Tina Turner, and The Ramones. It's also been featured in film soundtracks such as Doris Dorrie's Manner....
• 1967 was the year before The Animals sort of fell apart. The cause is placed entirely on bad business decisions; The Animals were getting rooked over by a dishonest manager and were losing more money than they were making. For more on the band, check out our interview with Eric Burdon.
• This song is sometimes cited as having pioneered the grunge/metal sound years before its time.
• Speaking with American Songwriter magazine in a 2013 interview, Eric Burdon said this is the first song he wrote that has stood the test of time. He explained: "When I first wrote it I played it to George Harrison and his comment was 'Great! You got to do more of this. You'll know you'll be able to sing this song when you are in your forties.' Now I am in my 70s and I am still singing it."

• More songs from The Animals
• More songs from 1967
• The Animals Artistfacts

Your name as you would like it displayed Your Locaton Your Comment send your comment

Comments: 2

• New Look Melanie from St. Pete FloridaI am interested in the instrumentation on "When I was Young?" When I listen, I hear an exotic set of strings appear to cradle the plaintive manifesto: Who is the player and what's the instrument?
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn April 2nd 1967, "When I Was Young” by Eric Burton & the Animals entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #77; four weeks later on April 30th, 1967 it peaked at 15 {for 3 weeks} and spent 9 weeks on the Top 100...And on June 3rd, 1967 it reached #2* {for 3 weeks} on the Australian RPM 100 Singles chart...Between 1964 and 1968 the British quintet had eighteen Top 100 records; three made the Top 10 with one reaching #1, "The House of the Rising Sun" for three weeks in 1964... For their last eight charted records their name changed from The Animals to Eric Burton & the Animals... * The three weeks that "When I Was Young" was at #2, the #1 record for those three weeks was "This Is My Song" by Petula Clark.

see more comments

More Songfacts:

VeronicaElvis Costello

"Veronica" was inspired by Elvis Costello's grandmother, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease.

Burning Down The HouseTalking Heads

"Burning Down The House" by Talking Heads was inspired by chant band members heard at a P-Funk show where the crowd yelled, "burn down the house... burn down the house."

Lady MarmaladeLabelle

The chorus of "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir" in "Lady Marmalade" is French for "Do you want to sleep with me tonight?" When Labelle performed it on television, they had to change it to "Voulez-vous danser avec moi ce soir" (Do you want to dance with me tonight?).

After MidnightEric Clapton

"After Midnight" was written by the Oklahoma guitarist J.J. Cale, who was dirt poor until Eric Clapton recorded his song and turned it into a hit.

When I'm 64The Beatles

In The Beatles' "When I'm 64," Paul McCartney asks a woman if she'll still be there for him when he's 64. In 2006, he got his answer when shortly before his 64th birthday, he and Heather Mills separated.

Night MovesBob Seger

Bob Seger got inspired to write "Night Moves" after watching the movie American Graffiti, which showed young people growing up in his "neck of the woods."

Editor's Picks

Victoria WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

Despite appearances on Carson, Leno and a Pennebaker film, Williams remains a hidden treasure.

Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn YankeesSongwriter Interviews

Revisit the awesome glory of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees: cheesily-acted videos, catchy guitar licks, long hair, and lyrics that are just plain relatable.

Dean Friedman - "Ariel"They're Playing My Song

Dean's saga began with "Ariel," a song about falling in love with a Jewish girl from New Jersey.

Krishna DasSongwriter Interviews

The top chant artist in the Western world, Krishna Das talks about how these Hindu mantras compare to Christian worship songs.

Matthew Wilder - "Break My Stride"They're Playing My Song

Wilder's hit "Break My Stride" had an unlikely inspiration: a famous record mogul who rejected it.

Spooner OldhamSongwriter Interviews

His keyboard work helped define the Muscle Shoals sound and make him an integral part of many Neil Young recordings. Spooner is also an accomplished songwriter, whose hits include "I'm Your Puppet" and "Cry Like A Baby."

Songfacts® Newsletter

A monthly update on our latest interviews, stories and added songs

What's your email? SUBSCRIBE

Information

• About Us
• Terms of Service
• Our Privacy Policy
• Google Privacy Policy
• Songfacts API
• Music History Calendar
• Song Licensing
• Affiliate Disclosure
• Contact Us
• Privacy Manager

Follow Us

• Facebook
• X (Twitter)
• YouTube

Contribution

• Message Boards
• Songfacts Writers

©2026 Songfacts, LLC