When I Was Young (song) - Wikipedia

Jump to content

Contents

move to sidebar hide

• (Top)
• 1 Background and Recording
• 2 Reception
• 3 Charts
• 4 References

• Article
• Talk

English

• Read
• Edit
• View history

Tools Tools move to sidebar hide Actions

• Read
• Edit
• View history

General

• What links here
• Related changes
• Upload file
• Permanent link
• Page information
• Cite this page
• Get shortened URL
• Download QR code

Print/export

• Download as PDF
• Printable version

In other projects

• Wikidata item

Appearance move to sidebar hide From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For other songs with this title, see When I Was Young (disambiguation).

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: "When I Was Young" song – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

1967 single by Eric Burdon and the Animals

"When I Was Young"
Italy sleeve art
Single by Eric Burdon and the Animals
B-side	"A Girl Named Sandoz"
Released	25 March 1967 (US) 19 May (UK)
Recorded	December 1966
Genre	Psychedelic rock, raga rock
Length	3:00
Label	MGM
Songwriters	Eric Burdon, John Weider, Vic Briggs, Danny McCulloch, Barry Jenkins
Producer	Tom Wilson
Eric Burdon and the Animals singles chronology
"Help Me Girl" (1966) "When I Was Young" (1967) "San Franciscan Nights" (1967)

"When I Was Young" is a song released in March 1967 by Eric Burdon and the Animals; it was written by five of the band members – Eric Burdon (vocals), John Weider (guitar/violin), Vic Briggs (guitar), Danny McCulloch (bass), and Barry Jenkins (drums) – and was the first release to feature this lineup. It charted in Australia, peaking at No. 2 and staying 4 weeks there. Later, it hit No. 10 on the Canadian RPM chart, No. 15 in the United States, and No. 9 in the Netherlands.

Background and Recording

[edit]

This somewhat autobiographical song tells about Burdon's father, who was a soldier during tough times, as well as young Eric's adventures - including his first cigarette at 10, to his meeting his first love at 13. The final verse shows his disillusionment with society:

"My faith was so much stronger then, I believed in fellow men, And I was so much older then.

When I was Young".

This song is noted for its Indian riff, played by an electric guitar and a violin. It is also distinctive for its introduction, which featured a heavily distorted guitar's whammy bar descent from E to D. The song begins in E Minor and ends in G Minor.

The group recorded "When I Was Young" in December 1966 at Barnes studio in London, with Tom Wilson in the producer's seat.[1] It was the first song recorded by the new band although earlier sessions in September 1966 using studio musicians would be released as an album in March 1967 called Eric Is Here and credited to Eric Burdon & The Animals. The B-side "A Girl Named Sandoz" would be recorded in early February 1967 in New York City,[1] and is named after the Swiss drug company that invented and manufactured LSD. "When I Was Young" was first premiered on The Mike Douglas Show on February 21, with the band miming to the song and "See See Rider".

In time, it was utilized in a German TV commercial. In early 1980s live shows Burdon began to mention, at the end of the song, many stars who had died.

Reception

[edit]

Billboard described the single as containing "blockbuster biting material" and an "intriguing dance arrangement."[2] Cash Box called the single a "strong, gutsy, reflective Blues effort with a particularly interesting instrumental backing."[3]

Charts

[edit]

Chart (1967)	Peakposition
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[4]	10
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[5]	9
New Zealand (Listener)[6]	5
US Billboard Hot 100[7]	15
West Germany (GfK)[8]	31

References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Eric Burdon and The Animals". Chickenonaunicycle. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
2. ^ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. 25 March 1967. p. 16. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
3. ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 25 March 1967. p. 14. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
4. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Image 10065". RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
5. ^ "Eric Burdon & the Animals – When I Was Young" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
6. ^ https://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20listener&qartistid=637#n_view_location search listener
7. ^ "Eric Burdon Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
8. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts (West Germany)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name.

v t e The Animals
The (Original) Animals (1963–1966, 1977, 1983): Eric Burdon Chas Chandler Mick Gallagher Barry Jenkins Alan Price Dave Rowberry John Steel Hilton Valentine Eric Burdon & The (New) Animals (1966–1969): Vic Briggs Eric Burdon Barry Jenkins Danny McCulloch Zoot Money Andy Summers John Weider
Studio albums	The Animals (1963–1966) (UK) The Animals Animal Tracks Animalisms (US) The Animals The Animals on Tour Animal Tracks Animalization Animalism Eric Burdon and the Animals Eric Is Here (US only) Winds of Change The Twain Shall Meet Every One of Us (US only) Love Is The Animals (1977, 1983) Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted Ark
Compilations	The Best of The Animals (1966) The Greatest Hits of Eric Burdon and the Animals (1969) The Most of the Animals Absolute Animals 1964–1968
Hit singles	"Baby Let Me Take You Home" "The House of the Rising Sun" "I'm Crying" "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" "Bring It On Home to Me" "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" "It's My Life" "Inside-Looking Out" "Don't Bring Me Down" "See See Rider" "Help Me Girl" "When I Was Young" "Good Times" "San Franciscan Nights" "Monterey" "Sky Pilot" "The Night"
Related articles	The Animals discography Eric Burdon discography The Dangerous Christmas of Red Riding Hood (1965 soundtrack)
Category

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=When_I_Was_Young_(song)&oldid=1318117805" Categories:

• 1967 singles
• The Animals songs
• Songs written by Eric Burdon
• Song recordings produced by Tom Wilson (record producer)
• MGM Records singles
• British hard rock songs
• 1967 songs

Hidden categories:

• Articles with German-language sources (de)
• Use dmy dates from September 2020
• Use British English from April 2011
• All Wikipedia articles written in British English
• Articles needing additional references from February 2018
• All articles needing additional references
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles with hAudio microformats
• Single chart usages for Canadatopsingles
• Single chart usages for Dutch100
• Single chart usages for Billboardhot100
• Single chart usages for West Germany

Search Search Toggle the table of contents When I Was Young (song) 4 languages Add topic