"Monterey" is a 1967 song by

Eric Burdon & The Animals The Animals (also billed as Eric Burdon and the Animals) are an English rock band, formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 1960s. The band moved to London upon finding fame in 1964. The Animals were known for their gritty, bluesy sound an ...

. The music and lyrics were composed by the group's members,

Eric Burdon Eric Victor Burdon (born 11 May 1941) is an English singer. He was previously the lead vocalist of R&B and rock band the Animals and funk band War. He is regarded as one of the British Invasion's most distinctive singers with his deep, pow ...

John Weider John Weider (born 21 April 1947) is an English rock musician who plays guitar, bass, and violin. He is best known as the guitarist for the Animals from 1966 to 1968. He was also the bass player for Family from 1969 to 1971. Biography Early c ...

Vic Briggs Victor Harvey Briggs III (14 February 1945 – 30 June 2021) was a British blues and rock musician, best known as the lead guitarist with Eric Burdon and The Animals during the 1966–1968 period. Briggs, a convert to Sikhism, later playe ...

Danny McCulloch Daniel Joseph "Danny" McCulloch (18 July 1945 – 29 January 2015) was an English musician best known as the bassist of the 1960s psychedelic rock group Eric Burdon and The Animals. History Early career Danny McCulloch was born in Shepherd's ...

, and

Barry Jenkins Barry Jenkins (born November 19, 1979) is an American filmmaker. After making his filmmaking debut with the short film ''My Josephine'' (2003), he directed his first feature film '' Medicine for Melancholy'' (2008) for which he received an Inde ...

. The song provides an oral account of the June 1967

Monterey Pop Festival The Monterey International Pop Festival was a three-day music festival held June 16 to 18, 1967, at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California. The festival is remembered for the first major American appearances by the Jimi Hendrix ...

, at which the Animals performed. Burdon namedrops several of the acts who performed at the festival such as

the Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...

Jefferson Airplane Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, that became one of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock. Formed in 1965, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the Bay Area to ac ...

the Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

the Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, country, jazz, bluegrass, blues, rock and roll, gospel, reggae, world music, ...

, and

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

. In 1968, two different video clips of the song were aired.

Background

Eric Burdon and the Animals performed at the 1967

at the peak of the Summer of Love; they followed

Johnny Rivers Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella; November 7, 1942) is an American musician. His repertoire includes pop, folk, blues, and old-time rock 'n' roll. Rivers charted during the 1960s and 1970s but remains best known for a string of hit sing ...

onstage and were introduced by

Chet Helms Chester Leo "Chet" Helms (August 2, 1942 – June 25, 2005), often called the father of San Francisco's 1967 " Summer of Love," was a music promoter and a counterculture figure in San Francisco during its hippie period in the mid- to-late 196 ...

. In his book, ''Monterey Pop'',

Joel Selvin Joel Selvin (born February 14, 1950) is an American San Francisco-based music critic and author known for his weekly column in the ''San Francisco Chronicle'', which ran from 1972 to 2009. Selvin has written books covering various aspects of p ...

wrote that, at the festival, "Burdon did nothing short of reinvent himself in front of the audience." The song "Monterey" was subsequently written in tribute to the group's experiences at the festival, and proved to be one of the new band's biggest hits. The lyrics describe the atmosphere of the festival and some of the notable musicians who played, including

The Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...

Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known export of North Ind ...

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

Hugh Masekela Hugh Ramapolo Masekela (4 April 1939 – 23 January 2018) was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer and composer who was described as "the father of South African jazz". Masekela was known for his jazz compositions and for ...

The Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, country, jazz, bluegrass, blues, rock and roll, gospel, reggae, world music, ...

, and

, as "young gods" with music "born of love" and "religion was being born." The band described a scene at which "children danced night and day", and "even the cops grooved with us." "His Majesty Prince Jones" referred to

Brian Jones Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones (28 February 1942 – 3 July 1969) was an English multi-instrumentalist and singer best known as the founder, rhythm/lead guitarist, and original leader of the Rolling Stones. Initially a guitarist, he went on to prov ...

of the

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

, who was an MC at the event. Before the ending of the song, Burdon quoted the

Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...

song "Renaissance Fair": "I think that Maybe I'm Dreamin'". Burdon mispronounces Shankar's name as "Shanknar." The song featured a brass section as well as a string section. The longer version of the song begins with a spoken recitation by Burdon. The ending as the song is extended with the instruments dropping out, with only the sounds of a mystical instrument play before the fade. Almost each of the musicians mentioned are represented by a corresponding instrument: Ravi Shankar by a

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in ...

sounding electric guitar, The Who by electric guitars and drums, Hugh Masekela by a trumpet, The Grateful Dead, by electric guitars, and Jimi Hendrix by a different sounding electric guitar. The sound of a distortion of the guitars is heard when the "ten thousand electric guitars" are playing. The Strings come in on the line: "You wanna find the truth in life,/ Don't pass music by,/ And you know I would not lie", sounding like a Hindu chant. Some radio edits omit the instrumental section, which is heard in the middle of the song, as well as shortening the ending, due to its going over the three minute limit.

Charts

Released as a single in 1967, the song reached number 15 on the U.S. pop singles chart and number 16 on the Canadian

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

charts. It reached number 9 in Australia and number 20 in New Zealand.Flavour of New Zealand, 15 March 1968
/ref> It did not appear as a hit in the UK, where the image of the festival was not as strong. It was included in the new band's second album ''

The Twain Shall Meet ''The Twain Shall Meet'' is the second album by Eric Burdon & the Animals. It was released in 1968 on MGM Records. Background The record includes " Sky Pilot", an anti-war song of the Vietnam War era, and "Monterey", the band's tribute to the 1 ...

'' as well as their 1969 U.S.-only compilation, '' The Greatest Hits of Eric Burdon and The Animals''.

Releases

The Mexican MGM release gives the song titles in Spanish as "Monterrey" and "No Es Mucho".

Monterrey Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...

is in fact an entirely different city in Mexico. In 1967 and 1968, the song was included on their live shows. Burdon re-recorded the song many times at his live shows, adding more and more sequences every time. In 1993, the Eric Burdon -

Brian Auger Brian Albert Gordon Auger (born 18 July 1939) is an English jazz rock and rock music keyboardist who specialises in the Hammond organ. Auger has worked with Rod Stewart, Tony Williams, Jimi Hendrix, John McLaughlin, Sonny Boy Williamson, a ...

Band released it on their live album " Access All Areas". In 1999, it was featured on Eric Burdon & The New Animals' concert film ''Live at the Coachhouse''. In 2000, the same band released another long live version, which runs for nearly eight minutes. When Burdon had a completely new band in 2006 they also performed it.

References

Monterey: Eric Burdon & the Animals
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monterey (Song) 1967 singles Songs written by Eric Burdon The Animals songs Eric Burdon songs Song recordings produced by Tom Wilson (record producer) MGM Records singles Songs about California Songs based on actual events 1967 songs

Background

Charts

Releases

See also

References