"When I Was Young" is a song with a countercultural theme released in early 1967 by

Eric Burdon and 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 and ...

; it was written by five of the band 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, powe ...

(vocals), Barry Jenkins (drums), John Weider (guitar/violin), Vic Briggs (guitar), and

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 The Animals, Eric Burdon and The Animals. History Early career Danny McCulloch was born i ...

(bass). It charted in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, peaking at No. 2 and staying 4 weeks there. Later, it hit No. 10 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 ...

chart, No. 15 in the United States, and No. 9 in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. The song has been

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

by many punk rock and heavy metal bands.

Background

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: 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 A vibrato system on a guitar is a mechanical device used to temporarily change the pitch of the strings. Instruments without a vibrato have other bridge and tailpiece systems. They add vibrato to the sound by changing the tension of the string ...

descent from E to D. This song begins in E Minor, and ends in G Minor. The B-Side "A Girl Named

Sandoz Novartis AG is a Swiss-American multinational pharmaceutical corporation based in Basel, Switzerland and Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States (global research).name="novartis.com">https://www.novartis.com/research-development/research-loc ...

" is named after the drug company that invented

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...

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

Reception

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' described the single as containing "blockbuster biting material" and an "intriguing dance arrangement." ''

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'' called the single a "strong, gutsy, reflective Blues effort with a particularly interesting instrumental backing."

Charts

References

{{The Animals 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