When I Was Young
Encyclopedia
"When I Was Young" is a song performed in 1967 by The Animals
with Eric Burdon
on vocals. It was released on 8 April. It charted in Australia
peaking #2 and stayed 4 weeks there. Later it was a hit charting #10 on the Canadian RPM
chart, # 15 in the US and #7 in the Netherlands
. The song was featured several times in German director Doris Dörrie's
film Men... (German: Männer…), as well as in other motion pictures. The song has been covered
by many punk rock
and heavy metal
bands.
This song is noted for its Indian riff, played by an electric guitar as well as a violin. This somewhat autobiographical song told about his father, who was a soldier during tough times, as well as Eric's adventures including his first smoke of a cigarette at 10, to his meeting his first love at 13. The final verse shows his disillusionment with society by saying:
"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 begins in E Minor, and ends in G Minor.
Later it was used for a German TV commercial.
In the early 80s Burdon began to mention many stars who died at the end of the song.
"When I Was Young" was covered by many artists:
"When I Was Young" is also the starting verse of "The Logical Song
" by Supertramp
.
The B-Side "A Girl Named Sandoz
" is named after the drug company that invented LSD
. This song was covered by The Smashing Pumpkins
, appearing on 1994's collection of B-Sides, Pisces Iscariot
.
The Animals
The Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London...
with Eric Burdon
Eric Burdon
Eric Victor Burdon is an English singer-songwriter best known as a founding member and vocalist of rock band The Animals, and the funk rock band War and for his aggressive stage performance...
on vocals. It was released on 8 April. It charted in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
peaking #2 and stayed 4 weeks there. Later it was a hit charting #10 on the Canadian RPM
RPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
chart, # 15 in the US and #7 in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. The song was featured several times in German director Doris Dörrie's
Doris Dörrie
Doris Dörrie is a German film director, producer and author.-Life and work:Dörrie completed her secondary education at a humanist Gymnasium. In 1973 she began a two-year attendance in film studies, in the drama department of the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. She then studied...
film Men... (German: Männer…), as well as in other motion pictures. The song has been covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by many punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
bands.
This song is noted for its Indian riff, played by an electric guitar as well as a violin. This somewhat autobiographical song told about his father, who was a soldier during tough times, as well as Eric's adventures including his first smoke of a cigarette at 10, to his meeting his first love at 13. The final verse shows his disillusionment with society by saying:
"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 begins in E Minor, and ends in G Minor.
Later it was used for a German TV commercial.
In the early 80s Burdon began to mention many stars who died at the end of the song.
"When I Was Young" was covered by many artists:
- Trek with Quintronic (1981)
- RiotRiot (band)Riot is an American heavy metal band founded in New York City in 1975 by guitarist Mark Reale. Reaching a peak in popularity in the early 80s, the band has continued a long-running successful career....
(1982) - Tina TurnerTina TurnerTina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
(1984) - Poison 13 (1984)
- Riblja ČorbaRiblja CorbaRiblja Čorba is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. Their presence on the scene has lasted from 1978 to today. They reached their peak of popularity in the 1980s, but it has declined in the 1990s, partly due to controversial political attitudes of the band's leader Bora Đorđević...
(1992) - RamonesRamonesThe Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
(1993) - Golden EarringGolden EarringGolden Earring are a Dutch rock band, founded in 1961 in The Hague as the Golden Earrings . They had international chart success with the songs "Radar Love" in 1973, "Twilight Zone" in 1982, and "When the Lady Smiles" in 1984. In their home country, they had over 40 hits and made over 30 gold and...
(1995) - Ed KuepperEd KuepperEd Kuepper is an Australian guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. He co-founded the seminal punk band The Saints, the experimental post-punk group Laughing Clowns and later the grunge-like The Aints...
(2000) - Inmates (2003)
- Eddie FisherEddie FisherEdward Fisher may refer to:* Ed Fisher , American baseball player* Eddie Fisher , American singer* Eddie Fisher , American player* Ed Fisher , player...
- The Carnabeats
- Several live albums by Eric BurdonEric BurdonEric Victor Burdon is an English singer-songwriter best known as a founding member and vocalist of rock band The Animals, and the funk rock band War and for his aggressive stage performance...
"When I Was Young" is also the starting verse of "The Logical Song
The Logical Song
"The Logical Song" is a hit single on Supertramp's 1979 album Breakfast in America, sung by band member Roger Hodgson. It is the band's biggest chart hit in both the United States and their native United Kingdom, and is among their most widely recognized radio hits.-Composition and Lyrics:"The...
" by Supertramp
Supertramp
Supertramp are a British rock band formed in 1969 under the name Daddy before renaming to Supertramp in early 1970. Though their music was initially categorised as progressive rock, they have since incorporated a combination of traditional rock and art rock into their music...
.
The B-Side "A Girl Named Sandoz
Sandoz
Founded in 2003, Sandoz presently is the generic drug subsidiary of Novartis, a multinational pharmaceutical company. The company develops, manufactures and markets generic drugs as well as pharmaceutical and biotechnological active ingredients....
" is named after the drug company that invented LSD
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
. This song was covered by The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. Formed by Billy Corgan frontman and James Iha , the band has included Jimmy Chamberlin , D'arcy Wretzky , and currently includes Jeff Schroeder Mike Byrne , and Nicole Fiorentino The Smashing...
, appearing on 1994's collection of B-Sides, Pisces Iscariot
Pisces Iscariot
Pisces Iscariot is a compilation album by American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins released in 1994 through Virgin Records, consisting of B-sides and outtakes. Reaching number 4 in the U.S. upon its 1994 release, Pisces Iscariot was certified platinum by the RIAA on November 23, 1994...
.