Posted on 05/20/2024 4:58:34 PM PDT by DallasBiff
This was written by the husband and wife songwriting team of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. Mann had just signed a record deal and recorded this song himself, but his version was pulled when The Animals released the song. Mann and Weil were very productive in the mid-'60s, as they made the transition from writing fluffy pop songs like "Blame It On The Bossa Nova" to songs with more of a message, which appealed to rock bands like The Animals. The Animals producer Mickie Most heard this song and had the band record it. He was looking for American material as he was trying to break the band in the States, and had a call out to the New York City songwriters in the Brill Building and 1650 Broadway looking for songs.
(Excerpt) Read more at songfacts.com ...
That was classic.
Is that your year? My BIL graduated from USAFA in '73, flew C-130's for 20 years.
I ended up enlisting and ended up in RVN and this was our favorite song along with many other great hits from that era.
Not as good as Springsteen. /s
Sorry, Eric Burdon did not sing that song.
Amen, my Infantry company (B 4/12 199th) when we were out in the boonies in 1966 while waiting for extraction back to a firebase would all but scream this song when armed forces radio Saigon played it. Of course made sure the area was clear first lol.
That was a pretty cool clip. I was nervous for the kid just watching, but he nailed it.
The Animals had a great stage presence. Look at some of their old Ed Sullivan videos.
Interesting.
“Sky Pilot” was a patriotic song? I thought it was a critique of military chaplains who supported unjust wars. (”You’ll never, never, never reach the sky.” In other words, you will never go to Heaven.)
I got my introduction to the Animnals from the David Johansen Animals Medley that got a fair amount of play on MTV.
I never became a huge fan, but I liked the three songs in the medley plus House of the Rising Sun. I’m not sure I know any beyond that, but your post brings back some good memories.
The Animals....the one band I remember turning off instantly if they came on the car radio. Fingernails on a blackboard!
The cool thing about Eric Burdon is he almost never smiled on stage.
“had a call out to the New York City songwriters in the Brill Building and 1650 Broadway looking for songs.”
Tin Pan Alley. A lot of great names got their start there.
L
The other prominent husband/wife writing team was Carole King and Gerry Goffin.
DJ on WPRB (Princeton) dedicated about an hour of Eric Burdon’s songs (a chronological overview) to celebrate his May birthday.
It was my maritime academy’s song in 1968, and then I went to Da Nang.
Thank you for your service.
Love Like the Galaxy - Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood - The Animals
https://youtu.be/FM8vVpfmlGQ
It had sympathy for the troops.
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