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The Animals — When I Was Young
Album: Retrospective
Avg rating:
7.2

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1255









Released: 1967
Length: 2:54
Plays (last 30 days): 0
The rooms were so much colder then
My father was a soldier then
And times were very hard
When I was young

I smoked my first cigarette at ten
And for girls, I had a bad yen
And I had quite a ball
When I was young

When I was young, it was more important
Pain more painful
Laughter much louder
Yeah, when I was young
When I was young

I met my first love at thirteen
She was brown and I was pretty green
And I learned quite a lot when I was young
When I was young

When I was young, it was more important
Pain more painful
Laughter much louder
Yeah, when I was young
When I was young

My faith was so much stronger then
I believed in fellow man
And I was so much older then
When I was young
When I was young
When I was young
Comments (161)add comment
Released in 1967.
Seriously. How is this not at least an 8 when recognizing how it has stood the test of time for over 50 years? I was around 12 years young and I recall how powerful this song was then, albeit like most truly great songs, overplayed for at least 25 years. Thankfully RP recognizes truly strong songs regardless of their history of airwave abuse. Thanks RP.
This starts to sound like bombastic tripe after the third time through the chorus.
Love the Eric
Laughamuch louder
 Ericocean wrote:
Like a Spinal Tap song
 
i turn this song down to -11
 Wardleader wrote:
No apologies to all of the panty waisted cupcakes with yikes as a functioning vocab, but that was and is how many of us grew up.   So, take your plastic jesus, your white picket uptight fences of suburban conformity and sanctimonious a man touched my fucking knee, i feel so violated horse shit and shove it up yr asses  it's it big bad multi cultural world out there and you have no idea just what a tiny slice of it all you are, me, you and everyone else that's mortal   HOWLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 
Are you Gary Busey by any chance?
No apologies to all of the panty waisted cupcakes with yikes as a functioning vocab, but that was and is how many of us grew up.   So, take your plastic jesus, your white picket uptight fences of suburban conformity and sanctimonious a man touched my fucking knee, i feel so violated horse shit and shove it up yr asses  it's it big bad multi cultural world out there and you have no idea just what a tiny slice of it all you are, me, you and everyone else that's mortal   HOWLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 chyk5 wrote:
I like the song, but then there is this

I smoked my first cigarette at ten
And for girls, I had a bad yen

Yikes

 
Yoda wrote that line.
 ITerryS wrote:

From the British perspective, that lyric was a natural..........
Fr'instance, I sold my first cigarette at 10 (I had an uncle who ran a cigarette kiosk)
And for girls I had a definite yearning......just a little later. 
Yer can keep yer Yikes but do watch "Hope and Glory "

 
I would guess the "yikes" refers more to the appalling lyrics ... I recall getting stoned in Manchester (UK) to this LP around 1972 and although the music was fine we were creased up in giggles at the tortuous words e.g. Yen to rhyme with Ten... oh dear....
Would guess that this song was heavily influenced by the Vietnam War.
Badass.
Love the raw guitar tone. Very influential on Tony Iommi, BomBiNo etc...
Love this song, especially 

" I met my first love at thirteen 
She was brown and I was pretty green" {#Lol}

 chyk5 wrote:

I like the song, but then there is this

I smoked my first cigarette at ten
And for girls, I had a bad yen

Yikes



 
From the British perspective, that lyric was a natural..........
Fr'instance, I sold my first cigarette at 10 (I had an uncle who ran a cigarette kiosk)
And for girls I had a definite yearning......just a little later. 
Yer can keep yer Yikes but do watch "Hope and Glory "
Reminds me of when I was young. Really.
I just realized that I need to get into The Animals much more. Awesome.
Timeless
 Proclivities wrote:
 fredriley wrote:
"and for girls I had a bad yen" - probably one of the clunkiest lines ever, but maybe the writer was reaching for something rhyming with "then". Other than that, this is a very nice, evocative and plaintive song, which is almost universal in its expression of nostalgia for lost innocent youth.

 
"I smoked my first cigarette at ten
And for girls, I had a bad yen"

I guess if he had smoked his first cigarette at nine instead of ten he could've had more choices for a rhyme in the next line (pine, time, crime, Newcastle upon Tyne, serpentine, etc.) .  At least he didn't wait until eleven or twelve to smoke - he really would've been hard-pressed for a rhyme.  Anyhow, great tune; I'm surprised there aren't more Animals' tunes on the playlist.

 
That analysis is too hilarious! Thanks for sharing.
 Proclivities wrote:
 fredriley wrote:
"and for girls I had a bad yen" - probably one of the clunkiest lines ever, but maybe the writer was reaching for something rhyming with "then". Other than that, this is a very nice, evocative and plaintive song, which is almost universal in its expression of nostalgia for lost innocent youth.

 
"I smoked my first cigarette at ten
And for girls, I had a bad yen"

I guess if he had smoked his first cigarette at nine instead of ten he could've had more choices for a rhyme in the next line (pine, time, crime, Newcastle upon Tyne, serpentine, etc.) .  At least he didn't wait until eleven or twelve to smoke - he really would've been hard-pressed for a rhyme.  Anyhow, great tune; I'm surprised there aren't more Animals' tunes on the playlist.

 
Didn't notice the prior mentions, but great line above. 
 chyk5 wrote:

I like the song, but then there is this

I smoked my first cigarette at ten
And for girls, I had a bad yen

Yikes 


Yes, that awkward lyric was mentioned a couple of times earlier in this thread.
 ScottishWillie wrote:

Isn’t a bad yen what Japanese counterfeiter makes?



 
{#Cheesygrin}
 westslope wrote:
These lyrics compared to Bob Dylan's My Backpages:

My faith was so much stronger then
I believed in fellow man
And I was so much older then
When I was young

 
Now Dylan:

Romantic facts of musketeers
Foundationed deep, somehow.
Ah, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now.

 

 
I like the song, but then there is this

I smoked my first cigarette at ten
And for girls, I had a bad yen

Yikes


These lyrics compared to Bob Dylan's My Backpages:

My faith was so much stronger then
I believed in fellow man
And I was so much older then
When I was young

 
Now Dylan:

Romantic facts of musketeers
Foundationed deep, somehow.
Ah, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now.

 
Only one Animals song in the RP-playlist. There's so much more Eric Burdon to enjoy. 
Check out cover of this song in some other language. {#Whistle}
https://youtu.be/4Hv7ticWWKY   {#Bananajam}
 boober wrote:
I'm a BIG Animals fan.....not this crap however.

 
I think your comment is crap
awesome AM radio hit
big hit in my area 
i liked it a lot 
 vesta0424 wrote:
And for girls, I had a bad yen?
 

Isn’t a bad yen what Japanese counterfeiter makes?


 Athyrius wrote:
These guys give the 60s a bad name.

 
Hardly. These were my teen years, and they were good years, especially the music. The Animals were one of the first to bring in a blues orientation, along with the Stones. Sure, there have been huge steps made in technology and guitar musicianship, but you have to put things into historical perspective. For that time, they were a very good group. YMMV.
And for girls, I had a bad yen?
Eric B  the animals    ah the 60's   the anger the "youth movement"

The British are coming the British are coming!  Paul Rev circa 1776
1960's they invaded us with rock and roll. They  had heard music from some of our great  Black (African American) Jazz and blues men.
Rock on 
 Proclivities wrote:
 fredriley wrote:
"and for girls I had a bad yen" - probably one of the clunkiest lines ever, but maybe the writer was reaching for something rhyming with "then". Other than that, this is a very nice, evocative and plaintive song, which is almost universal in its expression of nostalgia for lost innocent youth.

 
"I smoked my first cigarette at ten
And for girls, I had a bad yen"

I guess if he had smoked his first cigarette at nine instead of ten he could've had more choices for a rhyme in the next line (pine, time, crime, Newcastle upon Tyne, serpentine, etc.) .  At least he didn't wait until eleven or twelve to smoke - he really would've been hard-pressed for a rhyme.  Anyhow, great tune; I'm surprised there aren't more Animals' tunes on the playlist.

 
Well it is either as Fred says or possibly (being really charitable here) that as the band hailed from the north east of England, an area known even today, for it's inability to speak the English language, it's simply some quirk of their local dialect, a mix of Scottish, Norse and Yorkshire. Then again, maybe not.
I'm a BIG Animals fan.....not this crap however.
 Ericocean wrote:
Like a Spinal Tap song

 
LOL! Now that you mention it, yeah. 
For some reason, I am always surprised to be reminded how good this band really was.
 Athyrius wrote:
These guys give the 60s a bad name.

 

this song's not so good but I do disagree that the Animals gave the 60's a bad name.
These guys give the 60s a bad name.
Like a Spinal Tap song
"and for girls I had a bad yen" - probably one of the clunkiest lines ever,

Maybe they talked that way in the 60's. 

It's better than CHX R GR8 anyway 
 fredriley wrote:
"and for girls I had a bad yen" - probably one of the clunkiest lines ever, but maybe the writer was reaching for something rhyming with "then". Other than that, this is a very nice, evocative and plaintive song, which is almost universal in its expression of nostalgia for lost innocent youth.

 
I agree. This always stood out to me too.  It's a funny line that I know is coming, and it always seems a bit odd.  Minor criticism for an overall great song though. 
Top tune. Nice surprise.
yes, Godlike
!!!!!!!10!!!!!!!
In days of old when men were bold...  everybody in my alien space craft loves this song...  time flies when we're having fun...
 fredriley wrote:
"and for girls I had a bad yen" - probably one of the clunkiest lines ever, but maybe the writer was reaching for something rhyming with "then". Other than that, this is a very nice, evocative and plaintive song, which is almost universal in its expression of nostalgia for lost innocent youth.

 
"I smoked my first cigarette at ten
And for girls, I had a bad yen"

I guess if he had smoked his first cigarette at nine instead of ten he could've had more choices for a rhyme in the next line (pine, time, crime, Newcastle upon Tyne, serpentine, etc.) .  At least he didn't wait until eleven or twelve to smoke - he really would've been hard-pressed for a rhyme.  Anyhow, great tune; I'm surprised there aren't more Animals' tunes on the playlist.
 GTT wrote:
There's something special about this band, a sound no one else can do, so many songs for the ages.

 
      yep, GTT....a good comment
I heard an older guy covering this song at the Sausalito Art festival. A silver-haired guy who you would think rode a Harley. I thought, "how pathetic for an ageing band to cover this song". Then they launched into House of the Rising Sun, and I thought, "whoa, this could be the real McCoy", and it was. {#Clap} So I stayed and enjoyed the concert, just like when I was young. {#Dance}
she was brown and I was pretty green
 
There's something special about this band, a sound no one else can do, so many songs for the ages.
For the folks badmouthing Mr. Burdon's song-smithing: He performed here at one of the obligatory annual festivals small towns in the south have to justify the salaries of the local booster organization staff. Turned in a workmanlike and energetic show for a guy hired to flog history. Best moment of the night: substitution of "I was such a know-it-all-green-punk when I was young." Laughed at himself, sang and played well, had a good time while delivering the same to a crowd of maybe 1500 souls. Aging well, Mr. Burdon.
The hi-def version of this album is quite nice for any audiophile fans out there -  from HD Tracks.
 fredriley wrote:
"and for girls I had a bad yen" - probably one of the clunkiest lines ever, but maybe the writer was reaching for something rhyming with "then". Other than that, this is a very nice, evocative and plaintive song, which is almost universal in its expression of nostalgia for lost innocent youth.

 
I guess you had to be there, as I was ;-)


 Dude! You need to lighten up. That's a lot of three and four syllable words for someone who just likes to hear themselves talk! You're totally missing the point, bud! But that's okay! You'll figure it out!

fredriley wrote:
"and for girls I had a bad yen" - probably one of the clunkiest lines ever, but maybe the writer was reaching for something rhyming with "then". Other than that, this is a very nice, evocative and plaintive song, which is almost universal in its expression of nostalgia for lost innocent youth.

 

Dreck.
"and for girls I had a bad yen" - probably one of the clunkiest lines ever, but maybe the writer was reaching for something rhyming with "then". Other than that, this is a very nice, evocative and plaintive song, which is almost universal in its expression of nostalgia for lost innocent youth.
Whoah, the memories! Sitting on the front porch, maybe 6 or 7 years old, seeing the neighbor boy come home from the war, wounded and newly forever with a limp, and my dad telling me -- who wanted to go and ask him what happened -- "Hell, he probably doesn't want to talk about it, don't you dare!" and then his sister was crying a lot in those days after that, and she kept playing The Animals, her favorite group.
 unclehud wrote:

Yeah, but he was young.

(By the way, I think it's an unintentionally funny lyric, written by some 20-something kid about "when he was young".  Yeah, right?)

 

Reminiscent of Auden:

WHEN I was one-and-twenty  
I heard a wise man say,
Give crowns and pounds and guineas  
But not your heart away; 
Give pearls away and rubies        5  
But keep your fancy free.’
But I was one-and-twenty,  
No use to talk to me. 
When I was one-and-twenty  
I heard him say again,        10
The heart out of the bosom  
Was never given in vain;
’Tis paid with sighs a plenty  
And sold for endless rue.’
And I am two-and-twenty,        15  
And oh, ’tis true, ’tis true.
What he said.:-)
More Eric Burdon please!
 GuiltyFeat wrote:
And the clumsy lyric of the week goes to...

"And for girls, I had a bad yen" 

Awesomely bad. 
 
Yeah, but he was young.

(By the way, I think it's an unintentionally funny lyric, written by some 20-something kid about "when he was young".  Yeah, right?)
Always considered this as rock-n-roll's version of Sinatra's 'When I was Seventeen" {#Meditate}
"And I had quite the ball, when I was young"

woo boy!  love this song! 
Yeah, when I was young this was good.
 GuiltyFeat wrote:
And the clumsy lyric of the week goes to...

"And for girls, I had a bad yen" 

Awesomely bad. 
 
Oh boy...are you not kidding...whoa!!! It makes me wince!
 fatcatjb wrote:
something about that grungy opening guitar chord always reminds me of Iron Man/Black Sabbath, who I thought were incredibly cool when I was in 4th grade (1968! Yikes!)
 
 
Hey there, Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" was released in 1970.
Make it stop!
 2cats wrote:
Don't think I've heard this since '67.
 
Yeah, you don't here this everyday.  It was sure a radical song back then!  Animals at their peak.
Yunnnnngggggggggg!
 SpamNRice wrote:
 Now I know where Black Sabbath got their opening for "Ironman" 
 
I was about to hit PSD after the first note.
Don't think I've heard this since '67.
 Now I know where Black Sabbath got their opening for "Ironman" 
Next track on the album is 'A girl named Sandoz' - says it all really!!
something about that grungy opening guitar chord always reminds me of Iron Man/Black Sabbath, who I thought were incredibly cool when I was in 4th grade (1968! Yikes!)
 
Most excellent. He and I were young at the same time!  {#Angel}
What a classic tune.

I think I had this record in the mid 60's? It was my very first album, backed by that San Francisco tune...
Thanks RP for digging this one up!
And the clumsy lyric of the week goes to...

"And for girls, I had a bad yen" 

Awesomely bad. 

 jules44 wrote:
....and it is time to leave the room.....let me know when it is over.....
 
   
I can picture him with an Indian headdress crying out this song around a campfire!!  Shouting out to the gods... circling, circling  {#Exclaim}


....and it is time to leave the room.....let me know when it is over.....
 yofitofu wrote:
And for girls I had a bad yen? Huh?
 
Yen. Look it up.
Great song, but I must admit I appreciate more cover performed by The Ramones. :)
Thanks for sharing
Still a great tune after all these years!
she was brown....and I was pretty green
my ears are bleeding.
The anticipation after that nasty guitar chord is just so.......good
Again, perfect timing of this excellent song

Cool, very cool.

{#Roflol}{#Roflol}{#Roflol}


And for girls I had a bad yen? Huh?
 Shesdifferent wrote:
Nowadays, I can so relate to what he was singing about.....such an excellent set of musicians-hey, what ever happened to those?
 
Saw them live this summer, in Germany. Nice.

Nowadays, I can so relate to what he was singing about.....such an excellent set of musicians-hey, what ever happened to those?
This was a little different from a lot of the sounds that were being played at the time.  Really nice to hear this again.
This song was my anthem... when I was young. And now today, at 60, it returns as an anthem of my elder years.
Pickups, Keys, Animals - 30/30 Nice way to wake up 
A 10 on the nostalgia scale. I remember sitting in my bedroom wondering, ¨what could this possibly mean?¨, when I was young.
Very, very nice!
This song needs a shower and a slap! Ugh.
 SinisterDexter wrote:

"Smoked my first cigarette at ten
And for girls I had a bad yen."

That terrible rhyme always makes me cringe.  {#No}  Otherwise, it's a decent song.

 
yen - Noun

(1) A longing or yearning

"She always had a yen to be a writer."

Not a bad rhyme, just arcane. . . 


 SinisterDexter wrote:

"Smoked my first cigarette at ten
And for girls I had a bad yen."

That terrible rhyme always makes me cringe.  {#No}  Otherwise, it's a decent song.


 
Haha, I always hated that rhyme, too.

I'm over it now, tho. The 60's, it turns out, had LOTS of bad rhyming. It's all good...the point of this song is that we were more passionate stuff in our wild youth, and me not caring so much anymore about the details of lyrics from that era constitutes a perfect example of this.

Eric's still out there singing this song.  Its point is truer now now than ever!

NEXT 10!!!
 DaveInVA wrote:
Great old Eric Animal and the Burdens song...Saw them in concert when they played at my High School way back when...

 


WOW!

"Smoked my first cigarette at ten
And for girls I had a bad yen."

That terrible rhyme always makes me cringe.  {#No}  Otherwise, it's a decent song.


 kaybee wrote:

{#Yes}  Yes!  And he made Jagger look like a wimp.
 
The REAL Eggman!

{#Yes} kaybee wrote:

{#Yes}  Yes!  And he made Jagger look like a wimp.
 



Minor point re: album date ...

When I was Young may be "1967" but Retrospective can't be ...

Label says it has Spill the Wine.  Heck, that's a War song ... 

 
 PopKombo wrote:
When I was young?? Don't think Eric Burden was ever young ... even when he was ...

 
{#Yes}  Yes!  And he made Jagger look like a wimp.



 
Cynaera wrote:
The rooms were so much colder then
My father was a soldier then
And times were very hard
When I was young

I smoked my first cigarette at ten
And for girls, I had a bad yen
And I had quite a ball
When I was young

When I was young, it was more important
Pain more painful
Laughter much louder
Yeah, when I was young
When I was young

I met my first love at thirteen
She was brown and I was pretty green
And I learned quite a lot when I was young
When I was young

When I was young
Pain more painful
Laughter much louder
Yeah, when I was young
When I was young

My faith was so much stronger then
I believed in fellow man
And I was so much older then
When I was young
When I was young
When I was young

 

Some pretty powerful lyrics here - I'd forgotten how good this song is...

_________________________________________

One of my favorite late-period Animals tracks.

 



 

The rooms were so much colder then
My father was a soldier then
And times were very hard
When I was young

I smoked my first cigarette at ten
And for girls, I had a bad yen
And I had quite a ball
When I was young

When I was young, it was more important
Pain more painful
Laughter much louder
Yeah, when I was young
When I was young

I met my first love at thirteen
She was brown and I was pretty green
And I learned quite a lot when I was young
When I was young

When I was young
Pain more painful
Laughter much louder
Yeah, when I was young
When I was young

My faith was so much stronger then
I believed in fellow man
And I was so much older then
When I was young
When I was young
When I was young

 

Some pretty powerful lyrics here - I'd forgotten how good this song is...

 



When I was young?? Don't think Eric Burden was ever young ... even when he was ...

Wow, does this take me back....{#Moon}
Great old Eric Animal and the Burdens song...Saw them in concert when they played at my High School way back when...

 Bocephus wrote:
Needs to be followed by Dylan...

I was so much older then...
 
...I'm younger than that now.  

What a great song for the ages. Eric Burdon was so far ahead of the times. Songs he wrote yesteryear are just as relivent today as they were then.

Love it{#Drummer}
A seminal song in the formation of my POV, a self-reflective one, that guided the formation of my life in the years that followed.

I was so much older then.


This could have been the anthem for the political activism of the period.  Demographics meets the politics of an Empire.


Needs to be followed by Dylan...

I was so much older then...
One of the first "best of" LPs I bought back in '66 or so. I was also pretty green at 13, especially after smokin' my first ciggies.
haha ... Did Bill purposely put this track in rotation for IronMan 2 (wide theater release today) ?  It really does sound like that first chord is the same one as in the first film ...