Monday May 18, 2020 “We Gotta Get Outta This Place” The Animals

Seems to be a frequent theme lately perhaps resulting from all this sheltering in place…we gotta get outta this place.

This tune was written by Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil who worked in the Brill Building in the 60’s turning out hit songs with other famous writers/performers. In addition to today’s tune Mann & Weill wrote (with Phil Spector) “You’ve lost That Loving Feeling” the most played song of the 20th century…really. They are also responsible for “On Broadway”, “Kicks”, “Who Put the Bomp” (OK they’re not all gems) and countless other songs, movie and TV themes.

The Animals, fronted by Eric Burdon had quite the extensive career with multiple top ten hits and in 1968 when their original guitarist left the group he would be replaced by Andy Sumners who would later form The Police with Sting.

But the really interesting story here is about The Animals bass player Chas Chandler who, on one of their US tours ran across a young unknown guitarist who so impressed him that he decided to leave this successful group and take this musician to England where he was confident he could make him a star. The guitarist he had so much confidence in…Jimi Hendrix, whose career Chandler would manage until his death.

Stay safe and well…and sheltered, hopefully only a little longer, I know it and you know it too.