‘When I Was Young’ is a song released in early 1967 by Eric Burdon and The Animals; it was written by five of the band members – Eric Burdon (vocals), Barry Jenkins (drums), John Weider (guitar/violin), Vic Briggs (guitar), and Danny McCulloch (bass) – and was the first release to feature this lineup. It charted in Australia, peaking at No. 2 and staying 4 weeks there. Later, it hit No. 10 on the Canadian RPM chart, No. 15 in the United States, and No. 9 in the Netherlands.
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. Billboard described the single as containing "blockbuster biting material" and an "intriguing dance arrangement." Cash Box called the single a "strong, gutsy, reflective Blues effort with a particularly interesting instrumental backing."
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 descent from E to D. The B-Side ‘A Girl Named Sandoz’ is named after the drug company that invented LSD.
Speaking with American Songwriter magazine in a 2013 interview, Eric Burdon said this is the first song he wrote that has stood the test of time. He explained: "When I first wrote it I played it to George Harrison and his comment was 'Great! You got to do more of this. You'll know you'll be able to sing this song when you are in your forties.' Now I am in my 70s and I am still singing it."
Label – MGM
Songwriters – Eric Burdon, Vic Briggs, John Weider, Barry Jenkins, Danny McCulloch
Producer – Tom Wilson
SONG LYRICS
The rooms were so much colder thenMy father was a soldier then
And times were very hard
When I was young
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 pain
But I laughed a 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
Na na na na na na
Na na na na na na
When I was young, it was more important
Pain more painful
Laughed a 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
When I was young
Na na na na na na
When I was young