In 2012, Bruce Springsteen delivered the keynote address at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. He spoke about his career and how he was inspired by the music of the British Invasion, especially a gritty group of Geordies.
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“For some, they were just another one of the really good beat groups that came out of the ’60s. But to me, The Animals were—they were a revelation,” Springsteen said. “I mean, the first records with full-blown class consciousness that I had ever heard. … And the other thing that was great about The Animals was there were no good-looking members. There were none. They were considered to be one of the ugliest groups in all of rock ‘n’ roll.”
It’s a hard world to get a break in
All the good things have been taken
But, girl, there are ways to make certain things pay
Though I’m dressed in these rags
I’ll wear sable some day
Just as Springsteen does, The Animals represent the working class in rock music. John Mellencamp, Tom Petty, and Bob Seger all settled into the same musical landscape even if they were from different parts of the globe.
Hear what I say
I’m gonna ride that serpent
No more time spent
Sweatin’ rent
Hear my command
I’m breakin’ loose
And ain’t no use
Holdin’ me down
Stick around
The Animals had shot to the top with “House of the Rising Sun.” American tours, television appearances, and nonstop interviews led to the departure of keyboardist Alan Price. By the time “It’s My Life” was released, Dave Rowberry was playing the great organ part.
But baby (Baby)
Remember (Remember)
It’s my life, and I’ll do what I want
It’s my mind, and I’ll think what I want
Show me I’m wrong
Hurt me sometime
But some day, I’ll treat you real fine
The song was written by Roger Atkins and Carl D’Errico, a pair of Screen Gems songwriters who worked in the Brill Building. Producer Mickie Most was looking for a song specifically for The Animals, and Atkins and D’Errico composed “It’s My Life” just for them.
However, lead singer Eric Burdon was not a fan of the song in the beginning.
Atkins remembered in an interview with the Rare Rockin’ Records blog in 2011, “I wrote, ‘It’s my life, and I’ll do what I want! / It’s my mind, and I’ll think what I want! / Sure, I’ll do wrong, Hurt you some time / But someday I’ll treat you so fine,‘ but Eric sings, ‘Show me I’m wrong, hurt me some time,’ which never made any sense to me. Everyone who’s recorded it sings the wrong chorus and sometimes even the wrong lyrics in the verses, too.”
Burdon obviously came around to the song as he recorded it again on his 1974 Eric Burdon Band album Sun Secrets.
There’ll be women and their fortunes
Who just want to mother orphans
Are you gonna cry while I’m squeezin’ them dry?
Takin’ all I can get, no regrets
Springsteen related to The Animals in more than just a musical way. “They weren’t nice, you know. They didn’t curry favor. They were like aggression personified,” he said. “‘It’s my life. I’ll do what I want.’ They were cruel, which was so freeing. It was so freeing. When you saw Eric Burdon—Burdon was like your shrunken daddy with a wig on. He never had a kid’s face. He always had a little man’s face. … He couldn’t dance. He was just like—he was like this. They put him in a suit, but it was like putting a gorilla in a suit. You could tell he—f–k that s–t, man, he didn’t want it, you know? And then he had that voice that was, like, I don’t know, Howlin’ Wolf, or something coming out of some 17- or 18-year-old kid. I don’t know how it happened. But they were so—I found their cruelty so freeing.”
When I openly lie
And live on their money
Believe me, honey
That money
Can you believe I ain’t no saint?
No complaints
So girl, throw out any doubt
The Chas Chandler bass line that starts out the song is backed by Hilton Valentine’s 12-string. The intro tees up the appearance of drummer John Steel’s snare in a similar way “All Day and All of the Night” by The Kinks does. The lyrics are so defiant. It’s a declaration of independence. Burdon begins the song almost subdued. The tension builds as the story unfolds until he’s yelling.
And baby (Baby)
Remember (Remember)
It’s my life, and I’ll do what I want
It’s my mind, and I’ll think what I want
Show me I’m wrong
Hurt me sometime
But some day, I’ll treat you real fine
I’ve always felt The Animals had three phases of their career. The first was covering rhythm and blues classics by the likes of Ray Charles, Bo Diddley, and Chuck Berry. The second was when they pivoted to original material such as “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” and “It’s My Life.” The third phase involved the everchanging band members backing Burdon. I enjoy all three stages, but this middle period was a time when rock music was really coming into its own. The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were making the same pivot. Bob Dylan, The Who, and The Kinks were all pushing the boundaries of what rock music could be.
Don’t push me
(It’s my mind, and I’ll think what I want)
It’s my life
Can’t get to do what I want
(It’s my mind, and I’ll think what I want)
You can’t tell me
(It’s my life, and I’ll do what I want)
It’s my mind
As Springsteen related to a scruffy group of kids from halfway around the world, “It’s My Life” can resonate over five decades later.
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