The Brill Building spearheaded the British Invasion
-
Artist:
-
Album:Greatest Hits Live
-
Track:
"Don't Bring Me Down" was a song composed by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and recorded by The Animals in 1966.
"Don't Bring Me Down" was the third of The Animals' epic personalisations of Brill Building material, following the 1965 hits "We Gotta Get Out of This Place"" and "It's My Life". According to one account, all three came out one call in 1965 that The Animals' then producer, Mickie Most, made for songs.
The Animals had always had a somewhat contentious relationship with such songs, knowing they gave them hits but preferring the more straightforward R&B numbers they used for album tracks. Moreover now they were performing a Goffin and King selection; although the couple was already legendary for their pop songwriting prowess, Animals lead singer Eric Burdon had previously seemingly mocked Goffin-King's "Take Good Care of My Baby" in The Animals' 1964 stream-of-consciousness rock history "Story Of Bo Diddley". Furthermore they were now using Tom Wilson as a producer, who promised them more artistic freedom than they had had under Mickie Most.
Regardless ...
The Animals' arrangement is led by a pulsating organ riff from Dave Rowberry, which is then set against a prominent bass guitar line from Chas Chandler. Hilton Valentine decorates the song with unusual fuzz guitar chords. Eric Burdon sings the verses in an almost matter-of-fact way:
When you complain - and criticize
I feel I'm nothing, in your eyes
It makes me feel - like giving up ...
before sliding into a loud, pleading voice on the chorus:
Oh, oh no!
Don't bring me down,
no no no no
Oh babe! Oh no,
Don't bring me down ...
Comments (6)
"It's My Life" was composed by Roger Atkins and Carl D'Errico and recorded as a 1965 hit single by The Animals.
D'Errico, who wrote the music, and Atkins, who wrote the lyrics, were professional songwriters associated with the Brill Building scene in New York City. By 1965 they were working for Screen Gems Music.
"It's My Life" was written specifically for The Animals as their producer Mickie Most was soliciting material for the group's next recording sessions.
As laid down "It's My Life" was a natural fit for The Animals. It was propelled by a bass guitar riff from Chas Chandler, soon joined by a ringing electric guitar riff from Hilton Valentine. Then Eric Burdon's classic low growl entered with lyrics seemingly direct from his native working class Northern England.
Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil were husband and wife (and future Hall of Fame) songwriters associated with the 1960s Brill Building scene in New York City.
"We Gotta Get out of This Place" was written and recorded as a demo by Mann and Weil, with Mann singing and playing piano. It was intended for The Righteous Brothers (for whom them they had written the epic hit "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"), and indeed the demo almost sounds like a Righteous Brothers recording, with the piano supplying the easily-recognized bass line and both a pop and blue-eyed soul feeling accompanying the foreboding lyrics. But then Mann gained a recording contract for himself, and his label Redbird Records wanted him to release it instead. Meanwhile, record executive Allen Klein had heard it and given the demo to Mickie Most, the producer for The Animals. Most already had a call out to Brill Building songwriters for material for the group's next recording session (the Animals hits "It's My Life" and "Don't Bring Me Down" came from the same call), and The Animals recorded it before Mann could.
Great post. I'm very familiar with all three songs, yet never knew who wrote them. Though the Animals may've preferred their R&B covers, thematically these three songs seem very inter-related, expressing dissatisfaction and/or rebellion. It's probably because of this that they seem to fit the group's persona like a glove and I always naively assumed they were written by someone in the band. After the Beatles, one began to assume that ALL bands were writing their own material. Not so.
"We Gotta Get out of This Place" is my favorite by The Animals. I think I posted "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" not to long ago. Nice to see another fan of The Animals.
I knew a little about this, in so far as the band was uncomfortable with the Brill Building connection, they felt it hurt their R&B cred. & truth be told I always thought the Animals' "deep tracks" were damn fine recreations of the sounds they tended to emulate. Eric Burdon's covers of John Lee Hooker were homage & celebrations, distinctly Animalized, but definitely in the spirit & feel of the original.
I'm an unabashed fan of all their phases.
Me too. This is a great post.