It's My Life (The Animals)

8 JANUARY 1966


The Animals’ excellent ‘It’s My Life’ was still in the UK Top 30. The cool and moody musical arrangement has strange and edgy lyrics that I always thought were about a young poor man setting out to be something of a gigolo for older rich women. After all, Eric Burdon sings about -
‘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’
 He goes on to say -
‘There'll be women and their fortunes
Who just want to mother orphans
Are you gonna cry
When I'm squeezing them dry?
Taking all I can get
No regrets.’
This performance clip from the US show ‘Hullabaloo’ is a bit weird, with women’s heads ‘mounted’ on the wall like trophies. Such were the times...

B-side: 'I'm Going to Change the World'
Recorded: 1965
Released: October 1965
Highest chart position: #7 (UK), #23 (US)
Length: 3:09
Label: Columbia (UK), MGM (US)
Writers: Roger Atkins, Carl D'Errico
Producer: Mickie Most

It's My Life (The Animals)