Animals ( The ) - We gotta get out of this place

First performance: 00/10/1965

Coverinfo

Bruce covered the song 5 times and 12 times as a snippet:  
 
 
with Animal’s Eric Burdon during the second leg of the Wrecking ball tour 
 
2012-03-15 Moody Theater, Austin, TX
During an intimate concert following Bruce’s keynote speech at the South By Southwest music festival. The song was played with the E Street Band and featured a guest appearance by The Animals' Eric Burdon.
 
1984-06-10 Stone Pony (The), Asbury Park, NJ
Bruce and Nils Lofgren joined Cats On A Smooth Surface 
 
1976-11-04 Palladium, New York City, NY
 
1965-10-00 Marlboro State Hospital, Marlboro, NJ
With the Castiles performing for patients at a local psychiatric hospital
 
 
  • Snippets
during TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT
 
Played by Garry Tallent
 

2012-03-15 Austin Convention Center, Austin
Springsteen delivers the keynote speech at the South By Southwest music festival. He primarily speaks about his musical influences, singing one verse and the chorus of The Animals' "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place
 
1999-08-11 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
1999-08-02 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
1999-07-24 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
1999-06-17 Weserstadion, Bremen, Germany
1999-06-07 Estadio De La Comunidad De Madrid, Madrid, Spain
1999-06-05 Estadio La Romareda, Zaragoza, Spain
1999-06-02 Palais Omnisports De Paris-Bercy, Paris, France
1999-05-30 Parkbühne Wuhlheide, Berlin, Germany
1999-05-29 Parkbühne Wuhlheide, Berlin, Germany
1999-05-19 Earls Court, London, England
1993-06-25 Rockefeller Center, GE Building, Studio 6A, New York City, NY
 

Songinfo

"We Gotta Get out of This Place", is a song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and recorded as a 1965 hit single by The Animals. It became an iconic anti Vietnam war song. 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. Mann and Weil wrote and recorded "We Gotta Get out of This Place" as a demo, with Mann singing and playing piano. It was intended for The Righteous Brothers, for whom they had written the number one hit "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" but then Mann gained a recording contract for himself, and his label Red Bird Records wanted him to release it instead. Meanwhile, record executive Allen Klein had heard it and gave the demo to Mickie Most, The Animals' producer. 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. 
 
 
 

Other cover versions

 

Bruce on the artist

2012 SXSW Keynote

"For some, the Animals were just another one the really good beat groups that came of the Sixties," Bruce Springsteen said at his 2012 keynote speech at South By Southwest. "But to me, the Animals were a revelation. The first records with full blown class consciousness that I had ever heard. " The passionate vocals and organ-heavy sound of the Animals was a huge influence on Springsteen as a young songwriter and he fully admits he stole the chords of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" for "Badlands."
 
 
Bruce performed 2 times live with Eric Burdon: 
 
Eric Burdon guests on a tour one-off cover of The Animals "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place", played on tour for the first time since November 4, 1976.
 
 

2012-03-15 Moody Theater, Austin, TX
Following the keynote speech, Bruce performs an intimate concert at Moody Theater, the theater and studio for Austin City Limits. The Animals' Eric Burdon performs with Springsteen for the first time in an appearance that was arranged following Bruce's passionate speech about The Animals' influence on his music. " (We Gotta Get Out Of This Place)
 
 
  

Lyrics

In this dirty old part of the city
Where the sun refused to shine
People tell me it ain't no use in trying

My little girl, you're so young and pretty
And one thing I know is true
You're gonna die before your time is due

See my daddy in bed a-dying
See his hair a-turning grey
He's been working and slaving his life away
I know

'Cause he's been working, yeah, every day slaving his life away (work)
He's been working, baby (work)
He's been a-working, work, work, work

We gotta get out of this place
If it's the last thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
Girl, there's a better life for me and you
Mm, yeah

My little girl, you're so young and pretty
And one thing I know is true
You'll be dead before your time is due
Yes, you will

See my daddy in bed a-dying
See his hair been turning grey
He's been working and slaving his life away
Yes, I know

Believe me, he's been working, yeah
He's been working, yeah, whoa! (work)
He's been working, work, work, work

We gotta get out of this place
If it's the last thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
Girl, there's a better life for me and you
Whoa, baby

We gotta get out of this place
If it's the last thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
Girl, there's a better life for me and you
Oh, you know it, baby
And I know it, too, babe
Oh, yeah