My favourite Animals’ song is “House of the Rising Sun”, but this one runs a close second. Overall I am not an Animals’ fan, but they did have several that made it to my playlist, and this is one of them.
This song was written by Horace Ott, Bennie Benjamin and Sol Marcus. Benjamin and Marcus were a songwriting team that had been working together since the ’40s; their compositions include “Lonely Man” by Elvis Presley and “Fabulous Character” by Sarah Vaughan. Ott is an arranger who worked on tracks for Nat King Cole and Aretha Franklin, and later gave life to most of the Village People’s material. The story goes that a heated argument between Ott and his wife was the incentive for this song.
Nina Simone was the first to record this song, releasing an orchestrated, downtempo rendition on her 1964 album Broadway-Blues-Ballads that nicked the US chart at #131. The best-known version by far is by The Animals, who reworked it into a rock song that was released in early 1965.. Eric Burdon recalled in Rolling Stone magazine, “It was never considered pop material, but it somehow got passed on to us and we fell in love with it immediately.”
The Animals’ version charted at #3 in the UK, #4 in Canada, and #15 in the U.S.
The other two times I played this (2018 & 2020) I played only the Animals’ version, but I was curious, so I decided to play Nina Simone’s as well this time ‘round … it really sounds like two different songs, so different are their versions! Much as I do love Nina Simone, I think the Animals is still my favourite cover.
Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
The Animals
Baby, can you understand me now?
Sometimes I get a little mad
Don’t you know, no one alive can always be an angel
When things go wrong, I seem to go bad
I’m just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood
Yeah, baby, sometimes I’m so carefree
With a joy that’s hard to hide
Yeah, and other times it seems that
All I ever have is worry
And then you’re bound to see my other side
Oh, I’m just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood
Well If I get edgy, I want you to know
I never mean to take it out on you
Life has its problems, I get more than my share
But there’s one thing that I would never do
Oh, I’m just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood
Well If I get edgy, I want you to know
I never mean to take it out on you
Life has its problems, I get more than my share
But there’s one thing that I would never do
‘Cause I love you
Oh
Oh, now don’t you know I’m human
I got my faults just like anyone
And sometimes I lie awake, alone, regretting
Some foolish thing, some sinful thing I’ve done
I’m just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood
I said, I’m just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood
Oh, I’m just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood
Writer/s: Bennie Benjamin, Gloria Caldwell, Sol Marcus
Publisher: WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind
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