We Gotta Get out of This Place - wikipedia We Gotta Get out of This Place For the book, see We Gotta Get out of This Place : Popular Conservatism and Postmodern Culture. `` We Gotta Get out of This Place '' Single by The Animals B - side `` I Ca n't Believe It '' Released July 1965 ( UK ) August 1965 ( U.S. ) Format 7 '' single Recorded 1965 Genre Rock Length 3 : 17 Label Columbia Graphophone ( UK ) MGM ( U.S. ) Songwriter ( s ) Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil Producer ( s ) Mickie Most The Animals singles chronology `` Bring It On Home to Me '' ( 1965 ) `` We Gotta Get out of This Place '' ( 1965 ) `` It 's My Life '' ( 1965 ) `` Bring It On Home to Me '' ( 1965 ) `` We Gotta Get out of This Place '' ( 1965 ) `` It 's My Life '' ( 1965 ) `` We Gotta Get out of This Place '', occasionally written `` We 've Gotta Get out of This Place '', is a rock song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and recorded as a 1965 hit single by The Animals. It has become an iconic song of its type and was immensely popular with United States Armed Forces GIs during the Vietnam War. In 2004 it was ranked number 233 on Rolling Stone 's The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list ; it is also in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list. Contents 1 History 1.1 The two versions 2 Impact 3 In popular culture 4 The Angels version 5 Track listing 6 Personnel 7 Other versions 8 Charts 9 References 10 External links History 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 `` Do n't Bring Me Down '' came from the same call ), and The Animals recorded it before Mann could. In The Animals ' rendition, the lyrics were slightly reordered and reworded from the demo and opened with a locational allusion -- although different from that in the songwriters ' minds -- that was often taken as fitting the group 's industrial, working class Newcastle - upon - Tyne origins : In this dirty old part of the city Where the sun refused to shine People tell me, there ai n't no use in tryin ' Next came a verse about the singer 's father in his deathbed after a lifetime of working his life away, followed by a call - and - response buildup, leading to the start of the chorus : We got ta get out of this place ! If it 's the last thing we ever do... The arrangement featured a distinctive bass lead by group member Chas Chandler. This was the first single not to be recorded by the original line - up, following as it did the departure of keyboard player Alan Price and his replacement by Dave Rowberry. It featured one of singer Eric Burdon 's typically raw, fierce vocals. Rolling Stone described the overall effect as a `` harsh white - blues treatment from The Animals. As ( Burdon ) put it, ' Whatever suited our attitude, we just bent to our own shape. ' '' The song reached number 2 on the UK pop singles chart on August 14, 1965 ( held out of the top slot by The Beatles ' `` Help ! '' ). The following month, it reached number 13 on the U.S. pop singles chart, its highest placement there. In Canada, the song also reached number 2, on September 20, 1965. The two versions The UK and US single releases were different versions from the same recording sessions. The take that EMI, The Animals ' parent record company, sent to MGM Records, the group 's American label, was mistakenly one that had not been selected for release elsewhere. The two versions are most easily differentiated by the lyric at the beginning of the second verse : in the US version the lyric is, `` See my daddy in bed a-dyin ' '', while the UK version uses, `` Watch my daddy in bed a-dyin ' '' ( as a result of an error by the music labels, certain online retailers sell the UK version but incorrectly identify it as the US version ). In the US the song ( in its `` mistaken '' take ) was included on the album Animal Tracks, released in the fall 1965, and again on the popular compilation The Best of The Animals released in 1966 and re-released with an expanded track list on the ABKCO label in 1973. The song was not on any British Animals album during the group 's lifetime. Once Animals reissues began occurring during the compact disc era, Allen Klein, by now owner of ABKCO and the rights to this material, dictated that the `` correct '' British version be used on all reissues and compilations everywhere. Thus, as US radio stations converted from vinyl records to CDs, gradually only the British version became heard. Some collectors and fans in the US wrote letters of complaint to Goldmine magazine, saying they believed the US version featured an angrier and more powerful vocal from Burdon, and in any case wanted to hear the song in the form they had grown up with. The 2004 remastered SACD Retrospective compilation from ABKCO included the US version. Impact At the time, the title and simple emotional appeal of `` We Gotta Get out of This Place '' lent itself to some obvious self - identifications -- for instance, it was a very popular number to be played at high school senior proms and graduation parties. In music writer Dave Marsh 's view, it was one of a wave of songs in 1965, by artists such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan, that ushered in a new role for rock music as a vehicle for common perception and as a force for social consciousness. Writer Craig Werner sees the song as reflecting the desire of people to take a hard look at their own lives and the community they come from. Burdon later said, `` The song became an anthem for different people -- everybody at some time wants to get out of the situation they 're in. '' The song was very popular with United States Armed Forces members stationed in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. It was frequently requested of, and played by, American Forces Vietnam Network disc jockeys. During 2006 two University of Wisconsin -- Madison employees, one a Vietnam veteran, began an in - depth survey of hundreds of Vietnam veterans, and found that `` We Gotta Get out of This Place '' had resonated the strongest among all the music popular then : `` We had absolute unanimity is this song being the touchstone. This was the Vietnam anthem. Every bad band that ever played in an armed forces club had to play this song. '' Just such a band played the song in an episode ( `` USO Down '', by Vietnam veteran Jim Beaver ) of the American television series about the war, Tour of Duty, and the song is reprised in the episode 's final scene. `` We Gotta Get out of This Place '' was also used in Dennis Potter 's 1965 television play Stand Up, Nigel Barton and the BBC 's 1996 Newcastle - set Our Friends in the North, which partially took place in the 1960s. In America it was used as the title credits song in some episodes of the Vietnam War - set television series China Beach. It was then applied to the Bin Laden family, having to leave the United States in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks, in Michael Moore 's 2004 Fahrenheit 9 / 11. It also was featured in the soundtrack to the 1987 movie Hamburger Hill. It was used in a third - season episode of the 2000s television series Heroes. It was used as the theme song for 2002 BBC comedy TLC and the 2013 BBC series Privates. The song was also featured humorously in the Kong : Skull Island trailer In a 2012 keynote speech to an audience at the South by Southwest music festival, Bruce Springsteen performed an abbreviated version of The Animals ' version on acoustic guitar and then said, `` That 's every song I 've ever written. That 's all of them. I 'm not kidding, either. That 's ' Born to Run ', ' Born in the U.S.A. ' '' In popular Culture The song 's title and theme have become a common cultural phrase over the years. It formed the basis for the title of academician Lawrence Grossberg 's We Gotta Get out of This Place : Popular Conservatism and Postmodern Culture ( 1992 ), detailing the conflict between American conservatism and rock culture. Similarly, it formed the title basis for Gerri Hirshey 's 2002 account, We Gotta Get out of This Place : The True, Tough Story of Women in Rock. It has also been used as the title of editorials by American Journalism Review and other publications. The title was even used to name an art exhibit, curated by Stefan Kalmar at the Cubitt Gallery in London in 1997. The Angels version We Gotta Get Out of This Place is the twenty eighth single by Australian Hard rock band The Angels, released in 1986. It is the third single to be released from The Angels eighth studio album Howling. The song peaked at number 7 on the ARIA Charts and number 13 on the Recorded Music NZ, `` We Gotta Get Out Of This Place '' Single by The Angels from the album Howling Released 1986 Format Vinyl, 7 Genre Hard Rock Length 4 : 43 Label Mushroom Records Songwriter ( s ) Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil Producer ( s ) Steve Brown The Angels singles chronology `` Do n't Waste My Time '' ( 1986 ) `` We Gotta Get Out Of This Place '' ( 1986 ) `` Ca n't Take Any More '' ( 1987 ) `` Do n't Waste My Time '' ( 1986 ) `` We Gotta Get Out of This Place '' ( 1987 ) `` Ca n't Take Any More '' ( 1987 ) Track listing We Gotta Get Out of This Place ( Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil ) - 4 : 43 I Just Wanna Be With You ( New Version ) ( Doc Neeson, John Brewster, Richard Brewster ) - 3 : 54 Personnel Bass, Vocals, Saxophone -- Jim Hilbun Drums -- Brent Eccles Lead Guitar -- Rick Brewster Lead Vocals -- Doc Neeson Rhythm Guitar -- Bob Spencer Production Steve Brown ( tracks : 1 ) Ashley Howe ( tracks : 2 ) Other versions `` We Gotta Get out of This Place '' has been recorded or performed in concert by numerous artists, including The Cryan ' Shames ( 1966 ), The American Breed ( 1967 ), The Frost ( 1970 ), The Partridge Family ( 1972 ), Bruce Springsteen ( performed only a handful of times in his career, but acknowledged by him as one of his primary influences in the 1970s ), Udo Lindenberg ( in a German language adaption in the 1970s for which commercial success was small ), Blue Öyster Cult ( 1978 ), Steve Bender ( 1978 ), Gilla ( 1979 ), Angelic Upstarts ( 1980 ), Gardens & Villa, Grand Funk Railroad ( 1981 ), David Johansen ( 1982, and a hit on album oriented rock radio and MTV as part of an Animals medley ), Fear ( 1982 ), The Angels ( 1986 ), Richard Thompson ( 1988 ), Jello Biafra and D.O.A. ( 1989 ), Randy Stonehill ( 1990 ), Bon Jovi ( 1992, again as part of an Animals medley for an MTV special ), Midnight Oil ( 1993, for MTV Unplugged ), Space ( 1998 ), Southside Johnny ( concerts in the 2000s ), Overkill ( 2000 ), Widespread Panic ( 2005 ), Ann Wilson with Wynonna Judd ( 2007 ), Alice Cooper ( 2011 ), and many others. In 1990 Eric Burdon joined Katrina and the Waves for a recording of it for use on China Beach. In 2000 Barry Mann revisited the song, performing it with Bryan Adams on Mann 's retrospective solo album Soul & Inspiration. When Suzi Quatro was on a German tour in 2008 she came on stage and played bass on the song during an Eric Burdon concert at the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart. Burdon also performed it in 2010 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, when songwriters Mann and Weil were inducted. Later in 2010, Mann and Weil were at The Grammy Museum in Los Angeles -- to open a gallery for the Songwriter 's Hall of Fame -- and performed their original version of the song, including previously - unheard lyrics like `` What are we waiting for ? '' ( which was supposed to occur before the familiar lyrics in the chorus ). Charts Chart ( 1965 ) Peak position Canadian Singles Chart German Singles Chart 31 UK Singles Chart US Billboard Hot 100 13 References Jump up ^ Spelling on original Columbia Graphophone single release label used the `` We 've '' form ; the sleeve left out the `` Of ''. However, song publisher BMI registers it as `` We '' ( see BMI searchable database ) as do the large majority of music references sources and album labels. Jump up ^ `` Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil ''. The Official Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil Web site. Archived from the original on 2007 - 03 - 21. Retrieved 2007 - 02 - 18. ^ Jump up to : Dale Kawashima. `` Legendary Songwriting Duo Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil Talk About Their Classic Hits and New Projects ''. Songwriter Universe. Retrieved 2007 - 02 - 18. Demo audio stream at end of article. Jump up ^ `` Songwriter Carl D'Errico Interviewed by Mick Patrick ''. Spectropop. Retrieved 2007 - 02 - 18. ^ Jump up to : Terry Gross ( 2004 - 07 - 02 ) ( 2002 ). `` Former Animals Singer Eric Burdon ''. Fresh Air. NPR. Retrieved 2012 - 07 - 01. Jump up ^ Gillett, Charlie ( 1996 ). The Sound of the City : The Rise of Rock and Roll ( 2nd ed. ). New York : Da Capo Press. p. 271. ISBN 0 - 306 - 80683 - 5. ^ Jump up to : Perone, James E. ( 2009 ). Mods, Rockers, and the Music of the British Invasion. ABC - CLIO. p. 129. ISBN 0275998606. Jump up ^ Michael Heatley ( 2009 ). Jimi Hendrix Gear : The Guitars, Amps & Effects That Revolutionized Rock ' n ' Roll. Voyageur Press. p. 60. ISBN 0760336393. Jump up ^ Dan Aykroyd ; Ben Manilla ( 2004 ). Elwood 's Blues : Interviews With The Blues Legends & Stars. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 132. ISBN 0879308095. ^ Jump up to : Werner, Craig ( 1999 ). A Change Is Gonna Come : Music, Race, and the Soul of America. University of Michigan Press. pp. 87 -- 88. ISBN 0 - 452 - 28065 - 6. Jump up ^ `` We Gotta Get out of This Place ''. Rolling Stone. 2004 - 12 - 09. Retrieved 2007 - 02 - 18. ^ Jump up to : `` The Animals ''. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 1994. Archived from the original on 2007 - 02 - 02. Retrieved 2007 - 02 - 18. ^ Jump up to : The Animals USA chart history, Billboard.com. Retrieved July 22, 2012. Jump up ^ Marsh, Dave ( 1983 ). Before I Get Old : The Story of the Who. New York : St. Martin 's Press. pp. 117 -- 118. ISBN 0 - 312 - 07155 - 8. Jump up ^ Will Higgins ( 2002 - 04 - 29 ). `` ' Nam deejays air their memories ''. The Indianapolis Star. Archived from the original on 2007 - 02 - 03. Retrieved 2007 - 02 - 18. Jump up ^ Brian Mattmiller, `` ' We Gotta Get out of This Place : ' Music, memory and the Vietnam War '' Archived 2007 - 02 - 14 at the Wayback Machine., University of Wisconsin -- Madison, February 16, 2006. Retrieved February 17, 2007. Jump up ^ gradepoint ( 27 Feb 2017 ). `` Kong : Skull Island - Rise of the King ( Official Final Trailer ) ''. Retrieved 2 Feb 2017 -- via YouTube. Jump up ^ Todd Martens ( 2012 - 03 - 15 ). `` SXSW : Bruce Springsteen hits a lot of notes in keynote address ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012 - 07 - 02. Jump up ^ Rem Rieder ( March 1998 ). `` We got ta get out of this place. ( Editorial ) ''. American Journalism Review. Archived from the original on 2007 - 12 - 23. Retrieved 2007 - 02 - 18. Jump up ^ The Angels - We Gotta Get Out Of This Place at 45cat Jump up ^ The Angels - We Gotta Get Out Of This Place at Discogs Jump up ^ The Angels - We Gotta Get Out Of This Place at Australian Music Database Jump up ^ The Angels - We Gotta Get Out Of This Place at Australian - Charts Jump up ^ `` Will Percy Interviews Bruce Springsteen ''. DoubleTake. Retrieved 2007 - 02 - 18. Jump up ^ Greene, Andy ( 2010 - 03 - 16 ). `` The Stooges, Genesis, Abba Join the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at Historic 25th Induction Ceremony ''. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2010 - 04 - 10. Jump up ^ `` Songwriters Hall of Fame Photo Archive ''. BMI. Retrieved 2012 - 07 - 02. Jump up ^ `` Chartverfolgung / The Animals / Single ''. Music Line ( in German ). Germany : Media Control Charts. Retrieved 22 July 2012. External links List of covers of `` We Gotta Get out of This Place '' Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics The Animals The ( Original ) Animals ( 1962 -- 1966, 1977, 1983 ) : Eric Burdon Chas Chandler Mick Gallagher Barry Jenkins Alan Price Dave Rowberry John Steel Hilton Valentine Eric Burdon & The ( New ) Animals ( 1966 -- 1969 ) : Vic Briggs Eric Burdon Barry Jenkins Danny McCulloch Zoot Money Andy Summers John Weider Studio albums The Animals ( 1962 -- 1966 ) ( UK ) The Animals Animal Tracks Animalisms ( US ) The Animals The Animals on Tour Animal Tracks Animalization Animalism Eric Burdon and the Animals Eric Is Here ( US only ) Winds of Change The Twain Shall Meet Every One of Us ( US only ) Love Is The Animals ( 1977, 1983 ) Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted Ark Compilations The Best of The Animals ( 1966 ) The Greatest Hits of Eric Burdon and The Animals The Most of Animals The Best of The Animals ( 1988 ) The Best of The Animals ( 1997 ) Absolute Animals 1964 -- 1968 Hit singles `` Baby Let Me Take You Home '' `` The House of the Rising Sun '' `` I 'm Crying '' `` Do n't Let Me Be Misunderstood '' `` Bring It On Home to Me '' `` We Gotta Get out of This Place '' `` It 's My Life '' `` Inside - Looking Out '' `` Do n't Bring Me Down '' `` See See Rider '' `` Help Me Girl '' `` When I Was Young '' `` Good Times '' `` San Franciscan Nights '' `` Monterey '' `` Sky Pilot '' `` The Night '' Related articles The Animals discography Eric Burdon discography Book Space Tommy Scott Franny Griffiths Phil Hartley Allan Jones Jamie Murphy Andy Parle Yorkie Leon Caffrey Ryan Clarke Studio albums Spiders Tin Planet Suburban Rock ' n ' Roll Attack of the Mutant 50ft Kebab Give Me Your Future Compilation albums Invasion of the Spiders Greatest Hits Greatest Hits & Unheard Bits Singles `` If Its Real '' `` Money '' / `` Kill Me '' `` Neighbourhood '' `` Female of the Species '' `` Me and You Versus the World '' `` Dark Clouds '' `` Avenging Angels '' `` The Ballad of Tom Jones '' `` Begin Again '' `` We Gotta Get out of This Place '' `` Diary of a Wimp '' Extended plays The Bad Days EP Other releases Love You More than Football ( unreleased ) Music for Aliens Related articles Cerys Matthews Reload Gut Records The Angels John Brewster Rick Brewster Dave Gleeson Nick Norton Sam Brewster Doc Neeson Peter Christopolous ( aka Charlie King ) Graham `` Buzz Throckman '' Bidstrup Chris Bailey Brent Eccles Jim Hilbun Bob Spencer James Morley Studio albums The Angels Face to Face No Exit Dark Room Night Attack Watch the Red Two Minute Warning Howling Beyond Salvation Red Back Fever Skin & Bone Take It to the Streets Talk the Talk Compilations The Angels ' Greatest The Angels ' Greatest Vol. II Their Finest Hour... and Then Some Evidence Greatest Hits -- The Mushroom Years The Complete Sessions 1980 - 1983 Wasted Sleepless Nights -- The Definitive Best Of Greatest Hits 40 Years of Rock -- Vol 1 : 40 Greatest Studio Hits Live albums Live Line Live at the Basement 40 Years of Rock -- Vol 2 : 40 Greatest Live Hits Extended plays Out of the Blue Never So Live Singles `` Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again '' `` You 're a Lady Now '' `` Comin ' Down '' `` Take a Long Line '' `` Straight Jacket '' `` After the Rain '' `` Shadow Boxer '' `` Out of the Blue '' `` No Secrets '' `` Poor Baby '' `` Marseilles '' `` Face the Day '' `` No Secrets '' ( by Angel City ) `` Into the Heat '' `` Fashion and Fame '' `` Night Attack '' `` Living on the Outside '' `` Stand Up '' `` Eat City '' `` Live Lady Live '' `` Is That You ? '' `` Between the Eyes '' `` Look the Other Way '' `` Sticky Little Bitch '' `` Underground '' `` Nature of the Beast '' `` Do n't Waste My Time '' `` We Gotta Get out of This Place '' `` Ca n't Take Any More '' `` When the Time Comes '' `` Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again '' ( live ) `` Finger on the Trigger '' `` Let the Night Roll On '' `` Dogs Are Talking '' `` Back Street Pickup '' `` Rhythm Rude Girl '' `` Bleeding with the Times '' `` Some of That Love '' `` Once Bitten, Twice Shy '' `` Tear Me Apart '' `` Do n't Need Mercy '' `` Turn It On '' `` Call That Living '' `` Caught In the Night '' `` Northwest Highway '' `` Soul Surgeon '' `` My Light Will Shine '' Related articles Discography Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=We_Gotta_Get_out_of_This_Place&oldid=807230833 '' Categories : 1965 singles 1965 songs Alice Cooper songs Blues rock songs Bon Jovi songs Bruce Springsteen songs Columbia Graphophone Company singles Grand Funk Railroad songs Katrina and the Waves songs MGM Records singles Song recordings produced by Mickie Most Songs with lyrics by Cynthia Weil Songs written by Barry Mann The Animals songs The Partridge Family songs Songs of the Vietnam War The Angels ( Australian band ) songs 1986 singles 1987 singles Mushroom Records singles Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links CS1 German - language sources ( de ) Articles with hAudio microformats All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from July 2013 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Français Nederlands Norsk nynorsk Русский Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 26 October 2017, at 18 : 43. 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Question: who sang gotta get out of this place
Answer: The Animals