The Animals -- Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

The Animals' lead singer Eric Burdon would later say of the song, "It was never considered pop material, but it somehow got passed on to us and we fell in love with it immediately."[6]

The song was recorded in November 1964.[7] The band became a trans-Atlantic hit in early 1965 for their rendition of the song, rising to No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 15 on the U.S. pop singles chart, and No. 4 in Canada.[8]

Cash Box described it as "a striking combination of R&B and English-rock touches."[9] This single was ranked by Rolling Stone at No. 322 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[10]

During Animals concerts at the time, the group maintained the recorded arrangement, but Burdon sometimes slowed the vocal line down to an almost spoken part, recapturing a bit of the Simone flavor.[11]