(Barry Mann - Cynthia Weil)
Australia
#11 Sydney #7 Melbourne #3 Brisbane #2 Perth
Title has We, not We’ve as on The Animals’ original version.
Single on Mushroom, charted in 1987, taken from 1986 album Howling by hugely popular and influential live rock band formed in 1974, known in the US as Angel City.
Before going electric, initially as The Keystone Angels, brothers John & Rick Brewster with Doc Neeson had been in Adelaide’s acoustic Moonshine Jug and String Band.
The Angels’ first single, the original Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again (1976, #23 Sydney, #24 Adelaide), became one of their best-known songs, thanks to a chanted response from audiences, later heard in a live version that charted more highly than the original (1988, #21 Sydney, #8 Melbourne, #4 Brisbane, #2 Adelaide #11 Perth). The Brewster Brothers are still recording and performing.
Further reading: 1. The Angels: Am I ever gonna see this rock mystery solved? by Candice Barnes at SMH. 2. Ian McFarlane, Encyclopedia of Australian Rock & Pop (1999), pp.17-20 [also as archived online version]. 3. Howlspace’s Angels page [archived version]. 4. The Brewster Brothers’ website.
Not to be confused with: 1. US group The Angels known for My Boyfriend’s Back (1963). 2. The 70s rock band Angel was the reason the Aussie group altered their name in the US.
Suggestion from Terry Stacey.
(Barry Mann - Cynthia Weil)
UK
Original version
#2 UK #13 USA #8 Brisbane #20 Adelaide #24 Perth
Title has We’ve Gotta… as on UK 45
First released version, single on Columbia by top-rank R&B-pop band formed in Newcastle featuring lead singer Eric Burdon and keyboardist Alan Price; at one stage they were called The Alan Price R&B Combo.
This is a much-recorded song. Versions include adaptations from the 1960s in:
• French: Thierry Vincent – Partons et
courons loin d’ici, Bob et les Damik’s [Canada] – Dans cette ville
• Spanish: Lone Star – Muy Lejos De
Aqui and Los Monstruos – Tenemos Que Irnos De Aqui
• Catalan: Els Corbs – Lluny De La
Ciutat
• Italian: Delfini – C’e Un Posto Migliore
Per Noi and Camaleonti – Io Lavoro)
• Plus a German hit version in English by Gilla.
See, for example the list by Arnold Rypens at The Originals. Extra versions from Philippe.
Further reading: Bruce Eder’s bio of The Animals at AllMusic is a solid one-page overview of the band.
(Barry Mann - Cynthia Weil)
USA
Unreleased demo version
By co-writer for Red Bird label. Intended for The Righteous Brothers. Later released on retrospective collections.
See song history at The Originals where many other versions are listed as well.
Husband and wife team Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil were amongst the most prolific and successful songwriters of the 1960s.
Some Mann-Weil hit compositions:
• I Love How You Love Me (The Paris Sisters)
• Blame It On The Bossa Nova (Eydie
Gormé)
• On Broadway (The Drifters)
• Saturday Night At The Movies (The
Drifters)
• Home Of The Brave (Jody Miller)
• You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling (co-write with Phil
Spector; The Righteous Brothers).
• Kicks (Paul Revere & The Raiders)
Some Mann-Weil songs recorded in Australia and featured at this site
• It’s Not Easy (Normie Rowe)
• Heart (Lynne
Randell)
• Come On Over To Our Place (Bev Harrell)
• It’s A Happening World (The Executives)
• Kicks (The
Librettos, US hit for Paul Revere & The Raiders)
• Walking In The Rain (Cheetah; co-write with Phil Spector)
• Till We Kissed (Ray
Columbus & The Invaders).
Further reading: List of compositions at the Mann & Weil website.
Pop Archives
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Website by Lyn Nuttall. © Lyn Nuttall 2004-2025. Chart positions courtesy of Gavin Ryan’s Australian Chart Books and Dean Scapolo’s Complete NZ Music Charts. Special thanks to Terry Stacey for information, corrections and suggestions. Thanks also to Tony Watson, Philippe Edouard, Dave Overett.., More…