Original: • GRAND FUNK RAILROAD - ...
Mark Farner - guitar, harmonica, vocals
Don Brewer - drums, vocals
Mel Schacher - bass
"Inside-Looking Out", often written "Inside Looking Out",is a 1966 single by The Animals. It was a substantial hit in their native land, reaching number 12 on the UK Singles Chart, number 21 in Canada, but was at best a minor hit in the United States, reaching number 34 on the U.S. pop singles chart. The song is very loosely based on a work chant entitled "Rosie" collected by musicologist Alan Lomax and released in his album Popular Songbook.
In 1969 it was covered by Grand Funk Railroad, who on their album Grand Funk added some marijuana references to the lyrics such as changing the original's "rebirth" to "reefer." A reworking of portions of the song was also recorded by the Austrian band Novak's Kapelle in 1969 as "Hypodermic Needle". It was later covered by doom metal band The Obsessed, released on their 1999 compilation album, Incarnate and again by The Greenhornes on their 2001 self-titled second album. In 2001, Eric Burdon released a live cover on Official Live Bootleg 2000.
Dan Auerbach does a live cover on his recent shows.
Other covers included by Fringe, Gerry Joe Weise, The Mops, and Layabouts. A sample from the Grand Funk version is embedded in the song "High 5 (Rock The Catskills)" on the Beck album Odelay.