Saturday, April 27, 2024

The Animals' "The House of the Rising Sun" Lyrics Meaning

house of the rising sun the animals

The song is also credited to Ronnie Gilbert on an album by the Weavers released in the late 1940s or early 1950s. Pete Seeger released a version on Folkways Records in 1958, which was re-released by Smithsonian Folkways in 2009.[16] Andy Griffith recorded the song on his 1959 album Andy Griffith Shouts the Blues and Old Timey Songs. In 1960, Miriam Makeba recorded the song on her eponymous RCA album. Indeed the folk song itself dates back to at least the early 20th century and perhaps even a significant time before that. And the oldest recorded version dates back to the Roaring Twenties.

Find out the vinyl value of records by The Animals - Goldmine Magazine

Find out the vinyl value of records by The Animals.

Posted: Mon, 07 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

“The House of the Rising Sun” makes History

“House of the Rising Sun” went to #1 on both sides of the Atlantic and was the first major Folk-Rock success. For most bands, when you had a big-name artist that was to follow, you usually end up with a bit of a rocker. At the time, New Orleans businesses listed as coffee houses often also sold alcoholic beverages. Colombian band Los Speakers covered the song under the title "La Casa del Sol Naciente", in their 1965 album of the same name. The single also charted in Australia (number 14), France (number 36), and Italy (number 54). And the producer is an English musician by the name of Mickie Most who was behind many hits from back in the day.

The Origins of “House of the Rising Sun“

Hooker, whose canny blues boogie became a root integer for early rock & roll, said this swinging, swaggering bit of primal thump was inspired by his inability to get to a regular gig on time. Jackson’s socially conscious Number Two hit came together late in the sessions for her blockbuster LP Rhythm Nation 1814. Co-producer Jimmy Jam recalled being in the studio and “switching between MTV and CNN. Watching music videos on one side and watching atrocities on the other. The idea for ‘Rhythm Nation’ was you can dance, but we can also do something more intelligent.” When Jam heard Sly and the Family Stone’s “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” at a restaurant, he raced to the studio to sample it. The holy mother of all diss tracks, “You’re So Vain” contains one of the most enduring musical mysteries of all time.

The Animals recorded this song in a single take!

And, as Burdon later said, the reception from the audience was staggering. In that version, you will find a similar tune and words, with Lowestoft, a seaside town in the UK, replacing New Orleans. The mystery deepens when you learn that there is a pub in Lowestoft called ‘The Rising Sun.’ Opened before 1964, I might add.

house of the rising sun the animals

Nobody is sure who wrote “House of the Rising Sun.” But we do know that the Animals, powered by the blustery vocals of Eric Burdon, claimed it. Burdon then lets rip with all the emotion and anguish he can muster for that last verse as he pummels our senses. The song then tapers off to a gentle ending, with Alan Price again taking the lead. One of the original versions reverses the genders and is about a woman who has no option but to return to that sort of life. First, there was that iconic guitar arpeggio to start the song that every learning guitarist tried to play but couldn’t.

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However, it seems more likely it is a metaphor for his addictions to drinking and gambling. He is tempted not to go but hasn’t got the willpower to say no, almost like he has given up on himself. The Animals decided to try out “House of the Rising Sun” on the audience to finish their set.

The Quitting Song Of George Harrison For The Beatles

“The whole ‘enigmatic artist’ thing, I just ran with it,” he said. “That song is my life and its words are my truth,” Lizzo wrote at the time. “Truth Hurts” was originally released in 2017, but the song got a big boost two years later, when Gina Rodriguez day-drunkenly sang it in the Netflix show Someone Great, and it became Lizzo’s signature hit. If you recognize the genre of folk-rock music, then you have The Animals’ “The House of the Rising Sun” being the first song to hit under this category. The track was released by MGM Records on 19 June 1964 as the second single from the band’s eponymous album, which was also their first.

Keynote Records released one by Josh White in 1942,[27] and Decca Records released one also in 1942 with music by White and the vocals performed by Libby Holman.[28] Holman and White also collaborated on a 1950 release by Mercury Records. White is also credited with having written new words and music that have subsequently been popularized in the versions made by many other later artists. In August 1980, Dolly Parton released a cover of the song as the third single from her album 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs.

He gives a picture of his father’s life as that of a typical gambler who doesn’t have time to maintain relationships. He’s unable to settle at a place for too long and is constantly moving his suitcase in and out of his car trunk across several towns. His lifestyle doesn’t give him much to be glad about so he relieves his stress by becoming an alcoholic.

But still, no one could have predicted “The Rain,” with its ghostly sample of Ann Peebles’ “I Can’t Stand the Rain,” memorable Beenie Man misquote (“Who got the keys to the jeep?”), and twitchy yet sleek beat. It made Elliott a star, and she and Tim the producers to beat. It is interesting how Burdon didn’t perform the song for a long time after the Animals split, calling it an “embarrassment”. He has since made peace with it, however, and has revisited it on various occasions in different styles.

What matters is whether you create the impression that you have. That goes out the window with “The House Of The Rising Sun.” The song is a gothic swirl. The riff — an arpeggiated version of the one that Dylan had used — chimes and glimmers with a heavy sort of swagger. The critic Dave Marsh has called “The House Of The Rising Sun” the first folk-rock hit, but that riff doesn’t sound like folk-rock, either. Still though there remains the moral undertone of the lyrics, as the singer is advising the listener not to fall prey to the “sin and misery” that he has. And the insinuation is that his vice is something along the lines of gambling and consequentially excessive drinking.

It is unclear if the House of the Rising Sun is a place which existed as the writer portrays in the song. However, the essence of this song is that children mostly pick up bad habits from the people and neighborhoods in which they grow. The song emphasizes on the need for parents to be more responsible. If the music sounded almost supernatural, Burdon’s vocal gave the song its terrestrial heart, one rent in two by the loaded dice and lost bets.

And when The Animals did record the song they did so expeditiously, in fact in one only take. This is due to them having already perfected singing it on the road while they were simultaneously touring alongside rock-and-roll innovator Chuck Berry. The lyrics of The Animals’ version are a different take than the character “The House of the Rising Sun” is traditionally based on. For example, older renditions of the ballad were relayed from the perspective of a female who was considered to be either imprisoned or a working girl. The writer mentions her sewing ‘blue jeans’, which is an American symbol representing people in the working class. This young man’s father is a gambler and unfortunately, this is the example he follows.

So, there are some interesting references by people who have shed some historical light on the song. Definite links to gambling or prostitution (if any) are undocumented for either of these buildings. "House of the Rising Sun" was not included on any of the group's British albums, but it was reissued as a single twice in subsequent decades, charting both times, reaching number 25 in 1972 and number 11 in 1982. So all things considered, the lyrics of this song can be understood as advising the audience, particularly young men, to be wary of falling victim to a gambling addiction and alcoholism. As producers, Elliott and Timbaland had already made their rhythmic impact on hip-hop and R&B before Missy’s first single. And some high-profile features had even introduced Elliott’s bobbing, whizzing rap style to audiences.

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