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The Rising Sun in the song serves as a metaphorical representation of a place of corruption and moral decay. It symbolizes the protagonist’s descent into a life of vice and self-destruction. The Rising Sun can also be seen as a warning, showcasing the consequences of one’s actions and the potential for redemption. "House of the Rising Sun" became the Animals' signature song and remains one of the most iconic they have ever released. Matt Marshall is the original publisher of American Blues Scene and owns Bluescentric.com the shop for Blues, Soul, and Rock n Roll -- authentic music t-shirts where every sale pays artist's estates directly. One foot is on the platform and the other on on the train,I’m going back to New Orleans to wear that ball and chain.
Q: How did The Doors’ version of House of the Rising Sun differ from previous versions?
One of the most well-known versions is by the British rock band The Animals, who had a major hit with their 1964 rendition. Other artists who have covered the song include Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, and Dolly Parton. The song has its roots in traditional folk music and has been passed down through generations.
Written and Recorded
As a traditional folk song recorded by an electric rock band, it has been described as the "first folk rock hit". Early folk songs such as Rising Sun were also spread through the railroads. These were times when the only practical means of travel across long distances, which sometimes even meant 100 miles or less, was by train.
The House of the Rising Sun Lyrics
We hope you enjoy the articles and insights they bring to our platform. The song is often heard in the soundtracks of popular TV shows (The West Wing and Supernatural) and movies (Suicide Squad). Once The Animals' frontman Burdon heard the song, the band arranged their own version and recorded it in one take in May 1964. Because of the song's folk origin, The Animals' version was described as the very first folk-rock hit.
Furthermore, it seems that the song has been in existence for at least three hundred years. It has been known under a variety of names and has also switched genres. In some versions, it is about a woman who is returning to prostitution. In others, a man sings the narrative bemoaning his inability to let go of his sordid past, which includes drink, women, and gambling.
It was also a time when train lines were still largely being built across America, with many workers singing in unison as they laid rail lines into and from various towns. Anthony describes a situation where he found a version of House of the Rising Sun, in Oklahoma. Though the “house” was not the called the Rising Sun but another, more localized infamous establishment, and the lyrics were changed slightly, the song was nonetheless obviously of the school of the “original”. It was likely the railroads, theorizes Anthony, that would enable some anonymous soul to carry the song from the mountains in the east all the way to the plains in the midwest.
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What Is the House of the Rising Sun?: An Introduction to the Origins of the Classic Song - Open Culture
What Is the House of the Rising Sun?: An Introduction to the Origins of the Classic Song.
Posted: Wed, 22 Jun 2022 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Here, we catch a glimpse of the troubled life the narrator has experienced, tainted by his father’s vices and the hardships of his childhood. Dave Van Ronk and Bob Dylan played “House of the Rising Sun” in coffeehouses. Burdon himself picked the song up from the English folk scene, and the Animals first covered the slow, sinister tune when they opened for Chuck Berry because they knew they “couldn’t outrock” the guitar great. There were only two singers that could do that and make it work so well. “House of the Rising Sun” went to #1 on both sides of the Atlantic and was the first major Folk-Rock success.
Spend your life in sin and misery, in the house of the rising sun,” serve as a solemn plea from the narrator to warn others against following his path. He advises future generations to avoid the pitfalls that have caused him so much pain and suffering. Eric Burdon and the Animals, who popularized the song worldwide when they recorded and released it in 1964, didn’t know. “The House of the Rising Sun” was a traditional folk ballad about a person’s life going wrong in New Orleans, with different versions using various narratives with the same themes.
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For most bands, when you had a big-name artist that was to follow, you usually end up with a bit of a rocker. The “ball and chain” may mean ‘prison’, but could also be a metaphor for addiction to gambling and booze. It was a brothel named after Madame Marianne LeSoleil Levant (which means “Rising Sun” in French). Definite links to gambling or prostitution (if any) are undocumented for either of these buildings.
In August 1980, Dolly Parton released a cover of the song as the third single from her album 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs. Like Miller's earlier country hit, Parton's remake returns the song to its original lyric of being about a fallen woman. The Parton version makes it quite blunt, with a few new lyric lines that were written by Parton.
At the time, New Orleans businesses listed as coffee houses often also sold alcoholic beverages. There is a house in New OrleansThey call the Rising SunWhere many poor boys to destruction has goneAnd me, oh God, are one.
Those vocals, and the essential organ part from Alan Price, lifted this song way above anything else at the time. Yes, there are several live recordings of The Doors performing House of the Rising Sun. These performances showcase the band’s raw energy and improvisation skills, with each performance offering a unique interpretation of the song.
