The Meaning Behind The Song: The House Of The Rising Sun

Table Of Content

• Genius is the world’s biggest collection of song lyrics and musical knowledge
• The Misunderstood Meaning Behind “Suicide Solution” by Ozzy Osbourne
• Other notable versions
• Q: What other artists have covered House of the Rising Sun?
• A Brief History of the “House of the Rising Sun”
• The Meaning Behind The Song: The House Of The Rising Sun

And God, I know I’m one,” immediately set the tone for the emotional journey that lies ahead. These words speak of a place that has brought destruction and devastation upon the lives of many, including the narrator. I don’t know a single classic rock aficionado who doesn’t count ‘The House Of The Rising Sun’ by The Animals among their favorite tunes! This eerie, soulful song was released in 1964 during the height of the British invasion and it’s one that’s stood the test of time with use in movies and television since its release.

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Genius is the world’s biggest collection of song lyrics and musical knowledge

Originally released by the British rock band The Animals in 1964, “The House Of The Rising Sun” quickly captured the hearts of many music lovers around the world. However, what makes this song truly exceptional is its rich history and the profound emotions it evokes through its lyrics. Only the band’s organist, Alan Price, was given credit for arranging the track as the record company said that there wasn’t enough room to include all the members as arrangers. Price performed the organ solo that was shaped after jazzman Jimmy Smith’s hit, “Walk On The Wild Side”, on a Vox Continental.

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Behind The Song Lyrics: “House of the Rising Sun,” The Animals.

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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. 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”.

Other notable versions

I suppose to an extent, that will depend on whether it is a man or a woman singing it. However, there is a major theme in “House of the Rising Sun” that is common to just about all versions. First, there was that iconic guitar arpeggio to start the song that every learning guitarist tried to play but couldn’t. Then there was a powerful organ solo in the middle that ‘Pricey’ dragged out of his shaking Vox Continental.

Q: What other artists have covered House of the Rising Sun?

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. He learned this arrangement from Dave Van Ronk, a friend and mentor, who had re-worked the song from a recording by musicologist Hally Wood. Dylan’s recording would later provide the basis for The Animals' 1964 version, which became a massive and iconic hit. Little did I know that this haunting melody would leave an everlasting impression on my soul.

A Brief History of the “House of the Rising Sun”

No one can claim rights to the song, meaning it can be recorded and sold royalty-free. A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later. Famous Yugoslav singer Miodrag "Miki" Jevremović covered the song and included it in his 1964 EP "18 Žutih Ruža" (eng. "Eighteen Yellow Roses").

Eric Burdon heard this song sung in a Northeastern folk club and brought the song to the group as a suggestion. They “electrified” it, added a superb organ solo from Alan Price, and Burdon sang it first in a lower register, then took it up an octave. The whole thing was started by Hilton Valentine’s iconic guitar arpeggio beginning. Most likely, the song in its original form was a folk song from the UK. So, we shouldn’t be surprised to find references to ‘The Rising Sun.’ It is a common name for an English pub even today. Pubs of two to three hundred years ago were often “houses of ill-repute.” The song was likely carried to America by immigrants who performed it there, from whence local names and traditions became intertwined.

The Meaning Behind The Song: The House Of The Rising Sun

He is tempted not to go but hasn’t got the willpower to say no, almost like he has given up on himself. For most bands, when you had a big-name artist that was to follow, you usually end up with a bit of a rocker. Throughout the song, the narrator refers to his parents, his mother being a tailor who sewed his jeans and his father being a gambling man from New Orleans. 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. 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. He tempers his performance, starting off low and with deadly serious intent to grab your attention.

These performances showcase the band’s raw energy and improvisation skills, with each performance offering a unique interpretation of the song. Some notable live versions can be found on The Doors’ live albums and concert recordings. Many believe that this points out to a brother in New Orleans, where the song was supposedly named after the occupant Madame Marianne LeSoleil Levant, which meant Rising Sun in French. Another popular theory goes that it was about a women’s prison in the city which had a gate that bore a rising sun motif (allegedly a reference to the “ball and chain” lyric in the song).

The use of light and shade and a progressive atmospheric build was innovative. Those vocals, and the essential organ part from Alan Price, lifted this song way above anything else at the time. Its haunting melody, powerful vocals, and deeply relatable lyrics have made “The House Of The Rising Sun” a timeless classic that continues to captivate audiences today. Its inclusion in numerous films, television shows, and even adaptations by various artists only solidifies its enduring legacy.

Here's how he wrote songs like "Crazy Train" and "Mr. Crowley" with Ozzy and Randy Rhoads. Katy Perry's "Dark Horse" was co-written by Sarah Hudson, who is a singer-songwriter and a member of the Pop group Ultraviolet Sound. Though Sarah isn't related to Katy (whose real name is Katy Hudson), she is the first cousin of another famous person with the same name, the actress Kate Hudson. The “ball and chain” may mean ‘prison’, but could also be a metaphor for addiction to gambling and booze. Definite links to gambling or prostitution (if any) are undocumented for either of these buildings.

The tragedy of “House of the Rising Sun” is that the narrator seems to have lost his free will. He knows that the house will be his damnation, yet he is en route while he is telling his sad story. At the very least, he tries to use his example to save others—Oh mother, tell you children not to do what I have done.

A song is written, and, if it’s special enough, it hangs around waiting for an artist to claim it, putting their indelible stamp on it so that all other versions are henceforth compared to that one unforgettable take. 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. Colombian band Los Speakers covered the song under the title "La Casa del Sol Naciente", in their 1965 album of the same name. A beautiful, comprehensive volume of Dylan’s lyrics, from the beginning of his career through the present day-with the songwriter’s edits to dozens of songs, appearing here for the first time. With its melancholic melody and Jim Morrison’s soulful vocals, the song captures the essence of desperation and hopelessness.

Often times the establishment is a brothel, or a gambling parlor, bar, or prison. As records became more popular, so did recordings of the House of the Rising Sun. Instead of chance hearing-and-remembering by hand fulls of troubadours, records were common and fairly easy to come by. From the 1940s on, many artists recorded various versions of the song, occasionally under different titles, but generally the same lyrics and chord progressions. In 1958, Pete Seeger recorded a version on the banjo and, as was often common in earlier versions of the song, he sang it from the perspective of a woman.

Across the pond at around the same time, Burdon apparently heard the song from a local folk singer in England. Burdon brought it into the Animals, who electrified the song for their 1964 self-titled debut album. Hilton Valentine played the stoic arpeggiated guitar part that foundations the song, while Alan Price tore into the organ solo as if trying to free every tortured soul trapped in this sinister place. In these variations, the narrator is a woman bemoaning her return to prostitution. Male singers made it “the ruin of many a poor boy,” which transformed the title establishment into a gambling den. Although the date and author of the song are unknown, some musicologists have said that it resembled ballads of the 16th century, and could very easily have derived from one of that time.