The Animals – The House Of The Rising Sun

“The House of the Rising Sun” – Single by the Animals from the album The Animals. Released June 19, 1964 (UK) and August 8, 1964 (US). Recorded May 18, 1964.

The Animals (an English group) recorded the song in just one take during a recording session on May 18, 1964. The track was an immediate hit. It was as if the song was simply waiting for The Animals to grab the song and make it their own.

Eric Burdon, the band’s vocalist, said he first heard the song in a club in Newcastle, England, where Johnny Handle sang it. The Animals, on tour with Chuck Berry at the time, chose to cover the song because they wanted something distinctive to sing.

The Animals started their arrangement of Rising Sun during a concert with Berry, using it as their closing number (they wanted to differentiate themselves from other acts). The audience went wild, convincing the initially reluctant producer Mickie Most that their cover had hit potential.

An interview with Eric Burdon (via Songafacts) revealed that Burdon felt as he was “just fated to” sing the House of the Rising Sun. “It was made for me, and I was made for it.” He explained that the song was perfect for the Chuck Berry tour as it was a way to reach the audience “without copying Berry.”

“There is a house in New Orleans
They call the Rising Sun
And it’s been the ruin of many a poor boy
And, God, I know I’m one.”

This may come as a real bummer to some fans of the tune, but it’s unclear whether the House of the Rising Sun even existed. 19th-century records show several establishments in New Orleans that were referred to as “The House of the Rising Sun,” but almost all of them burned down or were demolished.

Whenever there is uncertainty about something, theories abound. Many say that the “House” was really a brothel. But there’s no actual evidence to support this, and when you think about it, there isn’t even one reference to sex in the song’s lyrics.

There is, however, one possible location that shares a connection to prostitution: a hotel on Conti Street in New Orleans’ French Quarter called Rising Sun. It was one of the establishments that has since burned down. This hotel went ablaze in 1822.

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The Animals - The House Of The Rising Sun

The Animals - House of the Rising Sun (1964) HQ/Widescreen ♫♥ 58 YEARS AGO04:09

La începutul anului 1964, (producătorul) Mickie Most, vizita cluburile unde se canta rock’n’roll în căutarea de formații. Așa,  i-a văzut pe The Animals într-un club din Newcastle, și primul disc pe care la produs cu ei, “Baby, Let Me Take You Home” a fost un hit, în Top 30.

Bateristul John Steel, a povestit cum a fost realizat discul următor: “Am cântat în Liverpool pe 16 Mai, după care am mers cu o mașină la Londra, unde Mickie închiriase un studio, pentru a înregistra piesa “Ready, Steady, Go” pentru ITV.  Datorită reacției publicului la “Rising Sun”, am cerut să înregistrăm și această melodie în aceiași sesiune. Mickie a fost de acord. Înregistrarea a fost rapidă, doar câteva acorduri, după care s-a înregistrat mono, într-un singur take. Când au ascultat înregistrarea, Mickie a spus: “Aste este, e un single”. Inginerul de sunet a obiectat că melodia este prea lungă, dar Mickie a spus, “va fi lansată așa cum este”. Câteva săptămâni mai târziu, a ajuns pe locul 1 în topuri. În America, i-am detronat pe Beatles, de pe primul loc. Ne-au trimis o telegramă, în care au scris “Congratulations from The Beatles”.

Deși melodia a fost compusă pentru a fi cântată de o voce feminină, care descria viața unei prostituate în New Orleans, Eric Burdon este convingător, în modul cum a cântat.

Compoziția avea 100 de ani la data înregistrării. A fost reactualizată în anii ’40 de Josh White, și Bod Dylan a avut o versiune acustică în 1962.

The House of Rising Sun
Producător Mickie Most
Compoziție: tradițional, aranjament de Alan Price.
A ajuns pe primul loc în top la 9 Iulie 1964.

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