Posted on 02/10/2024 9:13:27 PM PST by nickcarraway
I had heard that it referred to a old English flop house where one could purchase anything one desired, for a price. And if a person expired on site, he or she would be dropped through a hatch into the River Thames to go drifting with the tide.
The song does not in any way conform to Matty Groves.
The chord sequence and melody are interesting and alluring, often used for other songs, such as Amazing Grace and Oh, Little Town of Bethlehem.
You should have practiced I'm Henry the Eighth, I Am by Herman's Hermits instead!
-PJ
That’s interesting! Always loved this song and how mysterious it was.
For me the best version is by Geoff Castellucci, a bass singer with a phenomenal range.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeWEkxgncnA
His Folsom Prison Blues will rattle one’s bones too. Ditto, Sixteen Tons, Sounds of Silence, and Ghost Riders in the Sky. Some songs really need a deep, crypt-cracking bass, and he’s got it.
Like a moth drawn to a flame, the protagonist chooses to return to the “house” despite its’ evil.
“Well, I got one foot on the platform
The other foot on the train
I’m goin’ back to New Orleans
To wear that ball and chain”
Yes! That is followed by the lines, “Oh, mothers, tell your children, not to do as I have done. Spend your life in sheer misery in the House of the Rising Sun.” It is, at root, a precautionary tale of a life tainted by sin.
Clarence “Tom” Ashley: a version of Rising Sun Blues is here:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/original-folkways-recordings-1960-1962-clarence-ashley/220367
The whole album is excellent, if you like old time music...
Watched that one and sixteen tons. Amazing!
Eric Burdon had a unique voice. Animals were very underrated IMO.
Literally any university that has a music program. It's not like they're going to be able to do anything with practical value in larger society.
As to the song's origins. There are only so many notes in the range that the typical human voice can sing. Pretty much every melody and chord progression that is pleasing to the ear has already been sung, put to paper, recorded, and re-worked/stolen again and again. Even Bach and Handel were notorious thieves of other composer's music.
Wow that was amazing. Never heard it before. I always thought Buster Poindexter was just a gimmicky guy. Didn’t know he had such a great voice.
The House of the Rising Sun, Stairway to Heaven, Layla, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, Sweet Caroline and Hey Jude I hope never to have to hear again in my lifetime.
Best version of the song is Eric Burden and the ‘Animals’. I saw a video of this and he’s about 5’2”.
But he gets up there and sings his a*& off!
Their version of Tobacco Road is also great!
You could make a hell of a collection of all the people who have recorded House of the Rising Sun and it might be entertaining and enlightening to listen to as people many times do it their own way.
When I got my first four track recording rig back in ‘84 I wanted to record HOTRSun but never got around to it. Then a few years ago having nothing musical better to do I did it. The great thing about the song is that you don’t have a clue how you’re gonna do it until you launch, despite being immersed in the The Animals version.
I always thought that Dylan wrote the song. We had the Dylan album and my mother hated the song because she said it was about a brothel.
Yeah same here. I always thought of him as like you said a gimmicky guy, and in a weird way he always reminded me of a real life version of Max Headroom. But his version of House of the Rising Sun is very well done.
I also thought Dylan wrote the song because I never heard anyone else sing it. lol
I remember someone who was older saying it was “not a nice song”. Lol
“The times are a changin’”
I’m 73 and can remember Joan Baez singing it. The guys thought it was a cool song. It’s been a long time.
Thanks for sharing that and bringing back a memory.
Thanks for posting that. Good stuff!
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