Traditional Folk Shape-Shifter Song
If you were lucky enough to have experienced - or to have become acquainted with - the so-called “British Invasion” music in the early 1960s, then you have surely heard of the Animals. They never quite achieved the stratospheric success of groups like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, they left a distinctive mark on the music of that era.
Eric Burdon (lead singer) and his Animals cohort had several stellar hit songs, including “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” and “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place”. Another fave of mine is “It’s My Life”; I use the intro bass guitar riff in that song for my own bass practice.
Even folks who were born long after the Animals crested and faded away would probably recognize their version of “House Of The Rising Sun”, arguably their biggest hit. (I love this video! Lead singer Eric Burton looks about 12 years old, but check out that serious expression on his face!). I am currently working with my guitar teacher on improvising bluesy single-note melodies of this piece over the minor chord progression. Having a ton of fun with that!
The Animals made “House Of The Rising Sun” iconic. So much so, that you would be forgiven if you thought they wrote it. But they did not. In fact, the origins of this well known song are obscure, according to sources in Wikipedia.
It is disputed whether this song - with clear folk music footing - had some ancestry in Europe. But there is good evidence to suggest it has been in the Appalachian music catalog as far back as the early 20th century (possibly even earlier), so likely it has some across-the-pond folk song genes.
The lyrics - like a lot of American traditional songs - have evolved considerably over the years, although the theme of warning about the perils of New Orleans (at the time!) has been nearly constant.
This here is an American traditional/folk song treasure: a 1933 audio recording of “House of the Rising Sun”, performed by Clarence Ashley and Gwen Foster.
WOW! This old edition sounds so different from the Animals version! And it’s not because of the recording quality. The 1933 song sounds positively jaunty by comparison to the 1960s one, given that it is played in a major key!
“House Of The Rising Sun” has been recorded by a multitude of singers in the past century-plus. Woody Guthrie’s version sounds a lot like the 1933 one, in a major key; Bob Dylan’s is more like the Animals tune, in a minor key. Somewhere between Guthrie and Dylan, the song made this unusual transformation in tone. But why? And by whom?
Does anyone know the answer? I’d love to find out!