Friday, September 19, 2014

KLEM FM

My favorite version:


The roots of the song predate recorded music history. Everybody played it but The Animals -- fifty years ago this year -- were the first to switch the lyrics around from a woman's to a man's point of view. I find that astonishing.

17 comments:

Synova said...

I heard a Japanese woman sing the song in Japanese... it was not "folk" and it wasn't "rock and roll"... very classical and beautiful.

Not knowing the words, though... I can see how "Rising Sun" catches the interest in Japan, but isn't the song about a gambling-den/brothel-maybe doing hell duty? That's what the symbolism of the train is... death. One foot on the platform the other on the train is on the threshold of dying.

Synova said...

What I meant to say was... I didn't know if they *changed* the words and meaning... since I don't know Japanese.

XRay said...
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edutcher said...

There was an actual "House of the Rising Sun" in Nawlins (where the song got its current lyrics from an old English melody), but whether it was a women's prison or a house of ill repute is somewhat up to conjecture.

Mumpsimus said...

Thanks, chickelit. That version is new to me, and very nice.

I wonder where it was filmed. Looks like the set of some schlocky TV show.

XRay said...
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XRay said...
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chickelit said...

Mumpsimus said...
Thanks, chickelit. That version is new to me, and very nice.

The Frijid Pink version is from 1969 or so. They were a Detroit area band, and the song was a chart hit. They didn't make much money from royalties though because the song is in the public domain.

Bob Dylan recorded a version of this song for his 1962 debut album. Here he is, impersonating a woman: link.

YoungHegelian said...

There's a performance of "House of the Rising Sun", done, I think, on the Ed Sullivan Show, where Eric Burdon sings the song like he's trying to imitate a black blues singer. The combination of a Newcastle English accent imitating southern black is quite peculiar to the ear.

As far as I know, Burdon never did it again. The recording certainly isn't like that. I'm sure the producer probably pulled him aside and said "Eric, mate, cool it. You're not a n****r, Eric.".

rcommal said...

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Eric the Fruit Bat said...

Fascinating.

So one internet search lead to another and now I know I've been mistaken for many, many years.

There's no chicken in the bread pan kicking out dough.

But there should be.

Because that'd be better.

And tell me: Why does the Devil go down to Georgia?

Shouldn't he go up to Georgia?

Oh!

Never mind.

Dad Bones said...

Classic American song of lament. I suspect it's been played at more than a few funerals of outlaw bikers and other ex-cons.

deborah said...

Excellent version, chick, thanks. The guitar is outrageous, makes me wonder what Jack White would do with this. Or would have done in his Meg days.

rcocean said...

I like the standard recorded version. Seeing the video is distracting, considering the lead singer looks like an old hippie.

Synova said...

Eric, I went to You Tube to see if I could find the video I remember and I saw a "House of the Rising Sun/Devil Went Down to Georgia" and I clicked "watch later" and kept going (I think there were 35 pages of HotRS) and then the power hiccupped and I can't find where it might have saved my list.

Stupid New Mexico. Husband jokes that we live in a third world country... only he doesn't laugh.

Synova said...

Bah, I found it.

Synova said...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOcEscrI-EU&list=WL&index=4

Ha! Guitar and cello!