| This was the first song since 1962 by a
British band to hit #1 in America that was not written by John
Lennon and Paul McCartney. |
| This is about a brothel in New Orleans. "The
House Of The Rising Sun" was named after Madame Marianne LeSoleil
Levant (which means "Rising Sun" in French) and was open for
business from 1862 (occupation by Union troops) until 1874, when it
was closed due to complaints by neighbors. It was located at 826-830
St. Louis St. |
| The melody is a traditional English ballad,
but the song became popular as an African-American Folk song. It was
recorded by Texas Alexander in the 1920s, then by a number of other
artists including Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie, Josh White and later
Nina Simeone. It was her version The Animals first heard. No one can
claim rights to the song, meaning it can be recorded and sold
royalty-free. Many bands recorded versions of this after it became a
hit for The Animals. |
| The single version is cut down, but still runs
about 4:30, which was very long for any song on the radio at the
time. |
| Bob Dylan recorded this on his first album.
The Animals version was one of the first songs to put a Rock rhythm
to a Folk song, something Dylan did a lot soon after. |
| In the traditional Folk version, the main
character is a prostitute. The Animals changed it to a gambler to
make their version more radio-friendly. |
| The Animals performed this while touring
England with Chuck Berry. It went over so well that they recorded it
between stops on the tour. |
| The Animals recorded this in 1 take. They had
perfected the song from years of performing it on the road. |
| This was the first #1 that was over 4 minutes
long. |
| Alan Price is the only band member given
credit for arranging this, meaning he is paid almost all the
royalties. Their record company told the other members that there
was not enough room to list them as arrangers. |
| The organ solo was inspired by jazzman Jimmy
Smith's hit "Walk on the Wild Side." (thanks, Edward Pearce -
Ashford, Kent, England) |
