Millions were intrigued by the dark, sultry electric guitar arpeggios gradually blending into an equally dramatic organ harmony – a texture which set a provocative, somewhat dismal tone against Eric Burdon’s raspy-yet-soulful vocals. This voice went onto tell the tale of a life led to ruin in the city of New Orleans, recollecting many a regretful year spent in a house known as the Rising Sun – either a brothel or a gambler’s paradise, depending on individual interpretations.

This was the first number one hit of the so-called “British Invasion” unconnected to the Beatles and an instant breakthrough chart topper on both sides of the Atlantic. Eric Burdon and his band, The Animals, had been in search of a distinctive song to sing while on tour with Chuck Berry and had found the missing link when they heard the ballad in a club in Newcastle. Little did they know, they’d found themselves a signature piece, described by BBC writer Ralph McLean as “arguably the first folk-rock tune.”

There is more to the song, however, than the Animals’ rendition, as suggested by US music critic Dave Marsh when he described their sound as if “they’d connected the ancient tune to a live wire.” Keyword: “ancient.”

It turns out that the Animals, while credited for thrusting the song into the mainstream, actually make up about the third or fourth century of performers portray the voices of sin and misery in the House of the Rising Sun. This is probably the one disadvantage of having an arrangement so popular: flattering as it may be to have such a timeless classic as a footnote in your career, mesmerized listeners get so caught up in the buzz that the song’s true history is lost.

Like most folk ballads, the House of the Rising Sun’s history is incomplete, but such shadiness pasts are half the intrigue of such tunes. The puzzle must be completed with the imagination of the listener, but first, let us start you off with the following pieces:

Song Origin

Not surprisingly, the tune of House of the Rising Sun was popular in the halls of brothels during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In spite of the (memorable) geographical location the lyrics reveal, however, it did not originate as a house in New Orleans. Much like the Animals’ breakthrough, House of the Rising Sun was a ballad of transatlantic popularity.

While the authorship is uncertain, some musicologists point to the Broadsides that circulated the lands of England, Ireland and North America during the sixteenth through nineteenth centuries. These single sheets of cheap paper were printed on one side with a ballad, rhyme or even news, sometimes with woodcut illustrations and were one of the most common forms of printed material during this era. These broadsides were an inexpensive and common way to sell news and history, and the aforementioned nations in which they were most abundant associate these papers with one of the most important forms of traditional music: the ballad.

Many of the early broadsides were taken to America by early settlers. The containing ballads generally had “if only” themes, and eventually emerged as American songs and formed the genre we now refer to as “blues,” based on the concept that telling a sad story has a therapeutic effect.

No such record has been identified of House of the Rising Sun, however, its past has been followed all the way across the big pond to Soho, on the west end of London. Throughout Great Britain, it became a popular melody of many different lyrical settings. One was a tune called “Lord Banard and Little Musgrove,” and another was entitled “Rising Sun,” and was widely heard in the halls of English houses of prostitution. In its original form, dating back as early as the sixteenth century, the lyrics spoke of a bordello in the ballad’s alleged birthplace of Soho. The song was brought to America by English immigrants and the lyrics over time were adapted to a New Orleans setting. New Orleans was, after all, the “den of iniquity” of the South.

A 17th Century Broadside, much like the one House of the Rising Sun may have derived from

According to Ted Anthony of the Associated Press, House of the Rising Sun’s Americanization has been dated as far back as the late nineteenth century. Anthony made the following comment about the song in an article published on September 16, 2000:

Various accounts have it kicking around the South since the Civil War, a cautionary tale for those who’d stray. Sometimes when it came from a man’s mouth, it was a gambler’s song. More often it was a woman’s warning to shun that house in New Orleans that’s “been the ruin of many a poor girl.”

A few other musicians from the region were singing it between the world wars.

The oldest known existing recording of the ballad is dated 1933 and comes from Appalachian artists Clarence “Tom” Ashley and Gwen Foster. Ashley had learned it from his grandmother. Though many incarnations of folk music were applied to House of the Rising Sun between the late 40’s and 50’s, the song may have been lost to obscurity if not for the efforts of folklorist Alan Lomax.

Lomax and his father were curators of the Archive of American Folk Song for Library of Congress in 1932, and searched the nation for traditional material, of which it was their mission to preserve. He took an expedition with his wife in eastern Kentucky, when he heard the seemingly obscure ballad sung by Georgia Turner, sixteen-year-old daughter of a local miner, while setting up his recording equipment in the Middlesborough home of singer/activist Tilman Cadle. On September 15, 1937, Lomax made a recording of Turner’s arrangement and called it “Rising Sun Blues.” Turner could not remember where she’d learned the song, but maintained that it was one she’d grown up with on the front porches of her parents and grandparents’ houses in the rural town.

Clarance Ashley too, said shortly before his death in 1967, that the ballad of House of the Rising Sun was “too old for me to talk about. I got it from some of my grandpeople.” Lomax also pointed to similarities to the traditional English Ballad Matty Groves.

Both the mystery and wonder of the city of New Orleans and this associated ballad, leave many listeners wondering if such a place ever really existed in the city. Much like the lyrics and melody, this, too, is up for speculation… though luckily for exceptionally curious souls, there are a few points of interest in this area.

The Real House

Though the ballad is generally understood to be an allusion to a house of prostitution, other astute observations have been made that the lyrics could have just as easily been referring to a gambling hall or a women’s prison. During the time House of the Rising Sun was penned, whenever exactly that may have been, “Rising Sun” was generally understood to be a euphemism for a brothel or other illicit business. Though the most primitive edition of the ballad points to a bordello in Soho, England, the bulk of the historical interest appears to be centered around the mythical house in New Orleans.

Both prostitution and backroom gambling were illegal in the United States during the 18th and most of the 19th centuries. Because of this, it is likely that such practices refrained from advertising themselves. Still, they existed, even if their advertising did not. New Orleans is a port city, where merchants and sailors far from home continually streamed in and out. In 1862 during the American Civil War, the confederate army in New Orleans surrendered the city, which subsequently fell into union occupation. Northern soldiers, easily homesick, sought out entertainment.

There is no definite answer as to whether these “ruined” people were the victims of such unlawful entertainment or of prison, however. Theories and myths have spawned supporting both possibilities.

Theory #1: The Daughter and the Prison

One myth in circulation has been that House of the Rising Sun is a song that depicts a young daughter who kills her father, an alcoholic gambler, after he beats his wife. The daughter was incarcerated in a women’s prison. The term “Rising Sun” is a metaphor of the prisoner and how she would be the first to see the sunrise every morning. The line containing the “ball and chain” lyric could support this claim, although this phrase has also been used to describe marital relationships for at least as long as the song has been in print.

Folk-blues legend Dave Van Ronk, who enjoyed House of the Rising Sun as a signature piece a mere several years before the Animals’ rendition was released, reveals in his autobiography that he believes this myth to be true. He spoke in his life story of seeing pictures of the Old Orleans Parish Women’s Prison, the entrance of which was decorated with a rising sun design. This was proof enough for Van Ronk that the name “House of the Rising Sun” must have been a nickname for the prison.

Similarly, slave pens of plantations were also common themes for traditional blues songs. The lyric could be a lament of this type of imprisonment as well.

Theory #2: Unsafe Sex

Since the ballad was sung more frequently by women than by men during its early days of existence, House of the Rising Sun, may have been a place where prostitutes were treated for syphilis. Since the old time “cures” with mercury were ineffective, frequent trips to the house would have been very likely.

Theory #3: A Thriving Cathouse for Union Troops

As one could probably imagine, a number of claims do exist regarding the house as having been an actual landmark and the following is probably the most popular of those stories. According to a guide book entitled “Bizarre New Orleans,” the real house in the song was located on 1614 Esplanade Avenue (or St. Louis Street in the French Quarter depending on the source) and was owned by a woman by the name of Madame Marianne Le Soleil Levant (which translates from French to “Rising Sun”). The house served as a bordello between 1862 and 1874 when union troops occupied New Orleans, and was ultimately shut down due to excessive complaints by neighbors.

While it certainly makes for a fun story, no solid evidence has been found to support it.

An 18th Century Brothel

Theory #4: Rising Sun Hall

Rising Sun Hall is one of two places that exist in old New Orleans directories under the name of “Rising Sun.” It was in halls like this one where jazz music was born, and it is possible that prostitution and gambling occurred in back rooms with constant transience of traveling musicians. This is speculation, of course – there is no written history.

The hall called Rising Sun served as a “benevolent association” (that is, a social aid and pleasure club) during the late 19th century and was located on the riverfront in uptown Carrollton Neighborhood. Its rooms were often rented out to musicians and other performers and organizations.

The Rising Sun Hall no longer exists.

Theory #5: Rising Sun Hotel

This long-defunct landmark is by far the most intriguing of all supposed locations of the true House of the Rising Sun – if indeed there was one. It is the second location bearing the ballad’s name in old directories is appears to be the most probable match. It was uncovered by accident in 2005 when archaeologists staked out the area in search of Native American artifacts. What they found instead were an unusually large number of old cosmetics and pots of rouge, as well as an advertisement with language that may have been euphemistically linked to prostitution. Dated January of 1821 in the wake of new ownership, the ad maintains that the new owners will:

…maintain the character of giving the best entertainment which this house has enjoyed for 20 years past. Gentlemen may here rely upon finding attentive servants. The bar will be supplied with genuine good liquors; and the table, the fare will be of the best the market or the season can afford.

The hotel was located on Conti Street during the early 1800’s, before it came down in flames in 1822.

Lead archaeologist Shannon Dowdy confessed that these fairly recent findings make the hotel look “impressively like a bordello.” Others feel it could just as easily have been a place where guests were simply invited to “let the good times role.”

The Ruin of Many a Poor Myth?

Though a number of New Orleans landmarks appear to offer insight as to how this traditional English ballad of a house “they call the Rising Sun” became integrated into the American backdrop in the city of New Orleans, not everyone believes that such a house ever stood. Pamela D. Arceneaux, a research librarian at the Williams Research Center in New Orleans is quoted as saying:

I have made a study of the history of prostitution in New Orleans and have often confronted the perennial question, ‘Where is the House of the Rising Sun?’ without finding a satisfactory answer. Although it is generally assumed that the singer is referring to a brothel, there is actually nothing in the lyrics that indicate that the ‘house’ is a brothel. Many knowledgeable persons have conjectured that a better case can be made for either a gambling hall or a prison; however, to paraphrase Freud: sometimes lyrics are just lyrics.

We’ll probably never know for sure. This is probably why each version of this song recorded has at least one thing in common: a mysterious undertone whether sung as a warning or a lament, by a man or a woman.

One of the few songs to be accredited to all four Beatles. Despite being recorded at the end of 1965, this song never became commercially available until 1996 when it was included on the Anthology 2 album. Although it should be noted that the version on that album was an edited version of take 2 that originally ran to 6 and a half minutes.

Eight Days A Week

The song title is said to come from another one of Ringo’s famous malapropisms (another being ‘hard days night’) it was recorded in 1964 and released on the album Beatles For Sale. The song raced to the top of the Billboard charts in the US.

One After 909

This song appeared on the Beatles 1970 album Let It Be although it had been written many years before. It first turned up as a Beatles song in 1963, when the band tried many different versions. It was originally attempted at the same recording time as From Me To You. The song wasn’t considered for use on the then album and was left until 1970.

One and One is Two

This song was released by Mike Shannon and the Strangers in 1964. Written by Paul McCartney and demoed by the Beatles. As you can hear, it really was no surprise that they never bothered including it on any of their albums. Not the best song!

Revolution 1

This was the one that appeared on the White Album, a slower number than the version that was released alongside Hey Jude. Cause all kinds of trouble due to the ‘count me in/out’. Still a tune, same can’t be said for the other version out there (see below).

Revolution 9

Is there really any words to describe this, other than to say – number 9, number 9!

Sweet Little Sixteen

Chuck Berry wrote this song in 1958. A few years later the Beach Boys took the music, changed the words and released it as Surfin USA – no one was fooled and Berry got a writing credit. The Beatles version of Sweet Little Sixteen appeared on their Live at the BBC album (released in the 1990’s).

Three Cool Cats

Written by Leiber and Stoller (who famously wrote for Elvis Presley), ‘Three Cool Cats’ was sung by the Coasters in 1958. The Beatles often performed this song at concerts so it was no surprise they decided to play it at their audition for Decca on New Years day, 1962. It appeared on the Beatles Anthology 1 album.

Two Of Us

This song appeared on the album Let It Be. It was written mainly by Paul McCartney (although, in later years John Lennon claimed that he wrote it himself).  A different (and earlier) version appeared on the Beatles album, Anthology 3. John Lennon once had wanted to give this song to Stevie Wonder to perform.

When I’m Sixty-Four

Written by Paul McCartney, ‘When I’m Sixty-Four’ appeared on the Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The song was destined to be a B-Side to either Strawberry Fields Forever of Penny Lane but it was instead decided to release the two latter songs as a double-A side, so ‘When I’m Sixty-Four’ wasn’t released as a single.

If you liked this, check out the website: For all your music needs, CLICK HERE

Image via Wikipedia

Elvis was born as Elvis Aaron on the 8th of January 1935 to Vernon and Gladys Presley. They lived in a two bedroom house in Tupelo Mississippi. Elvis’s twin brother Jessie Garan was still born and so he grew up as an only child. The family moved to Memphis Tennessee in 1948.

Soon after that Elvis started writing song and the first song he recorded was ‘That’s all right mama’, in Juli 1954 he was 23 years of age. Earlier in 1953 and January 1954 he had recorded  the songs; ‘Careless love’, ‘My Hapiness’ and I never stand in your way’ in at Sun Records. It cost less than $ 10.- to make a record in those time.

Soon after his breakthrough Elvis started touring was acting in several film like ‘Viva Las Vegas’, ‘Blue Hawai’, ‘Love me tender’ and ‘Jailhouse rock’.  In 1958  Elvis did his delayed tour of duty in Germany.  

These were very turbulent years for Elvis and his fame grew bigger by the years. When he was at the top of game in the sixties he sold millions of concert tickets and did often 2 or 3 shows each day. This could be in two or three different locations, to which he had to travel. The intensive tour schedule had obviously demanded its toll and it no  secret That Elvis used drugs like Morphine, uppers and sleeping tables to keep himself going.

At the end of his life, his he was suffering from glaucoma, high blood pressure, spastic twisted colon, high blood sugar, mood swings and obesity. He had also significant debts and the sales of his records were not earning enough money, so he was forced to tour. On top of this his manager Colonel Tom Parker took 50% of Elvis’s earnings. Colonel Parker was an merciless man, he did not care about Elvis’s health, all that was important to him was that Elvis performed. Colonel Parker was a notorious gambler.

After having a turbulent life and giving millions of people around the world joy and a new form of music, he died on the 16th of August 1977 at the age of 42 in his bathroom in Graceland Memphis Tennessee. During his last years of his life, his security chief Lamar Fike, his body guards Jerry Schriller and Sonny West  had repeatedly tried to get him to stop his drugs and unhealthy eating habits.

However Elvis is death for more than 30 years, he still lives on in people’s hearth and his music is still loved by many.

The original “Motown Sound” was a mix between soul music and influence from pop music. In 1972, Motown Records became popular in California and stayed independent until 1988 until the company owner sold Motown Records to MCA and Boston Ventures and eventually to PolyGram in 1994. Motown Records is currently located in New York. Although Motown Records has moved around a lot, the influence was always there and will always be known as one of the companies that helped break the color barrier.

One of the first artists on Motown Records was Mable John, a blues vocalist. She was the first female artists signed by Berry Gordy. Her album “Stay out of the Kitchen” (1966) had a well known hit entitled “Your Good Thing Is About to End”. After leaving Motown, Mable John spent several years as a Raelette, a female that was a part of Ray Charles hits. She released six singles after her first hit yet none of them were as successful as the first. Even though she only made one successful song, she is still credited as one of the founders of Motown Records.

Michael Jackson is known as the most successful Motown musicians ever. Born the 7th child of the Jackson family, Michael was born into a heavily music oriented family. Referred to as the “King of Pop” in a short period of time, five of his solo studio albums have become some of the world’s best-selling records. His music was a mixture of Pop, R&B, rock, soul. Till this day, Michael Jackson is still favored for his musical skills and ability to appeal to many types of people.

Smokey Robinson was another successful Motown Artist. Robinson is noted for being one of the primary figures associated with Motown Records, second only to the company’s founder, Berry Gordy. His creation of the group “The Miracles” was a major accomplishment. The 1960 single “Shop Around” was Motown’s first number one hit on the R&B singles chart. Smokey Robinson also served as Motown’s vice president from 1961 to 1988

Another successful Motown artist who is known all over the world is Stevie Wonder. During the top half of the 20th century, Stevie Wonder recorded over thirty top 10 songs. Even though he was blind from birth, Stevie Wonder was signed with Motown Records at the age of 11. His beautiful voice and ability to play over 10 instruments made him a successful musician in no time. In 1961, at the age of eleven, Wonder was discovered singing outside a street corner by a relative of The Miracles’ Ronnie White, who was later introduced to Wonder.

The Temptations were a talented and big group at Motown. They sound soulful and religious singing blues. Otis Williams was the leader of the group that brought them all together. He had a tenor voice. There was Eddie Kendricks. He had a high pitched voice. There was Paul Williams with a baritone. Melvin Franklin had a deep bass voice, and David Ruffin had a raspy sounding voice. The Temptations were the biggest and baddest singing group at Motown. When they sung their hit, “My Girl”, you could hear how they blend wonderful. They made “My Girl” a classic that is sung today. The temptations have paved the way for musians today.

Damian Marley, son of Bob Marley, is also a well known musician. His primary genre was Reggae which proved that Motown was a versatile record label that could produce a variety of artists. His 1996 debut “Mr. Marley,” awed critics and fans. Damian has been performing since the age of 13. He shares, along with most of the Marley family, a full-time career in music. Unlike his brothers and sisters, however, his musical specialty took on an Americanized tone. His hit “Welcome to Jamrock” became known around the world instantly.

At first, the Motown blues appealed mostly to the older crowds. The first few artists talked mostly about love and relationships; basically experiences that appealed to the older crowds. As the years went by, artists began incorporating more energetic rhythms to their songs in order to catch the younger crowd. Artists such as Rick James and The Jackson 5 gave teenagers a reason to listen to Motown Record’s. The positive feedback from all age groups led Motown Records to become one of the most if not the most successful record labels in history. The fact that young, old, black, white, gospel, and reggae people found this label appealing led to Motown’s excellence.

From 1959 until 1968 this building served as the foundation of Motown records. Racial equality, which was fuel for Motown Records, allowed this company to thrive through discrimination and get all types of races to come together and appreciate good music. Based on a line from the movie “I Am Legend”, (referring to Bob Marley) “He believed that you could cure racism and hate–literally, cure it–by injecting music and love into people’s lives.” Motown made this dream come true and up to this day, many races enjoy the musicians from this label.

Her hits included ‘These Boots Are Made For Walking’ (1966) and the duet she did with her father, ‘Something Stupid’. The duet with Frank Sinatra was slightly controversial because the act was viewed by some as unsuitable for a father daughter combination but inspite of this, the song made it to the top.

These Boots Are Made For Walking (One-Hit Wonder)

You keep saying you’ve got something for me.
something you call love, but confess.
You’ve been messin’ where you shouldn’t have been a messin’
and now someone else is gettin’ all your best.
These boots are made for walking, and that’s just what they’ll do
one of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you.
You keep lying, when you oughta be truthin’
and you keep losin’ when you oughta not bet.
You keep samin’ when you oughta be changin’.
Now what’s right is right, but you ain’t been right yet.
These boots are made for walking, and that’s just what they’ll do
one of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you.
You keep playin’ where you shouldn’t be playin
and you keep thinkin’ that you´ll never get burnt.
Ha! I just found me a brand new box of matches yeah
and what he know you ain’t HAD time to learn.
Are you ready boots? Start walkin’!

Nancy Sinatra: Boots

In the 1960’s Nancy married teen heart throb Tommy Sands and she appeared in a number of movies including ‘Speedway’ (1966), with Elvis, and won a Emmy Award for the ‘Movin’ With Nancy’ (1968).

Frank and Nancy: Somethin’ Stupid

In 1969 Nancy Sinatra teamed up with Lee Hazelwood to produce ‘Some Velvet Morning.’

Nancy and Lee produced a host of other tracks together including ‘Jackson’, ‘Summerwine’, ‘Sand’ and ‘Ladybird’ among others.

‘Summerwine’ included backing vocals by Primitives singer, Tracy Tracy.

“The Sound of Silence” was first released on Simon and Garfunkel’s initial album, “Wednesday Morning, 3 AM.” The album sold only two thousand copies. After watching their album sink, Simon and Garfunkel parted ways. However this was not the end of their career together. Without their knowledge, Simon and Garfunkel’s recording company had Bob Johnson rework the song with electric guitar, bass, and drums. With these changes, the song became an instant hit and soon climbed to the top of the charts. Simon and Garfunkel rejoined and quickly became one of, if not the, greatest duos of all time. But behind the song’s beautiful melodies and enjoyable rhythm is a deep message within the lyrics that has been interpreted in many different ways. I have read and heard many people’s opinions. Some of them are a little abstract and others seem believable. One fellow said it was merely about a man dreaming of neon lights revealing numerous people bowing to him as if he were a god. Another stated it was a song regarding the lack of communication between people. These interpretations may or may not be correct; however I have a different perception of “The Sound of Silence.”

I personally believe this song portrays a vision or dream that Paul Simon had. The lines, “Because a vision softly creeping,/Left its seeds while I was sleeping” lead me to believe that he had a dream. Yet perhaps it is highly possible he never had a dream or vision or anything of the sort but merely used this image to get a point across. Yet the message of this song lies in the contents of his dream.

Paul Simon seeks to convey a message of how ignorance taints the minds of so many people. “Silence” refers to submission. He reveals how people so foolishly follow rulers without actually knowing a ruler’s true intentions and background. “People hearing without listening” reveals a people’s willingness to take heed to the commands spoken by a leader without fully realizing the consequences of this obedience.

Simon, or whomever is having this dream, tries to warn these conformists in the lines that read “’Fools’ said I, “You do not know/ Silence like a cancer grows/ Hear my words that I might teach you,/ Take my arms that I might reach you.”” But his warning is swallowed in the abyss of submission: “But my words like silent raindrops fell,/And echoed/In the wells of silence.”

This song may refer to a particular nation or people, but most likely it refers to people in general who submit themselves too freely. The song continues to describe the people’s capitulation in several lines, most notably in the words, “And the people bowed and prayed/To the neon god they made.” The song’s meaning is for the listener to decide and there are many different ideas; however, I personally have always believed that it pertains to a people’s readiness to support a leader without fully realizing the possible outcomes.