Originally broadcast: June 20, 2007
For a ballad of ruin and loss, there is none in the American songbook with more dark power than “House of the Rising Sun.” Everybody’s sung it. Everybody knows it.
The Animals made it a big hit in the 1960s, but its roots go way back. Alan Lomax first heard it from the lips of a dirt-poor 16-year-old girl in Middlesboro, Kentucky in 1937. And she wasn’t the first to sing it.
This hour, in an archive edition of On Point: chasing the remarkable history of a remarkable song of ruin — House of the Rising Sun.
-Tom Ashbrook
Guests:
Ted Anthony, author of the new book “Chasing the Rising Sun: The Journey of an American Song.” He has worked for the Associated Press since 1992, where he was twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.
Have you heard the version of “House” done by The Blind Boys of Alabama? They sing the words of Amazing Grace to the tune of House.
Pretty amazing.
Posted by Hayden Carruth, on December 30th, 2008 at 11:27 am ESTAn Austrian musical group EAV {Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung] recorded a superb derivative version which they called: Es steht ein Haus in Ostberlin, shortly after the fall of the Berlin wall. Not being fluent in German, I relied on an Austrian friend for a translation, which he summarized to me some sixteen years ago as a poignant story of an East Berliner who seeks his fortune in the West only to return home in failure. Not the same words, not quite the same melody, but unmistakenly the House of the Rising Sun.
Posted by Chris Kaminski, on December 30th, 2008 at 11:34 am ESTYOU TUBE has some interesting “House of the Rising Sun” renditions. Search bevbilly
Posted by Beverley Mason, on December 30th, 2008 at 11:46 am ESTCat Power does a great version also. This is such a great song. I wonder if any other song has been covered so much in so many varying ways.
Posted by david, on December 30th, 2008 at 11:50 am ESTI loved this show. What is the correct name of the woman (Virginia Blood?) who you played a cut of Rising Sun? I would love to have that recording.
Posted by linda brown, on December 30th, 2008 at 12:09 pm ESTI really enjoy your show!
I grew up in the 60s and always loved the Animal’s rendition of this song. Which brings me to this question: during the show, it was mentioned that “Eric Burdon got all the glory and Allen Price got all the money”. Does anyone know anymore about this? The Animals were a hell of a band and did so much along with a whole lot of other British bands of that time to bring American-African-Blues-Folk music to the attention of American youth of that day and also to the whole world!
Posted by Steve K, on December 30th, 2008 at 12:24 pm ESTORIGINAL LYRICS – Question for anyone who caught the show: Did Ted Anthony say that the Alan Lomax recording (on 15 Sept 1937, of 16 year-old Georgia Turner) was the very FIRST known recording of this song?
Posted by Tom, on December 30th, 2008 at 12:29 pm ESTNot like it’s completely reliable, but Wikipedia says: “The oldest known existing recording is by versatile Appalachian artists Clarence ‘Tom’ Ashley and Gwen Foster and was made in 1933. Ashley said he had learned it from his grandfather, Enoch Ashley.”
If the author mentioned that part, I missed it; but I’m just wondering how/when the “original” lyrics were established or fully evolved. Thx, -TJR
I too was looking for the version by the guest Virgina (Blood?). I believe the correct name is Virginia Lee who is part of the group Mixt Company. The song appears on their Family ‘n Favorites Album. I believe it is the correct one. Hope this helps…
Posted by EJ, on December 30th, 2008 at 4:39 pm ESTNote to Tom – They didn’t say that Lomax’s Georgia Turner recording was THE first but imply that it was the most influential. In fact, the show opens with what is identified only as “a 1933 version” so perhaps it was the one wiki mentions.
Posted by J.H., on December 30th, 2008 at 7:32 pm ESTI listened to this while driving to visit my sick Dad in the hospital. It was a wonderful show to listen to and took my mind off of more serious things for a little while.
Thanks!
Posted by Tracy, on December 30th, 2008 at 7:58 pm ESTResponse to Linda Brown — Here’s the link that you’re looking for — Virginia Blood and Mixt Company.
Posted by bdbd, on December 31st, 2008 at 1:16 pm ESThttp://www.mixtcompany.com/
Hi Tom
Just a quick work! Great shows. Hi quality I can hardly find in my french Quebec. Happy new year!
Posted by Daniel Gaucher, on January 4th, 2009 at 11:40 pm ESTDaniel