Song Review: House of the Rising Sun, Written By: Old Traditional U.S. Song

House of the Rising Sun is about hard times and despair. In British and American ballads of the times the 'rising sun' was a symbol for brothels and gambling dens. It was very popular in the south among black and white musicians. A song called The Rising Sun was first recorded in 1928 by Texas Alexander, a black blues player, but the song has roots in the 1700's.It was first recorded commercially 1n 1938 by Roy Acuff. The Almanac Singers were the first to popularize the modern version of the song in 1941. It is about a southern girl trapped in a New Orleans brothel and it has become a popular folk song.

Bob Dylan did a version on his 1962 debut album but the most popular version of the song is the 1964 remake by the Animals. A couple of lines have been changed as well as the gender of the song's subject. The song is a rock song with a ¾ time signature. It also has a fantastic keyboard solo. Allan Price rewrote the song. The playing of notes within the chords during the song was also an innovation that made the song popular.

It is a good song for beginning guitar and bass players to get their fingers moving - especially for guitar players learning finger picking and chord progression. Keyboard players can also get a lot out this song. As a song I give it 5 stars for it’s musicality and it’s popularity. It is a rock classic and will probably always be played.