The House of the Rising Sun facts for kids

The House of the Rising Sun is a very old folk song. It is sometimes called "Rising Sun Blues". The song tells the story of someone whose life went wrong in the city of New Orleans. Many versions of the song also warn family members to avoid making the same mistakes.

The most famous version was recorded in 1964 by a British rock band called The Animals. This version became a number one hit in the UK Singles Chart, the US, and Canada. Because it was a traditional folk song played by an electric rock band, it is often called the "first folk rock hit."

The song was first written down in the Appalachia region in the 1930s. But its roots probably go back to even older English folk songs. It is listed as number 6393 in the Roud Folk Song Index, which is a big list of folk songs.

How the Song Started

Like many old folk songs, no one knows for sure who first wrote "The House of the Rising Sun." Music experts think it came from a type of old song called broadside ballads. These were songs printed on large sheets of paper and sold cheaply. The song is similar in theme to a 16th-century ballad called "The Unfortunate Rake." However, there is no proof they are directly connected.

A folk song collector named Alan Lomax thought the tune might be related to a 17th-century folk song, "Matty Groves." But studies have not found a clear link between them.

The Animals' Famous Version

Quick facts for kids "The House of the Rising Sun"
US picture sleeve
Single by the Animals
from the album The Animals
B-side	"Talkin' 'bout You"
Released	June 19, 1964 (1964-06-19) (UK)
Recorded	May 18, 1964
Genre	Folk rock blues rock Proto-prog
Length	Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character ":". (album version) Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character ":". (radio edit)
Label	Columbia (UK) MGM (US)
Songwriter(s)	Traditional, arr. by Alan Price
Producer(s)	Mickie Most
the Animals singles chronology
"Baby Let Me Take You Home" (1964) "The House of the Rising Sun" (1964) "I'm Crying" (1964)

Eric Burdon, the singer for The Animals, said he first heard the song in a club in Newcastle, England. A folk singer named Johnny Handle was singing it. The Animals were on tour with Chuck Berry at the time. They wanted to play a song that would make them stand out from other bands.

The Animals started playing their version of "The House of the Rising Sun" at the end of their concerts. It was a way to be different from bands that only played fast rock songs. The audience loved it! This convinced their producer, Mickie Most, that the song could be a big hit. So, between tour stops, the band went to a small recording studio in London to record it.

Recording the Song

The song was recorded very quickly, in just one take, on May 18, 1964. It begins with a famous guitar part played by Hilton Valentine. He played a special pattern of notes on his electric guitar.

Then, Eric Burdon's powerful voice comes in. People have described his singing as "howling" and "soulful." Finally, Alan Price's organ playing (on a Vox Continental organ) adds to the unique sound. Burdon later said, "We were looking for a song that would grab people's attention."

The recorded song was four and a half minutes long. This was considered too long for a pop song back then. Producer Most, who wasn't sure about recording the song at first, said, "Everything was in the right place... It only took 15 minutes to make." He decided to release the song at its full length.

In the US, the first single was a shorter version, about three minutes long. The full, longer version was later put on their "greatest hits" album. "House of the Rising Sun" was not on any of The Animals' British albums. However, it was released again as a single twice later on, in 1972 and 1982, and became popular again both times.

The Animals played their version of the song in a different rhythm than most earlier versions. The credit for arranging the song went only to Alan Price. Eric Burdon explained that there wasn't enough space on the record label to list all five band members. Alan Price's name came first alphabetically. Because of this, only Alan Price received money from the song's success, which caused some hard feelings among the other band members.

Band Members

• Eric Burdon – the singer
• Hilton Valentine – electric guitar
• Chas Chandler – bass guitar
• Alan Price – Vox Continental organ
• John Steel – drums

Song Charts

Weekly Charts (1964–65)

Year-End Charts (1964)

Awards and Sales