That was an excellent response. I used to wonder about the convoluted lyrics myself, now it begins to make sense. Thanks for the explanation. As a music lover surrounded by other music lovers, I plan to spread this elucidation whenever I get the chance. Well done folks!!!
welcome to the Straight Dope Message Boards. It is customary to link the column that you’re commenting on;
What is House of the Rising Sun About?
which can be done as simply as copying the url code and pasting it here, leaving a blank before and after.
Or to do it like I did, use:
{url=“putcodeinhere”} link title {/url} only replace the {} with .
As a fellow contributor to these pages, I’m very proud of my sister’s answer! (Hi Songbird! Love, Hawk) As a citizen of Louisiana, I’ve heard some of the local, colored versions of the legend. It goes something like this: Boys of New Orleans aristocracy would, when the time came, be sent to this particular bordello to become “worldly” in the arts of female pleasure. The boy would spend the whole night there, partaking in wine and women, his passage paid for by his father. In the morning, the boy would awake and be a man. Thus, this place came to be known as The House of the Rising SON. I have seen this place, although I can’t tell you the address off the top of my head; I only know it’s around the corner from Jackson Square, a brick-red, two-story house.
The traditional liner notes explanation I’ve heard for the
source of the name is that it refers to the traditional red
lantern in the window. Who knows if this is true, but it’s
at least plausible.
Lovely answer, but i have to add that Nina Simone did a cover of the song as wel and it is just beautiful. I have been told (though these stories are not always reliable) that Nina Simone’s version was the one that directly inspired the Animals.
Did you know that “Amazing Grace” can be sung to the tune of “House of the Rising Sun”? Try it.
Because of the gender reversal in the Animals’ version, I always interpreted the song as a story of some guy who goes to the bordello and falls in love with one of the hookers, so he spends every day there even though she doesn’t really have much interest in him and he wastes all of his money and gets some awful VD and stuff and generally wrecks his life.
Our local pub shares the name with the song. I’ll never hear a comment such as “You comin’ down the Rising Sun” in the same manner again. Cheers!
Surely the Animals’ version, as it stands, makes a casino of it.
Heh. Y’think THAT’S fun, try lightening the mood and sing “House of the Rising Sun” to the tune of “Gilligan’s Island”. Changes the whole outlook of the song!
For that matter, sing “Amazing Grace” to the tune of “Gilligan’s Island” next time yer in church.
I always heard it as “she sewed those new blue jeans”. Huh.
Anyway, thank you for pointing out that Eric Burdon didn’t write it. My kids make enough fun of me as it is about weird Sixties rock lyrics. They’re, like, “Incense and peppermints? Mom, that is SO hippie drug culture…”
Add “Old MacDonald Had a Farm”, the alphabet, and “Stairway to Heaven” to the interchangeability list, among others.
“Old MacDonald” to the tune of “Amazing Grace” produces very long and soulful E-I-E-I-O’s, as well as resentful looks from other audience members during Spock’s funeral in “Wrath of Khan”.
LOL!
Seems to me that the video makes it rather clear what the song is about.
Nina Simone recorded House of the Rising Sun and Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood just a bit before the versions came out by the Animals.
The versions that the Animals’ released were not much different and struck me as being related to the Pat Boone phenomenon of white artists recording their version of a black artist’s work to get higher success on the basis of their melanin deprived popularity.
On an album called “A Twisted Christmas” they sing “O Little Town of Bethlehem” to the tune of “House of the Rising Sun”. Well worth hunting down.
(O Lit–tle Town–ofBethlhemmmmm.
How Stillllll we seeeeee the-ee risssssssse.
A–bove thy sweettttttt —andDreamlessSleep.
The Si—lenttttt Sta-arrs---- go byyyyyyyyy.)
If you really ant a laugh, look up the original “Golden Throats” album to hear Andy Griffith singing “House of the Rising Sn” with bowdlerized, squeaky clean lyrics. You cannot tell WHAT is supposed to be going on.
Some guy at a karaoke bar did that one Christmastime – requested “House of the Rising Sun” but sang “O Little Town of Bethlehem” to it.
It’s an easy song to match, as common meter (CM) is so prevalent among songs and hymns.
This is all very interesting, but what about the facts of the case?
I guess my question is, what research has been done on this? Why do people believe this version? Where is the earliest instance of this view? Has anyone checked local records for evidence of any such establishment. Of course it wouldn’t be officially recorded as a brothel (they don’t typically apply for a zoning variance…) but Marianne LeSoleil Levant ought to show up in some records as existing somehow, either as owner of a bar or hotel at that location or in some other way.
Maybe a New Orleans SD fan can start cranking the microfilm.
Also…
Since he didn’t start recording until 1927…
[quote]
He first recorded in 1927 for the Okeh label…
[\quote]
(Source:
http://www.blueflamecafe.com/Texas_Alexander.html
(And here’s another good Texas Alexander bio:
http://go.borders.com/contributors/1286950.html
that also claims he didn’t start recording until 1927.)
… What earlier references (early 1920s or earlier) exist for rising sun qua brothel? (And when I say “qua” you know I mean business 
)
Ok, now it gets weird:
This is from this website:
http://www.suchiu.com/eric_highres.htm
It’s an artist who has done a weird painting based on the theme.
But how do they know it was really a brothel, or really THAT brothel, or even at that address? More research needs to be done! Go to it!
There is a BBC radio show, I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, which regularly features the challenging game of singing One Song To The Tune Of Another. It usually takes a while to explain the rules, but the round always provides excellent entertainment. Examples I recall:
Humpty Dumpty to the tune of Land Of Hope And Glory
I’ll Take You Home Again Kathleen ttto the William Tell Overture
Heartbreak Hotel ttto The Ash Grove
Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves ttto Teddy Bears’ Picnic
Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick ttto O Sole Mio
Da Do Ron Ron ttto Jerusalem
Knees Up Mother Brown ttto Love Me Tender
Love Me Tender ttto The Archers theme
The Laughing Policeman ttto As Time Goes By
Killing Me Softly ttto Colonel Bogey
I apologise to Americans who may not know all of the melodies listed. I have tried to think up suitable recombinations, but I’m not musical enough. The best I can manage is Pinball Wizard to the tune of Deutschland Uber Alles.
Sorry for the double post. I tried to delete the first, but couldn’t. If some kind adminisrtator could remove it, and then this, the discussion would look a lot neater. Thank you.