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There is a house in New Orleans
Who wrote “House of the Rising Sun?”
It mysteriously popped up in the Appalachian mountains a hundred years ago.
It has been performed by many artists, including Joan Baez, Nina Simone, Bob Dylan, and The Animals.
The lyrics tell the story of a mythical place in New Orleans–the house of the rising sun–which consumes all who enter it.
It’s a song about addiction, pleasure, and how those forces took someone the singer loves–and how badly they want to warn others not to go there.
But where did it begin?
How folk songs are born
Long before radio, people passed folk songs around in the Appalachia hills by word of mouth.
The songs would evolve as they moved around the land like a giant game of Chinese telephone.
Songs written like this--by decentralized propagation--tend toward archetypal and mythical.
Only the lyrics and melodies that shake the bottom of the soul linger in the mind long enough to be passed along to the next singer, and "The House of the Rising Sun" was a particularly memorable song.
The oldest remaining recording belongs to Clarence "Tom" Ashely.
When asked about it, Tom said with reverence that the song was "too old to speak of." Wow.
Some historians trace the song's origin to English ballads in the 1600s.
The public evolution
Baez's performance of the song was well-known in folk circles. Her ghostly performance added to the song's warning message and lent it some gravitas that makes the song so arresting.
Nina Simone recorded the song multiple times. Her bluesy voice gives real soul to the song, which remains imprinted on the song today through many remakes.
Bob Dylan's version of the song included new chords and lyrics. This version became the basis for The Animals' hit recording
The Animals' recording of the song was a number-one international hit. This is likely the version you know.
Although the lead singer had never been to Appalachia, he was a poor boy from London who had spent time at Paris brothels.
He understood the message.
The song's universal message
What is the "House of the Rising Sun?"
Is it a brothel? A pub? A hotel? Orleans Parish women's prison?
There are many theories, and the emphasis shifts each time someone sings it. The short answer? We don't know.
But there is a house in New Orleans. And it is real.
It is the underworld.
We are tempted there every time we choose easy pleasure over something nobler.
It is universal.
The song continues to evolve, as seen in Alt-J's alternative verse (my favorite).
"Like a bird flying over forest fire
My father feels the heat beneath his wings
And in debt he leaves for another town
Where he gambles and, drunk, he still drinks."
"House of the Rising Sun" is a modern American myth and a true folk song because it is still evolving today.
Thanks for reading,
What’s moving me:
“Many of the giants I have seen with my own eyes I have also safely quarantined in myth, and this one will be no different.” — Hiron Ennes, Leech
"Follow your genius closely enough, and it will not fail to show you a fresh prospect every hour." — Thoreau
“Doubt is an uncomfortable condition, but certainty is a ridiculous one.” — Voltaire