“House Of The Rising Sun” may be known by several 1960s and 1970s iterations, but it’s far from a mid-20th-century song. The roots of this particular traditional folk song have been traced back to the 1930s, and its inspirations likely go back even further into traditional English folk music. During the 60s and 70s, though, it was quite popular in rock music. Let’s take a look at just four of our favorite renditions of “House Of The Rising Sun”.
Videos by American Songwriter
1. Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix could have covered the dumbest song on the planet and made it sound amazing. So naturally, when Hendrix decided to pick up a notably good song and cover it, the result was jaw-dropping. And it’s even more amazing, considering this recording of “House Of The Rising Sun” is a bootleg with not many details available on its origins. Some believe this cover comes from a recording session with The Experience, but we’ll probably never know for sure.
2. Bob Dylan
Unless you’re a Bob Dylan diehard, you may not know that he once covered “House Of The Rising Sun” early on in his career. This 1963 cover features a young Dylan belting out the tale in a very beautiful way, years beyond his age at the time. It’s likely that Dylan was inspired by Leadbelly’s version of the song (which we’ll cover next), as his version has a similar sort of darkness to it, complete with fingerpicking. Dylan has since performed the song several times.
3. Leadbelly
This list would not have been worth its salt without mentioning Leadbelly. This trailblazer delivered a stunning version of “House Of The Rising Sun” back in 1944. This version has a dark, bluesy energy to it that many newer renditions sorely lack. Leadbelly did an excellent job of telling the traditional story, but without making the song feel campy. Musically, it’s quite a stunning cover.
4. The Animals
Out of every entry on this list, The Animals’ 1964 version of “House Of The Rising Sun” is probably the most well-known rendition of the famous tune. We think they deserve that recognition; it’s a really incredible, gloomy, resonant, well-produced cover of the traditional American folk song. And one member of The Animals acknowledged the connection that they, along with Bob Dylan, had with the tune.
“There was a connection that went on between the Animals and Bob [Dylan], and our recording of ‘The Rising Sun,’” frontman Eric Burdon once said. “I’ve been told by lots of people who know, and were around at the time, that that’s what stimulated Bob into going electric, and becoming a rock star as opposed to a folk star.”
Photo by Courtesy of abkco Records
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