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Most of us know it as a classic by The Animals, but the story behind The House Of The Rising Sun - and exactly what it all means - may never be fully told.
“Although it is generally assumed that the singer is referring to a brothel, there is actually nothing in the lyrics that indicates that the ‘house’ is a brothel. Many knowledgeable persons have conjectured that a better case can be made for either a gambling hall or a prison; however, to paraphrase Freud: sometimes lyrics are just lyrics.”
The Mystery Behind "The House Of The Rising Sun"
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Interesting topic. I had understood when The Animals released their version that it had been altered from a brothel to a gaming house. I also understood the original version was sung by a woman and the revised Animals version by a male. But revisiting the subject following this post, it seems much more logical to originally be about a women's prison. Alan Price, who played the swirling keyboards, claimed ownership right to the Animals' version, much to the chagrin of Eric Burdon.
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Here is the 1933 version by Clarence Ashley and Gwen Foster. Though the lyrics are near-identical to the Animals version, Ashley/Foster's melody is somewhat different.