Other people’s songs: House of the Rising Sun (and the littlest birds)

By Aaron Galbraith (in the USA) and Tony Attwood (in the UK).  As ever, Aaron selects the songs and adds his comments, and Tony on the other side of the ocean replies.  In this series we are listening to songs that Dylan has recorded but not written, and seeing where it all leads.  Today it is “House of the Rising Sun”.  A list of the 44 previous episodes is at the end, and there is more about Untold Dylan on our home page, and our Facebook site.

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Aaron: The earliest recorded version of this traditional folk song, of uncertain authorship,  was by Tom Clarence Ashley & Gwen Foster in 1933

Tony: Oh this is why I love this series – I’ve never heard this before and had no idea that the original had this bouncy approach, plus a melody and chord sequence that was in many parts so different from the one we know today.  And although my knowledge of music of the 1930s is patchy I do think the chords used here are quite unusual for this time – a mix of popular song chords and blues I think.  That is a really fascinating recording.

Aaron:  Dylan learned the song from the singing of Dave Van Ronk: “I’d always known ‘Risin’ Sun’ but never really knew I knew it until I heard Dave sing it.”

Tony: Aaron, I know that you do the selection of the music for this series, so my apologies here, but I really do want to slip in the Dave Van Ronk version here, because in my experience a lot of people I’ve talked to about this era of music have never heard it.   Thanks to the Smithsonian we have a recording.  Prepared to be amazed.

Tony: It really is a very unusual approach to this sort of music.   And of course it is a long way from the original version above.  But, there’s a problem… for what this track uses is the chord sequence that Bob used – a chord sequence that is quite a long way from that used in 1933.

But, this version by van Ronk appeared in August 1964 and the first Dylan album came out in March 1962, so I think we have to take it that Bob listened to van Ronk perform the song in a folk club, and took the approach with the chords, but straightened out the melody.  Unless it was Bob who created the chord sequence, and van Ronk copied it, and then added his hesitant vocal approach for his album two years later.   I think the former is more likely, but if anyone has the definitive answer perhaps they can resolve it for me.  I’m just trying to put it together, not suggesting that I know.

Aaron: The most famous and successful version appeared in 1964 by The Animals. Alan Price famously got arrangement credits for this, simply because there was insufficient room to name all five band members on the record label, and Alan Price’s first name was first alphabetically. As a result, a lot of later versions that are covers of the Animals version credit him as well. In America it became the first British Invasion number one unconnected with the Beatles.

Tony: Now I can add something personal.  As a very young musician (a pretentious schoolboy in fact) I played organ in a band that certainly never got within a billion miles of the big time, but we did once play as second warm up band to the Animals (I suspect we were probably booked by mistake).

I know my father was completely unsure whether to be annoyed at me not staying in to do my homework, or proud that I was getting some work as a musician – as he had done in his youth playing sax in a touring dance band (I have two photographs of that band in pride of place in my sitting room).   Anyway, back with me and the Animals, no one noticed the warm-up band of course, but it’s a nice memory for me.

And of course that broken chord sequence has itself become famous.

Aaron: This song has been covered by everyone from Dolly Parton, Jerry Garcia and Russell Watson to many many others. Here is one final version I discovered, that I particularly like.  It is by The Be Good Tanyas

Tony: Wow what an episode this is for me (sorry if I am boring everyone else).  The Be Good Tanyas were and are, in my view utterly superb, so I am going to slip another one of theirs in.  With “Rising Sun” they have taken a piece that we all know so well, and has clearly been performed in so many ways, but given it a totally different treatment.   The lightness of their musical approach takes nothing away from the lyrics because of the brilliant vocals.  Do listen to it all the way through.

And so I can’t resist ending this ramble of mine with another of their recordings.   Just listen to what they do with the rhythms in “Littlest Birds”.

Aaron, I had a rotten night out last night at a club that didn’t seem to realise that dance music is supposed to have some swing in it.  I really don’t understand young people these days!!!  But this morning you have given me a real lift, remembering old times and having a chance to put the Be Good Tanays on this site.  I’m out at another dance club tonight, this time with my favourite dance partner.  You’ve set me up for the day, and evening.

 

• Previously in this series…
  1. Other people’s songs. How Dylan covers the work of other composers
  2. Other People’s songs: Bob and others perform “Froggie went a courtin”
  3. Other people’s songs: They killed him
  4. Other people’s songs: Frankie & Albert
  5. Other people’s songs: Tomorrow Night where the music is always everything
  6. Other people’s songs: from Stack a Lee to Stagger Lee and Hugh Laurie
  7. Other people’s songs: Love Henry
  8. Other people’s songs: Rank Stranger To Me
  9. Other people’s songs: Man of Constant Sorrow
  10. Other people’s songs: Satisfied Mind
  11. Other people’s songs: See that my grave is kept clean
  12. Other people’s songs: Precious moments and some extras
  13. Other people’s songs: You go to my head
  14. Other people’s songs: What’ll I do?
  15. Other people’s songs: Copper Kettle
  16. Other people’s songs: Belle Isle
  17. Other people’s songs: Fixing to Die
  18. Other people’s songs: When did you leave heaven?
  19. Other people’s songs: Sally Sue Brown
  20. Other people’s songs: Ninety miles an hour down a dead end street
  21. Other people’s songs: Step it up and Go
  22. Other people’s songs: Canadee-I-O
  23. Other people’s songs: Arthur McBride
  24. Other people’s songs: Little Sadie
  25. Other people’s songs: Blue Moon, and North London Forever
  26. Other people’s songs: Hard times come again no more
  27. Other people’s songs: You’re no good
  28. Other people’s songs: Lone Pilgrim (and more Crooked Still)
  29. Other people’s songs: Blood in my eyes
  30. Other people’s songs: I forgot more than you’ll ever know
  31.  Other people’s songs: Let’s stick (or maybe work) together.
  32. Other people’s songs: Highway 51
  33. Other people’s songs: Jim Jones
  34. Other people’s songs: Let’s stick (or maybe work) together.
  35. Other people’s songs: Jim Jones
  36. Other people’s songs: Highway 51 Blues
  37. Other people’s songs: Freight Train Blues
  38. Other People’s Songs: The Little Drummer Boy
  39. Other People’s Songs: Must be Santa
  40. Other People’s songs: The Christmas Song
  41. Other People’s songs: Corina Corina
  42. Other People’s Songs: Mr Bojangles
  43. Other People’s Songs: It hurts me too
  44. Other people’s songs: Take a message to Mary