House of the Rising Sun is one of the most cherished, misunderstood, and covered songs in American History. When Rising Conviction decided to join the hundreds of musical groups—from Bob Dylan to The Animals, who popularized the song in the 1960's—we discovered a rich and largely unknown history. This page is dedicated to the song and its many incarnations, and will grow over time.

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History of House of the Rising Sun

Who wrote House of the Rising Sun?

Many people familiar with the song falsely believe that House of the Rising Sun was written by The Animals. Small text inside their album "The Best of the Animals", released in 1966, reveals that it was only arranged by them. The truth is Alan Lomax, in his 1941 book Our Singing Country, identifies the authors as Georgia Turner and Bert Martin of Kentucky, though the true history of the song dates back much further.

The term "Rising Sun" was a popular name given to brothels in America in the 1800's into the 1920's, and it is believed that House of the Rising Sun is the story of a girl trapped in the corrupt life of ruin. Though no actual house has been identified, it is believed to have been in the old French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Melody

The original melody of House of the Rising Sun finds its roots in 17th century England, where it was a popular folk melody of many lyrical settings. Included in these were a traditional tune by the name of "Lord Barnard and Little Musgrove", and—acknowledgingly—a song popular in the halls of British brothels, "Rising Sun". The melody found it's way into the Southern U.S., and was a common backdrop for many early Southern musicians of both black and white decent.

House of the Rising Sun Lyrics

There have been many adaptations and additions as different musicians have taken on the song. To the left are traditional lyrics, though no official form is recognized. On the right are a compacted, more recent version, used in similar form by The Animals, Tracy Chapman, The Rolling Stones, Boy Dylan, and many others... quoted here as in the Rising Conviction version of the song. The most notable change occuring in the third line of the song, which changes the song from a girl's point of view in the house of rising sun to that of a boy, perhaps a visitor to the brothel or lover spoken of in the traditional version.