The House of the Rising Sun

The Animals\' version of the American folk song is considered one of the 20th century’s British pop classics. While the original version was sung in the character of a woman led into a life of degradation, the Animals\' version is told from the view of a young man who follows his father into alcoholism and gambling ruin.\n\nAlthough the date and author of the song are unknown, some musicologists have said that it resembled ballads of the 16th century, and could very easily have derived from one of that time. As a popular folk song, the oldest record of “House of the Rising Sun” in reference to a song was 1905, and it was first recorded in 1933 by an Appalachian group. Other early recordings include Woody Guthrie’s version from 1941 and Bob Dylan in 1961. The version by the Animals, however, is by far the most popular, and Dylan is often annoyed when it is assumed that he covered that song from them.\n\nVersions of the song have been recorded by many notable artists including Lead Belly, Joan Baez, Ramblin\' Jack Elliot, Dolly Parton, Waylon Jennings, Nina Simone, Adolescents, The Ventures, Duane Eddy and Five Finger Death Punch. The song is often heard in the soundtracks of popular TV shows (The West Wing and Supernatural) and movies (Suicide Squad).