"House of the Rising Sun" Quotes
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Source: "House of the Rising Sun"
Speaker: Unknown
There is a house in New Orleans they call the Rising Sun.
Context
This line is from the song "House of the Rising Sun," originally a traditional folk song, whose writer is unknown.
The origins of this tune, about a black hole of a brothel, are as mysterious as the House of the Rising Sun itself. Musicologists think some version of it was probably brought from England to America, where it got a heavy dose of blues and a new setting of New Orleans.
A lot of early blues, folk, and rock artists have recorded it over the years. Lead Belly, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and even Andy Griffith have given it a go. The most well-known version, however, is the one recorded by The Animals in 1964. Check it out here.
Where you've heard it
A 2011 movie borrowed its title from the song, as did an episode of Lost. More recently, you might've heard the famous chorus belted out in a newer version of the song by the metal band 5 Finger Death Punch, which comes complete with an expletive-drenched prelude. Expletives? Oh my, what would Andy Griffith think?
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
It's about a life-ruining brothel. That's not pretentious; it's just sad.