50 years ago, 'The House of the Rising Sun' tops the pop charts
Today's Morning Edition music is from 50 years ago today when "The House of the Rising Sun" by the Animals was the No. 1 song on the pop charts.
It was the first song by a British invasion group other than The Beatles to make it to number one. The Animals were just one of many artists who have interpreted this old folk song. The band's version was inspired by Bob Dylan's recording which appeared on his first album.
Dylan learned the song in the coffeehouses of Greenwich Village from the so-called Mayor of MacDougal Street Dave Van Ronk. Van Ronk is credited with creating a new arrangement and even new chords for the song which has been passed down through the generations by artists like Lead Belly and Woody Guthrie.
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