His most well known playing is on the 1987 Whitesnake self titled album, also known simply as 1987. For the Whitesnake record John Sykes used two Mesa Boogie Coliseum heads and his favorite Gibson Les Paul Custom guitar.
Sykes fell victim to Whitesnake's revolving door; he was fired near the end of the 1987 recording sessions, but managed to record all his parts, save for the solo on "Here I Go Again" which was added later by Adrian Vandenberg.
This was Whitesnake's most successful recording, selling over 20 million copies worldwide. Songs like "Still of the Night", "Is This Love", "Give Me All Your Love", and particularly "Here I Go Again" were all hits, with the album reaching #2 on the Billboard Top 200.
Hoping to capitalize upon the success of 1987, Geffen Records signed Sykes to form a new band. After auditioning several vocalists (including Tony Martin and Ray Gillen), Sykes was encouraged to handle vocal duties himself. With fretless bassist Tony Franklin and drummer Carmine Appice, Blue Murder was formed.
Their self titled debut did moderately well, with "Valley of the Kings" receiving substantial airplay on MTV's Headbanger's Ball, the follow-up Nothing But Trouble received no promotion from Geffen and died quickly. A live recording, Screaming Blue Murder, was to be the band's final release.
Sykes has since recorded several solo albums, including Loveland, 20th Century, and Nuclear Cowboy. His latest album is a new live recording titled Bad Boy Live, which covers a large swath of his career, from the Thin Lizzy days through his most recent solo efforts.
In 1999, John Sykes' solo song "Cautionary Warning" was used in the anime series Black Heaven. The footage accompanying the song was rotoscoped from one of Sykes' concerts, which was a very striking statement for use in previews. Sykes' involvement in the series was the key feature of Pioneer USA's marketing.
In 2006, he got his own signature Gibson Les Paul Custom which was modeled after his favorite guitar, and has used it when touring with Thin Lizzy all around the UK and Ireland.
After over a decade fronting the reformed Thin Lizzy, John announced his departure from the band in June 2009.
Solo albums
As Sykes - Out of My Tree (1995)
As John Sykes - Loveland (1997)
As Sykes - 20th Century (1997)
As Sykes - Nuclear Cowboy (2000)
As John Sykes - Bad Boy Live! (2004)
As John Sykes - Sy-Ops (2021)
Crying in the Rain
John Sykes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When hes burning with the fever
A stray dog howls
When hes lonely in the night
A woman goes crazy
With the though of retribution
But, a man starts weeping
When hes sick and tired of life
I keep on dreaming dreams of tomorrow
Feel Im wasting my time
Lighting candles in the wind,
Always taking my chances
On the promise of the future
But, a heart full of sorrow
Paints a lonely tapestry
The sun is shining
But, its raining in my heart
No one understands the heartache,
No one feels the pain,
cos no one ever sees the tears
When youre crying in the rain,
When youre crying in the rain,
Crying in the rain...
I can never deny
All the sweet things I have tasted
Tho Ive been mistreated
I keep coming back for more,
I know where Im going
Theres no hope of absolution
I cant seem to separate
The good times from the bad
The sun is shining
But, its raining in my heart
No one understands the heartache,
No one feels the pain,
cos no one ever sees the tears
When youre crying in the rain,
When youre crying in the rain,
When youre crying in the rain,
When youre crying in the rain
The sun is shining
But, its raining in my heart
No one understands the heartache,
No one feels the pain,
cos no one ever sees the tears
When youre crying in the rain,
When youre crying in the rain,
When youre crying in the rain,
When youre crying in the rain
Crying in the rain...
The opening lines of John Sykes's song "Crying in the Rain" describe the various ways in which different creatures express their sadness or pain. A black cat moans with fever, a stray dog howls in loneliness, and a woman becomes vengeful with the thought of retribution. But the most poignant and telling line is the final one: "a man starts weeping when he's sick and tired of life." This suggests that the song is about someone who has reached a point of emotional exhaustion, perhaps due to a string of difficult experiences or setbacks that have worn them down to the point of tears.
The next verse speaks to the singer's feelings of hopelessness and futility. They dream of tomorrow but feel like they're wasting their time, and light candles in the wind as a metaphor for taking chances on the promise of the future. However, their heart is full of sorrow, which paints a lonely tapestry. The final lines repeat the idea that "the sun is shining, but it's raining in my heart," a powerful summation of the singer's internal duality, their inner pain contrasting with the surface appearance of normalcy.
Overall, "Crying in the Rain" is a melancholy song about the ways in which people cope with sadness and difficulty. It suggests that crying in the rain, while a lonely experience, can also be cathartic and healing in its own way.
Line by Line Meaning
A black cat moans
When hes burning with the fever
In times of intense struggle, one may exhibit abnormal behavior and expressions of pain.
A stray dog howls
When hes lonely in the night
Feeling isolated and unloved can lead to vocalizations of sadness and longing.
A woman goes crazy
With the though of retribution
The desire for revenge can consume and overwhelm an individual's thoughts and emotions.
But, a man starts weeping
When hes sick and tired of life
Sometimes, the pressures and stresses of existence can become too much to bear, leading to tears of frustration and despair.
I keep on dreaming dreams of tomorrow
Feel Im wasting my time
Despite holding onto hope for the future, the present feels unfulfilling and meaningless.
Lighting candles in the wind,
Always taking my chances
On the promise of the future
Taking risks and placing faith in uncertain outcomes, hoping for a better tomorrow.
But, a heart full of sorrow
Paints a lonely tapestry
Prolonged sadness and grief can create a pervasive sense of isolation and emptiness.
The sun is shining
But, its raining in my heart
Despite outward appearances of happiness and joy, inner turmoil and sadness persist.
No one understands the heartache,
No one feels the pain,
cos no one ever sees the tears
When youre crying in the rain,
Pain and suffering can be invisible to others, leading to feelings of loneliness and isolation.
I can never deny
All the sweet things I have tasted
Tho Ive been mistreated
Despite experiencing hardships and mistreatment, one cannot deny the good things they have experienced in life.
I keep coming back for more,
I know where Im going
Theres no hope of absolution
Despite knowing the path may lead to continued hardship, one continues to pursue it with no expectation of redemption or salvation.
I cant seem to separate
The good times from the bad
Memories of good and bad experiences become intertwined, leading to difficulty in distinguishing one from the other.
Writer(s): David Coverdale Copyright: C.C. Songs Ltd.
Contributed by Kennedy L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
John Johnson
This is what made my 28 year old beautiful blind wife love John James Sykes.
She said...he's a monster.
The best thing was leaving even though the mix of Johns guitar and David's sexy blues voice was a moment of legend.
Virgo and Leo lol
However without that we would not have blue murder like mustaine being fired to form Megadeth.
God knows what he is doing.
Sykes appice and Franklin was insane and showed us all that Sykes talent went beyond just some guitar player.
🐣
mopar1498
John Sykes was so good that Coverdale had to replace him with three guitarists - Vai, Vandenburg, and Vivian Campbell. And it still wasn’t enough. Sykes is one of the greats.
MaxMauser
true..
Steve Multiversos
He was robbed of his rightful fame. I'm sure he received his money, but that's not the most important thing in life, is it?
ssp
Meh…
ssp
@Steve Multiversos Money is very important, since he hasn’t released an album or done anything music wise in 15 years that money comes in handy.
jmouse68
I've seen many guitar solos...but this is absolutely the most epic solo I've ever seen. Nobody else can touch this combination of balls and technique. I watch this a couple times a year.
timothy holmes
well said
Steve Augello
Sykes gave Whitesnake their best album. The guy is incredible. The solo in this song proves that. Once he left, that was it. His solo albums are fantastic.
theonlyredspecial
He was impossible to copy. His vibrato is immense and unique
kris2k
cold sweat ... in the bar