In their early years, Whitesnake played in a hard-edged blues rock and heavy metal influenced style. By the mid-80s, the band had moved towards a more commercially friendly arena rock and pop metal ethos, garnering them major hits such as "Love Ain't No Stranger", "Now You're Gone", "Slide It In", "Still of the Night", and the iconic tune "Here I Go Again" (arguably their 'signature song'). They were named the 85th greatest hard rock band of all time by VH1.
Whitesnake were active primarily in the 80s, but they still tour, albeit with an entirely new line-up (bar Coverdale), to this day. Some of the most famous musicians who have joined the band for a time include Jon Lord, Ian Paice, Cozy Powell, Neil Murray, Bernie Marsden, Micky Moody, Rudy Sarzo, John Sykes, Adrian Vandenberg, Vivian Campbell, Tommy Aldridge, and Steve Vai.
The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple. This is not only because three past members of the band were once in Deep Purple but also because of their sound and influences. Later, the band took on a sound more in line with the hair metal style popular in the mid to late 80s, but they never truly left their heavy, blues rock roots behind
Formed in 1978 by David Coverdale after leaving Deep Purple, Whitesnake were originally a straightforwards heavy rock group with Jon Lord and Ian Paice from Deep Purple in the band. Despite a few album releases and constant touring, Whitesnake was unable to attain any significant commercial success in America, though becoming popular in the U.K., Europe, and Japan. Their critical reviews as well for their albums were somewhat mixed.
After acquaintance with Chris Cuttler, Fred Frith and most importantly, young guitarist John Sykes, David Coverdale decided to turn to a slicker, more commercially viable sound. Whitesnake made their first major splash in the States in 1984 with the album 'Slide It In', featuring the self-titled single as well as rock tracks "Slow An' Easy" and "Love Ain't No Stranger". All three of them gained major airplay and were eaten up by fans. Sykes was not involved in any of the song writing for 'Slide It In', though re-did some of Micky Moody's guitar work in the American remastering of the U.K. version of the album.
Three years later, thanks to radio-friendly, Zeppelin-ish songwriting and MTV friendly Tawny Kitaen's automobile acrobatics, Whitesnake became superstars with the album 'Whitesnake' (titled '1987' in Europe, and 'Serpens Albus' in Japan). Containing the U.S. smash hits "Here I Go Again", "Is This Love", "Still of the Night" and others, the album eventually sold over 10 million copies. Coverdale replaced the entire band for the subsequent tour, ditching Sykes for guitarists Adrian Vandenberg and Vivian Campbell. Also joining the band at this point were bassist Rudy Sarzo and drummer Tommy Aldridge.
Campbell left shortly after the tour (going on to replace Steve Clark in Def Leppard. Vandenberg, despite penning most of the material on the follow-up album, was unable to record due to a freak wrist injury. Guitar virtuoso Steve Vai was brought in to record all of the guitar parts for Slip of the Tongue, which was released in the spring of 1989. Despite going platinum, the album did not reach the stratospheric heights of Whitesnake (entitled 1987 in Europe, and Serpens Albus in Japan). With a divorce looming, and the alternative 'grunge' movement threatening to destroy the melodic rock movement, Coverdale dissolved Whitesnake.
In the late 90s, David Coverdale and Adrian Vandenberg finally recorded together again. Initially intended to be a Coverdale solo effort, the Whitesnake name was eventually attached (much like the Tony Iommi/Black Sabbath projects of the late 80s). The resulting products were a new studio album entitled Restless Heart, and the live acoustic set, Starkers In Tokyo.
In the early 2000's Coverdale relaunched Whitesnake fully with an entirely new lineup centred around guitarists Reb Beach and Doug Aldrich (previously of Winger and Lion/Dio). This Whitesnake embarked on tours across the globe, releasing the "Live In the Still of the Night" DVD and "Live... In the Shadow of the Blues" on CD in 2006. A new studio album, "Good to be Bad", was released in 2008 reaching the top 10 in the UK album charts.
Over the last few years Coverdale has been involved in a remastering project which has seen all albums from 1978's Trouble, to 1989's Slip of the Tongue reissued with bonus material.
Whitesnake released Forevermore, on March 25, 2011 in Europe, and on the 29th in North America. They have released a number of scheduled 2011 tour dates on their website, with six scheduled UK tour dates and other European dates. In February 2011, Whitesnake was announced as one of the headliners to play the annual Rocklahoma festival in Pryor, Oklahoma, on Memorial Day weekend. A digital single for the song 'Love Will Set You Free' was released, along with a video for the song, on February 21.
The album Forevermore was released as a special edition 'Snakepack' through Classic Rock magazine on 25 March, a full 3 weeks before its commercial release. The fan pack includes the full, official new album Forevermore, a 132-page magazine, poster and pin badge. On 20 March 2011, Whitesnake announced that Brian Ruedy would play keyboards on the Forevermore World Tour.
The album did not chart highly upon its official release in the UK (number 33, possibly due to the copies released as part of the aforementioned Classic Rock Snakepack, which are not eligible for the charts). It did, however, show signs of Whitesnake's slow rebuild of support in the US with the album charting at number 49 - the band's highest charting album since the 80s.
Doug Aldrich and Reb Beach are Whitesnake longest standing guitar players, both being in the band 10 years by 2012.
Whitesnake are set to embark on their farewell tour in May 2022, beginning in the UK and Ireland with Foreigner and Europe. In July 2021, the group announced the addition of multi-instrumentalist Dino Jelusick to their ranks, turning Whitesnake into a septet for the first time. Later that November, Michael Devin parted ways with the band. He was replaced by Tanya O'Callaghan, marking the first female musician to join the band.
Website: http://www.whitesnake.com/
Blindman
Whitesnake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why do good times never last
Help me Jesus, show the way
I can't hold on another day
I was hungry, felling low,
I just couldn't make out which way to go
Chasing rainbows that have no end,
Be my friend, be my brother,
Be the piper, play the call
Across the seven seas of wonder
Be the guardian of my soul
Just a young man looking homeward,
Watching the sun go down again
Across the water, the sun is shining,
But, will it ever, will it ever be the same
Be my friend, be my brother,
Be the piper, play the call
Across the seven seas of wonder
Be the guardian of my soul
I need somebody, I need someone,
I need somebody to call my own
Like a blindman, I can feel the heat of the sun,
But, like a blindman
I don't know, I don't know,
I don't know where it's coming from
Be my friend, be my brother,
Be the piper, play the call
Across the seven seas of wonder
Be the guardian of my soul
I need somebody, I need someone,
I need somebody to call my own
Like a blindman, I can feel the heat of the sun,
But, like a blindman
I don't know, I don't know,
I don't know where is coming from
The lyrics to Whitesnake's song Blindman speak to feelings of loneliness, uncertainty, and the need for guidance. The singer is dreaming of the past and lamenting the fact that good times never seem to last. They cry out to Jesus for help and ask for someone to show them the way.
The second verse continues this theme of feeling lost and directionless. The singer is hungry and low, unable to discern which way to turn. They are chasing rainbows that have no end, and the road ahead seems long and lonely without a friend.
The chorus repeats the singer's desire for companionship and guidance. They plead for someone to be their friend, brother, and guardian of their soul. The final verse adds another layer of complexity to the singer's situation. They watch the sun go down, longing for things to stay the same but knowing that change is inevitable. They feel the heat of the sun like a blind man but are unable to determine where it's coming from.
Overall, Blindman is a song about the human need for connection and meaning. It speaks to the feeling of being lost and the search for guidance and comfort in difficult times.
Line by Line Meaning
I was dreaming of the past,
Reminiscing about the good times that have gone by
Why do good times never last
Wondering why happy times never seem to stay
Help me Jesus, show the way
Seeking guidance from a higher power
I can't hold on another day
Feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope any longer
I was hungry, feeling low,
Experiencing physical and emotional depletion
I just couldn't make out which way to go
Feeling lost and directionless
Chasing rainbows that have no end,
Pursuing an unattainable goal
The road is long without friend
Feeling lonely without companionship
Be my friend, be my brother,
Requesting companionship and support
Be the piper, play the call
Act as a guide and lead the way
Across the seven seas of wonder
Through the unknown and unexpected
Be the guardian of my soul
Provide protection and reassurance
Just a young man looking homeward,
A young person seeking comfort of home
Watching the sun go down again
Reflecting on passing time
Across the water, the sun is shining,
A beautiful day elsewhere
But, will it ever, will it ever be the same
Uncertainty about the future
I need somebody, I need someone,
Desperately seeking companionship
I need somebody to call my own
Craving a deep bond with someone
Like a blindman, I can feel the heat of the sun,
Aware of something real but unable to see its source
But, like a blindman
Feeling lost and directionless
I don't know, I don't know,
Uncertainty and confusion
I don't know where it's coming from
Unsure of where the desired connection will come from
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID COVERDALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
HighlandViking
My favorite Whitesnake song of all time.. Still as profound today as it was 40 years ago.. Man we are getting old.. Lol
Michel Chevalier
@Ks Yeo it's never too mate to discover treasures!
Ks Yeo
Found this song recently & loved it so much. Wish I had discovered it earlier!
Simon Clark
@Pulsar Lights Totally agree
Pulsar Lights
@Simon Clark Steve Vai is a great player but I prefer the older version of "Fool For Your Loving"....The flashy hair band shit never was my cup of tea...
Simon Clark
@Pulsar Lights Slip of the Tongue wasnt too shabby mind..even for a Snake purist like me..
Phil mole
One of the all-time best Whitesnake songs.
Heidi craig
Beautiful song, what a voice. 😍
Vincent Morrison
beautiful lyrics and vocals guitar solo and all one of the great arrangements for sure+powerful yet soothing bring it on!!!
Lynn Stephen
In love with this song. Ready an Willing is a masterpiece. Every song!