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/
Can't Go On
Whitesnake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a melancholy way,
Blues siting on my shoulder,
Getting heavier every day
Staring into space,
One thing on my mind,
I've been trying to drown
By drinking too much wine
Then my imagination
Starts running wild,
I snap my fingers
And you're there by my side
Can't go on without your love,
There's no song without your love
Ain't no reason, ain't no rhyme,
Without your love
I'll go out of my mind
Been getting too lazy,
Letting myself go,
Feeling like a refugee
No one cares for anymore
Endless lonely days,
I just try to get through,
And there's no escape,
Even when I sleep,
'Cause all I dream is you
Then my imagination
Gets the better of me,
'Cause you're everywhere I go,
In everything I see
I can't go on without you love,
There's no song without your love
There ain't no reason, there ain't no rhyme,
Without your love
I'll go out of my mind
You make me dance,
You make me sing,
When I'm with you
I can do anything
When I'm cold,
You keep me warm.
And give me shelter
From the howling storm
There ain't no reason, there ain't no rhyme,
Without your love
I'll go out of my mind
Can't go on without your love,
There's no song without your love
The lyrics to Whitesnake's song "Can't Go On" portray a nostalgic and sorrowful mood. The singer is feeling sentimental in a melancholic way, with the blues weighing heavily on his shoulder every day. His mind is constantly occupied by one thing, and that is trying to drown the thought of his loved one by drinking too much wine. He finds himself staring into space, feeling like a refugee that no one cares for anymore. Every day is lonely and difficult, and there seems to be no escape even in his sleep, where all he dreams about is the person he misses.
In response to this pain, the singer's imagination starts running wild, and he snaps his fingers, envisioning his loved one by his side. The chorus emphasizes the importance of the person's love, depicting there is no life without their love. The line, "you make me dance, you make me sing," portrays how the person's presence brings happiness and meaning to his life. Finally, he highlights how his loved one is the only one who can save him from the howling storm and provide him with a sense of shelter.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been feeling sentimental,
I have been experiencing a longing and wistful feeling.
In a melancholy way,
It's a nostalgic and sad feeling.
Blues siting on my shoulder,
I have a feeling of sadness and despair that is always present.
Getting heavier every day
It's becoming more difficult to deal with every day.
Staring into space,
I'm lost in thought and not paying attention to the real world around me.
One thing on my mind,
I can only think about one thing.
I've been trying to drown
I have been attempting to forget or suppress.
The thought of you
The memory of you that is causing my sadness.
By drinking too much wine
I'm using alcohol to cope with my feelings.
Then my imagination
My ability to form images in my mind that are not present.
Starts running wild,
It's becoming uncontrolled and vivid.
I snap my fingers
I become suddenly aware of something or remember something.
And you're there by my side
I can imagine you being with me.
Can't go on without your love,
I cannot keep living without your affection.
There's no song without your love
My life cannot be complete without your love.
Ain't no reason, ain't no rhyme,
There is no logic or explanation behind my yearning for your love.
Without your love
Your affection is what I need to be fulfilled.
I'll go out of my mind
I will become insane or lose my ability to cope without your love.
Been getting too lazy,
I have been becoming unmotivated and idle.
Letting myself go,
I'm allowing myself to deteriorate physically and emotionally.
Feeling like a refugee
I feel like a displaced and lonely person.
No one cares for anymore
I feel neglected and abandoned by those around me.
Endless lonely days,
I feel isolated and alone, and the feeling persists.
I just try to get through,
I'm doing what I can to make it through the days.
And there's no escape,
There is no way to get away from my feelings.
Even when I sleep,
I experience these feelings even in my dreams.
'Cause all I dream is you
You are constantly present in my dreams and thoughts.
Gets the better of me,
My imagination becomes more potent than my ability to reason.
'Cause you're everywhere I go,
Everywhere I look, I see reminders of you.
In everything I see
Everything reminds me of you.
You make me dance,
You bring joy and energy to my life.
You make me sing,
You bring music and happiness into my life.
When I'm with you
Being with you brings happiness and fulfillment.
I can do anything
Your presence makes me feel unstoppable and capable of anything.
When I'm cold,
When I feel alone and sad,
You keep me warm.
You bring me comfort and solace.
And give me shelter
You provide me protection from the harshness of the world.
From the howling storm
From the turbulence and difficulties of life.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ADRIAAN VANDENBERG, DAVID COVERDALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Marcia De Araujo
Impossível não viajar nesse som dos caras que são feras nesse TIPO de som, impossível não relembrar amores não correspondidos ou impossíveis o som dos caras é simplesmente uma viagem pra td isso que HJ faz parte do meu passado e que me faz crescer e querer corrigir os erros cometidos no passado dia após dia I Love Rock in roll ❤❤❤😚💕
Danillo Lobo
David Coverdale's voice is just amazing
Jamie Warrior Warlord McCallum
great whitesnake song, love the words to this one so hard hitting, sometimes i feel i can't on, i have my lady, just prey i never lose her.
Gerald Goodman
I have this song as my wake up alarm on my phone. Brilliant vocals from DC.
Andrew Flood
AWESOME SONG BY WHITESNAKE !!!!
PurpleInTooDeep
Good sound!
Welton Damasceno
Musicâo da porra!!!!
Romulo Maza
Great blues
TheMrPOTHEAD420
hells ya specially when the blues is alls ur feelin... thx for the vid this is great quality =)
Kim Andrews
I'd snap my fingers and your there by my side :-) brilliant :-)