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/
Child of Babylon
Whitesnake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On the day that I was born,
I was blinded by the lighting
An' baptised in the storm
My father started crying
When he saw what he had done,
But, my mother started praying
Have mercy on my son,
I am a child of Babylon,
Lord have mercy on a wayward son
Nowhere to hide, nowhere to run
I am a child,
A child of Babylon
When I've fooled around so many times
When I've known it ain't been right,
But, I paint it all in colours
When it really should be black and white
I sail my ship through muddy waters,
Try to open every door,
When I saw the seven wonders
It left me wanting more
I am a child of Babylon,
Lord have mercy on a wayward son
Nowhere to hide, got no place to run
I am a child,
A child of Babylon
On my day of judgment
I know how it will be,
I'm prepared to meet my maker
With no hope for charity
I'll stand alone and pay the price
For everything I've done,
'Cause there ain't guardian angel
For a child of Babylon
I am a child,
A child of Babylon
I am a child of Babylon,
Lord have mercy on a wayward son
Nowhere to hide, got no place to run
I am a child,
A child of Babylon
Child of Babylon
The lyrics to Whitesnake's "Child of Babylon" tells the story of a person who was born amidst a storm and baptised in it. The storm seems to be symbolic of the chaos and turbulence in the person's life. The person accepts that he is a wayward son and there is nowhere to hide or run. He has fooled around many times but always tries to justify his actions by painting it in colors instead of accepting the truth that it should be black and white. He navigates through life's muddy waters and tries to open every door. The person is aware that on his day of judgment, he'll stand alone and pay the price for everything he has done. As there is no guardian angel for a child of Babylon.
The song is a reflection of the human condition of being lost and wayward in life. The chorus "Lord have mercy on a wayward son, nowhere to hide, nowhere to run" is a plea for help and forgiveness. The song speaks of the universal theme of guilt and redemption, and the struggle to find one's place in the world. The lyrics are powerful and evocative, making it a classic rock song that has stood the test of time.
Line by Line Meaning
When I heard the sound of thunder
I was born amidst a great storm
On the day that I was born,
From my very first day, I was marked by chaos
I was blinded by the lighting
The world was harsh and unforgiving from the beginning
An' baptised in the storm
I was initiated into this world through tumultuous events
My father started crying
My birth was a source of pain for my father
When he saw what he had done,
He felt responsible for unleashing me into this difficult world
But, my mother started praying
My mother sought divine intervention to protect me
Have mercy on my son,
She begged for compassion and forgiveness on my behalf
He is a child of Babylon
She acknowledged my identity as a child of chaos and hardship
When I've fooled around so many times
I've made many mistakes and engaged in questionable behavior
When I've known it ain't been right,
Despite knowing what was wrong, I still pursued it
But, I paint it all in colours
I try to justify my actions by finding beauty in them
When it really should be black and white
In reality, my actions are clear cut and morally wrong
I sail my ship through muddy waters,
I navigate through difficult circumstances and make compromises
Try to open every door,
I am constantly seeking out new opportunities and experiences
When I saw the seven wonders
I experienced the marvels of the world
It left me wanting more
But I am still unsatisfied and crave more from life
On my day of judgment
When I face the consequences of my actions
I know how it will be,
I anticipate the outcome
I'm prepared to meet my maker
I am ready to face the divine judgement
With no hope for charity
I expect no kindness or mercy
I'll stand alone and pay the price
I will take full responsibility for my mistakes and their consequences
'Cause there ain't guardian angel
I will be alone, with no divine protection or guidance
For a child of Babylon
As a child of chaos and hardship, I will face my fate alone
I am a child,
I remain a product of my tumultuous upbringing
A child of Babylon
My identity and experiences are forever linked to the place of my birth
Lord have mercy on a wayward son
I beseech divine compassion and forgiveness despite my past mistakes
Nowhere to hide, got no place to run
I cannot escape the consequences of my actions
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID COVERDALE, BERNARD MARSDEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
john dow
Perfectly crafted and delivered song. Couldn't get enough of it when it came out (scarey thought! lol), and still love it now.
Portcullis
David Coverdale, just before he sold out, still sounding good (and doing his very best Paul Rodgers impression) on a song that sounds a lot like Free.
S. Pak
I got that same vibe sounds like Free or Bad Company.
Frank Fashion
wow song brings back memories!...loved it then and now!
Christopher Reinheimer
No doubt. And this band........
Christopher Reinheimer
+Frank Fashion no shit ,,,ill never let this die
ivan car
I remember when I was kid and my father played this on vinyl on speakers twice my size. Good times
NightBush
One of the best ones. Still very underrated! (I have the album myself!).
NightBush
Only 400k views???
goranapatin
You're right. No reason to be, but it is actually very underrated!