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/
Girl
Whitesnake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who loves me like you do,
You treat me like a dog
An' make me shake my tail for you
I know the game you're playing
When you're turning all your tricks
It's written on your face
You just want your business fixed
No, I don't need a crystal ball
To see what's in your mind
If I don't give you what you want
You treat me so unkind,
But if I'm good and give you love
You throw me down a bone,
But if I'm bad you make me sad
An' leave my love alone
Pretty little crazy white girl,
Just a pretty little crazy white girl,
Pretty little crazy white girl
Girl, girl
Pretty little crazy white girl
I know, baby, you ain't fooling
With all your high class schooling,
You want everything your own way
If I could, I would
Do every little thing a good man should,
Baby, I'd really give it to you
Every day
Pretty little crazy white girl,
Just a pretty little crazy white girl,
Pretty little crazy white girl
Girl
Mean mistreater,
There ain't no one to beat you,
But you treat me so bad
I've never known a woman
Who loves me like you do,
You treat me like a dog
An' still I shake my tail for you
Pretty little crazy white girl,
Just a pretty little crazy white girl,
Pretty little crazy white girl
Girl, girl
Pretty little crazy white girl,
Girl, she treat me so bad
Pretty little crazy white girl,
Girl, come on baby
Pretty little crazy white girl,
I love the way you make me
Girl
Pretty little crazy white girl,
Girl
Pretty little crazy white girl
The song "Girl" by Whitesnake portrays a relationship that is emotionally abusive and one-sided. The lyrics describe the singer's lover as manipulative and only interested in getting what she wants. She treats the singer badly, but he still loves her and fears losing her. The repeated line "pretty little crazy white girl" seems to capture the singer's confusion and frustration with his lover's behavior.
The lyrics emphasize the power dynamic between the two individuals, with the woman holding all the cards and the singer feeling like a victim of her whims. He describes her as wanting "everything her own way" and being willing to use sex and manipulation to get it. Despite this, he is still drawn to her and seems to see her behavior as a challenge. He sings, "if I could, I would / do every little thing a good man should / baby, I'd really give it to you / every day".
This song can be seen as an exploration of toxic relationships and how they can be difficult to leave, even when they are harmful. The repeated line "pretty little crazy white girl" adds an uncomfortable racial component to the lyrics, as the singer's frustration with his lover is linked to her whiteness. Overall, the song is a dark exploration of an unhealthy relationship that is fueled by power imbalances and emotional manipulation.
Line by Line Meaning
I have never known a woman
I've never been with someone who's loved me as much as you do
Who loves me like you do,
You're the only one who's ever shown me this type of love
You treat me like a dog
You make me do whatever you want me to do, like a pet
An' make me shake my tail for you
You make me dance to your tune, no matter how humiliating it is
I know the game you're playing
I understand what you're trying to do
When you're turning all your tricks
When you're using all your manipulative tactics
It's written on your face
Your intentions are clear, even if you don't say them explicitly
You just want your business fixed
You're only interested in getting what you want, no matter the cost
No, I don't need a crystal ball
I don't need supernatural powers to understand what's going on inside your head
To see what's in your mind
To know what you're thinking
If I don't give you what you want
If I don't fulfill your needs
You treat me so unkind,
You act harshly towards me
But if I'm good and give you love
But if I show you affection and treat you well
You throw me down a bone,
You reward me with something small
But if I'm bad you make me sad
But if I don't meet your expectations, you make me feel down
An' leave my love alone
And you reject my feelings
Pretty little crazy white girl,
You're a beautiful but unpredictable woman
Just a pretty little crazy white girl,
Simply put, you're a beautiful but unpredictable woman
Girl, girl
Addressing you directly, as a term of endearment
I know, baby, you ain't fooling
I understand that you're not being genuine
With all your high class schooling,
Despite your education and upbringing
You want everything your own way
You're determined to always have it your way
If I could, I would
If it were possible for me
Do every little thing a good man should,
To do all the things expected of a decent man
Baby, I'd really give it to you
I'd be willing to provide all that for you
Every day
Every single day
Mean mistreater,
You're often unkind and unfair
There ain't no one to beat you,
No one can outdo you in this regard
But you treat me so bad
You treat me poorly despite everything I do for you
Pretty little crazy white girl,
You're beautiful but unstable and unpredictable
Girl, she treat me so bad
You're really unkind to me
Girl, come on baby
An appeal to you, asking you to be nicer
I love the way you make me
Despite everything, I still love you and the way you make me feel
Girl
An endearing way of addressing you
Pretty little crazy white girl,
An affectionate nickname for you, emphasizing your unpredictable nature
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bernie Marsden, David Coverdale, Neil Murray
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kevin James
Always loved this track. Amazing groove and riff.
Th A
Girl
Whitesnake
I have never known a woman
Who loves me like you do,
You treat me like a dog
An' make me shake my tail for you
I know the game you're playing
When you're turning all your tricks
It's written on your face
You just want your business fixed
No, I don't need a crystal ball
To see what's in your mind
If I don't give you what you want
You treat me so unkind,
But if I'm good and give you love
You throw me down a bone,
But if I'm bad you make me sad
An' leave my love alone
Pretty little crazy white girl,
Just a pretty little crazy white girl,
Pretty little crazy white girl
Girl, girl
Pretty little crazy white girl
I know, baby, you ain't fooling
With all your high class schooling,
You want everything your own way
If I could, I would
Do every.....
Th A
If I could, I would
Do every little thing a good man should,
Baby, I'd really give it to you
Every day
Pretty little crazy white girl,
Just a pretty little crazy white girl,
Pretty little crazy white girl
Girl
Mean mistreater,
There ain't no one to beat you,
But you treat me so bad
I've never known a woman
Who loves me like you do,
You treat me like a dog
An' still I shake my tail for you
Pretty little crazy white girl,
Just a pretty little crazy white girl,
Pretty little crazy white girl
Girl, girl
Pretty little crazy white girl,
Girl, she treat me so bad
Pretty little crazy white girl,
Girl, come on baby
Pretty little crazy white girl,
I love the way you make me
Girl
Pretty little crazy white girl,
Girl
Pretty little crazy white girl.
jeremy miller
Got a funk feel.
Pascal Arcade
or down disco but i'm agree it's not so far ... mmmh ... for a crazy wild girl
Vonda O
Keep rocking Whitesnake fan vkp84
Bilal Usenov
✋🔥