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/
Here I Go Again 87
Whitesnake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I sure know where I've been
Hanging on the promises in songs of yesterday
And I've made up my mind
I ain't wasting no more time
Here I go again, here I go again
Though I keep searching for an answer
I never seem to find what I'm looking for
'Cause I know what it means
To walk along the lonely street of dreams
Here I go again on my own
Going down the only road I've ever known
Like a drifter, I was born to walk alone
And I've made up my mind
I ain't wasting no more time
I'm just another heart in need of rescue
Waiting on love's sweet charity
And I'm gonna hold on for the rest of my days
'Cause I know what it means
To walk along the lonely street of dreams
And here I go again on my own
Going down the only road I've ever known
Like a drifter, I was born to walk alone
And I've made up my mind
I ain't wasting no more time
But here I go again
Here I go again
Here I go again
Here I go
'Cause I know what it means
To walk along the lonely street of dreams
And here I go again on my own
Going down the only road I've ever known
Like a drifter, I was born to walk alone
And I've made up my mind
I ain't wasting no more time
And here I go again on my own
Going down the only road I've ever known
Like a drifter I was born to walk alone
'Cause I know what it means
To walk along the lonely street of dreams
And here I go again on my own
Going down the only road I've ever known
Like a drifter, I was born to walk alone
The lyrics of this classic rock anthem by Whitesnake, "Here I Go Again '87," speak to the existential quandary of feeling lost, searching for answers, and walking down the lonely street of dreams. The song's protagonist has made up their mind to stop wasting time and sets out on their own, down the only road they've ever known. The repetition of the phrase "here I go again" throughout the song's chorus emphasizes the idea of starting anew and taking risks, despite the uncertainty of the future.
The line "hanging on the promises in songs of yesterday" might be a reference to the power of music to offer hope and inspiration in difficult times. It's also interesting to note that although the original version of "Here I Go Again" was released in 1982, the 1987 version became even more popular, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and helped establish Whitesnake's place in music history. This song has become an anthem of the ā80s and is loved by rock fans around the world until today.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't know where I'm going
Though I don't know where I'm headed in life
But I sure know where I've been
I'm aware of my past experiences and the struggles I've overcome
Hanging on the promises
I hold on to hopes and dreams that I had made for myself
In songs of yesterday
Memories of my past are reflected in music and songs
And I've made up my mind
I have decided and committed myself to a certain path
I ain't wasting no more time
I am determined to not let my life go to waste and strive to achieve my goals
But, here I go again
Despite my past, I am going to start anew
Though I keep searching for an answer
Even though I keep looking for solutions to my problems
I never seem to find what I'm looking for
It feels like answers are always just out of reach
Oh Lord, I pray
Asking for divine help to overcome my struggles
You give me strength to carry on
Hoping for the strength to continue moving forward
'Cause I know what it means
I understand the weight and significance of persevering through difficult times
To walk along the lonely street of dreams
The path to achieving my dreams and aspirations has been filled with loneliness and challenges
And here I go again on my own
Starting anew and striving towards my goals independently
Goin' down the only road I've ever known
Continuing down the path that I am most familiar with and comfortable on
Like a drifter I was born to walk alone
Acknowledging that I am meant to face my journey alone
I'm just another heart in need of rescue
Recognizing that I am just one of many people in need of help and support
Waiting on love's sweet charity
Hoping for the kindness and compassion of others to help me through tough times
And I'm gonna hold on
Determined to persevere and not give up
For the rest of my days
Committed to continuing to push through and strive towards my goals for the rest of my life
'Cause I know what it means
Understanding the struggles and hardships that come along with the pursuit of one's dreams
To walk along the lonely street of dreams
Accepting that the journey to achieving one's dreams can be a lonely and challenging road
But here I go again
Despite the challenges, I am starting anew and forging ahead
Going down the only road I've ever known
Continuing down the path that I am most familiar with and comfortable on
'Cause I know what it means
Understand the struggles that come with the pursuit of one's dreams
Like a drifter I was born to walk alone
Accepting that the path towards one's goals can be a lonely journey
I ain't wasting no more time
Determined to not let my time go to waste and to use it wisely in pursuit of my dreams
And here I go again on my own
Starting anew and forging ahead independently
Going down the only road I've ever known
Continuing down the path that I am most familiar with and comfortable on
Like a drifter I was born to walk alone
Acknowledging that the journey towards achieving one's dreams can be a solitary one
'Cause I know what it means
Awareness of the hardships and trials that come with the pursuit of one's dreams
To walk along the lonely street of dreams
Acknowledgement that the path to fulfilling one's dreams can be a solitary one
Lyrics Ā© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: David Coverdale, Bernie Marsden
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kisiekaren
Anyone in 2024? ā¤ļø
@guyschmitt8637
Yes
@hugoalejandro27
Here i go again.....
@waylon825
Right here šļø
@Ukr.774
I amš
@user-jj3wl9ho1z
Yes, it. Is. Still. 2024!!!
@rhino
Rest In Peace Tawny Kitaen ā¤ļø
@rebecca75588
@Rhino we will all miss her dearly
@MIZORAM_mafaka_hnamte
She was their first crush to many 80s kids..
@roxannegentes4826
She was awesome. God bless tawny life is hard I hope you are in paradise.