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/
Lonely Days Lonely Nights
Whitesnake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For too many years,
Drowning the sorrow
Of too many tears
Women and whiskey
Are my only friends,
One gives me strength,
One just pretends
I've been waiting my whole life
For things to work out right,
But, those lonely days turn into lonely nights
Yes, it do
I've heard all the wisdom
Of prophets and seers,
It don't soothe my passion
And it don't ease my fears
Burned by love
And blinded by snow,
Bad luck and trouble
Are with me wherever I go
I've been waiting my whole life
For things to work out right,
But those lonely days turn into lonely nights
Lonely days, lonely nights,
Lonely days, lonely nights
Lonely days, lonely nights,
Someday babe, it's gonna be alright
Lonely days, lonely nights,
Someday babe, it's gonna be alright for me, for me
Lonely days, lonely nights,
Someday babe, it's gonna be alright
The song "Lonely Days Lonely Nights" by Whitesnake is a melancholic depiction of a man who has been struggling with both external and internal conflicts for years. He has been burning bridges and drowning his sorrows in alcohol due to the failures and disappointments of his life. The song's main character admits that women and whiskey are his only friends; one gives him strength, and the other only serves as a distraction from his pain. The lyrics suggest that he has been waiting for some good fortune and a turnaround in his life for a long time, but he remains endlessly stuck in his loneliness.
Despite listening to the advice of prophets and seers, he is unable to soothe his soul's unrest or calm his fears. The singer feels burned by love and blindsided by the snow, which suggest that he has faced heartache and has been let down by people he trusted. Bad luck and trouble seem to follow him no matter where he goes. This endless cycle of disappointment prompts the singer to sing about his lonely days turning into lonely nights, emphasizing the long-lasting effect of his loneliness on his very soul.
To conclude, the song is a powerful and emotional depiction of someone who has been struggling with internal demons that are made worse by external circumstances. The lyrics are overly melancholic, reflective of the singer's inability to overcome his sorrows. The song reinforces the notion that one cannot just simply get up and move on from their challenges/issues in life; it requires a bit more complexity, depth, and personal strength.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been burning my bridges
For too many years,
I have been causing damage to my relationships for a long time now.
Drowning the sorrow
Of too many tears
Trying to cope with my sadness by indulging in excessive drinking.
Women and whiskey
Are my only friends,
One gives me strength,
One just pretends
My only companions are alcohol and women, one of which gives me courage while the other is fake and pretentious.
I've been waiting my whole life
For things to work out right,
But, those lonely days turn into lonely nights
Yes, it do
Despite having hope for a good life, my loneliness and despair still haunt me every night.
I've heard all the wisdom
Of prophets and seers,
It don't soothe my passion
And it don't ease my fears
I have tried to find solace in the advice of wise people, but it does not relieve my intense emotions and anxieties.
Burned by love
And blinded by snow,
Bad luck and trouble
Are with me wherever I go
Relationships have caused me pain and I am now lost in my path; misfortune and challenges follow me wherever I go.
Lonely days, lonely nights,
Lonely days, lonely nights
Lonely days, lonely nights,
Loneliness pervades my life and dominates my days and nights.
Someday babe, it's gonna be alright
Lonely days, lonely nights,
Someday babe, it's gonna be alright for me, for me
Although I am struggling, I still hope for a better future where I will not be lonely anymore.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID COVERDALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Srdjan Japan Music
WHATTA SONG !!
I've been burning my bridges
For too many years,
Drowning the sorrow
Of too many tears
Women and whiskey
Are my only friends,
One gives me strength,
One just pretends
I've been waiting my whole life
For things to work out right,
But, those lonely days turn into lonely nights
Yes, they do
I've heard all the wisdom
Of prophets and seers,
It don't soothe my passion
And it don't ease my fears
Burned by love
And blinded by snow,
Bad luck and trouble
Are with me wherever I go
I've been waiting my whole life
For things to work out right,
But those lonely days turn into lonely nights
Lonely days, lonely nights,
Lonely days, lonely nights
Lonely days, lonely nights,
Someday babe, it's gonna be alright
Lonely days, lonely nights,
Someday babe, it's gonna be alright for me, for me
Lonely days, lonely nights,
Someday babe, it's gonna be alright...
dave simpson
What can you say, absolute perfection, Just like the Album. This will always be my favourite Snake Album.
Paul Watkins
Gotta agreed with you, this album is perfection wot a line up.. 👌👍
dave simpson
@preving Never to old to try something new, I will have to give it a go.
preving
@dave simpson What i like doing Dave is to take the record and slow the pitch down. I did that with Don't Break my Heart Again and Lonely Days Lonely Nights and it does give a different atmosphere to the songs. Even putting a brush to the record and really slowing it down is quite interesting Dave
dave simpson
@preving It most certainly is a piece of art.
To be honest though, I did ware my first copy right down and I DO look after my records. If you can get the remaster CD. Yes I know it is not as good as the vinyl, nothing ever is ( just my opinion) you can play your Record on special occasions. However.... Now Record turntables are a lot better made than they were when I brough Come an' get it, that was the day it was released.
So buy a damn good deck. Nad do a very well priced Deck as well as Amp. It is worth it in the long run.
Let's face it Guys/Gals those LPs are not exactly cheap.
Take Care and Be Safe.
preving
I just got it on vinyl today dave. It's amazing!
Stewy62
Very much an underrated song featuring Mickey Moody on lead guitar (with great bass playing from Neil Murray) and along with the previous track Don’t Break My Heart Again featuring Bernie Marsden were always my favourites from this album. Not sure if they ever played Lonely Days Lonely Nights live, if they did I never heard it ? 🇬🇧🏍
Srdjan Japan Music
WHATTA SONG !!
I've been burning my bridges
For too many years,
Drowning the sorrow
Of too many tears
Women and whiskey
Are my only friends,
One gives me strength,
One just pretends
I've been waiting my whole life
For things to work out right,
But, those lonely days turn into lonely nights
Yes, they do
I've heard all the wisdom
Of prophets and seers,
It don't soothe my passion
And it don't ease my fears
Burned by love
And blinded by snow,
Bad luck and trouble
Are with me wherever I go
I've been waiting my whole life
For things to work out right,
But those lonely days turn into lonely nights
Lonely days, lonely nights,
Lonely days, lonely nights
Lonely days, lonely nights,
Someday babe, it's gonna be alright
Lonely days, lonely nights,
Someday babe, it's gonna be alright for me, for me
Lonely days, lonely nights,
Someday babe, it's gonna be alright...
Dave Swallow
Neil Murray what a bass player, brought pure class to Snake!
072clyde
What a bass line.