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/
Love An' Affection
Whitesnake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With your skin tight stride,
You got my eyes wide open
An' my loose tongue tied
A French kiss mouth
An' a smile so bad,
You're the finest woman
That I ever had
Do anything you want to do
Nobody had to tell you
How to make a man's heart bleed,
Your mama always knew
You was born to succeed
I can see the honey juice
Dripping off your lips,
Girl, you got the Midas Touch
It's in your fingertips
But it's alright,
Do anything you want to do
'Cause after midnight, I'll be alright
Riding on Cupid's train,
You give me loving, like I've never had before,
I'm back in the saddle again
So give me love an' affection,
Love an' affection
A little love an' affection
Sure 'nuff goes a long, long way
You put your arms around me
Like a circle 'round the sun,
Your eyes turn on the hypnotizing game
You play for fun
I'm caught in your spell
Just like the spider an' the fly,
An' I can't break away from you
No matter how I try
But, it's alright,
Do anything you want to do
'cause after midnight, I'll be alright
Riding on Cupid's train,
You give me loving, like I've never had before,
I'm back in the saddle again
So give me love an' affection,
Love an' affection
A little love an' affection
Sure 'nuff goes a long, long way
'cause after midnight, I'll be alright
Riding on Cupid's train,
You give me loving, like I've never had before,
I'm back in the saddle again
So give me love an' affection,
Love an' affection
A little love an' affection
Sure 'nuff goes a long, long way
Love an' affection
A little love an' affection
Baby, baby, love an' affection
Sure 'nuff goes a long, long way
Love, love, love
Love, love, love
I need love an' affection,
Sure 'nuff goes a long, long way...
The Whitesnake song "Love An' Affection" is a classic rock ballad about a man who is deeply enamored with an attractive woman, drawn in by her captivating nature and magnetic personality. He admires the way she walks with a confident and alluring stride, and is completely smitten by her French kiss mouth and tantalizing smile. It is clear that his infatuation with her is overwhelming, as he feels tongue-tied and lovesick in her presence. He knows that she can have and do anything she wants, and is willing to give her the love and affection she deserves.
The lyrics go on to talk about the power this woman holds, with even her saliva appearing as "honey juice" and her touch seems to be golden with the Midas touch in her fingertips. In the chorus, the singer expresses his desire for her love and affection, and how it goes a long way, indicating that he is willing to give her his all, and that he believes she is more than capable of doing the same. He seems hopelessly caught in her spell, much like a spider would catch a fly, and is unable to break away from her, no matter how hard he tries. Despite this, he is content to ride on Cupid's train with her, getting lost in the madness and passion that his infatuation with her brings.
Overall, the song is a classic rock love song that describes the feeling of falling deeply in love with someone who you can't seem to resist. The power of a captivating person is highlighted, with the singer admiring the woman's beauty and magnetism, and expressing his willingness to be vulnerable to her love and affection.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I love the way you walk
With your skin tight stride,
You got my eyes wide open
An' my loose tongue tied
I love how you confidently walk, with your skin tight attire catching my attention. Your walk has me so mesmerized that my eyes open wide, but my tongue struggles to form any words.
A French kiss mouth
An' a smile so bad,
You're the finest woman
That I ever had
Your lips look like they would be great at French kissing, and your seductive smile is irresistible. Among all the women I have been with, you are the most impressive.
So it's alright,
Do anything you want to do
I am giving you permission to do as you please because I trust you and enjoy being with you.
Nobody had to tell you
How to make a man's heart bleed,
Your mama always knew
You were born to succeed
You are naturally charming and know how to make a man fall for you without anyone's guidance. It seems like your mother has always known you would be successful at winning hearts.
I can see the honey juice
Dripping off your lips,
Girl, you got the Midas Touch
It's in your fingertips
You look as if you have a sweet taste on your lips, and you have the ability to turn everything you touch into gold, just like King Midas.
'Cause after midnight, I'll be alright
Riding on Cupid's train,
You give me loving, like I've never had before,
I'm back in the saddle again
Late at night, I feel good and am in love when I am next to you. You give me immense love, which I have never experienced before, and it brings me back to feeling like a new person.
So give me love an' affection,
Love an' affection
A little love an' affection
Sure 'nuff goes a long, long way
I want more of your care, warmth, and attention in my life. These little gestures can make a big difference between us and bring us closer together.
You put your arms around me
Like a circle 'round the sun,
Your eyes turn on the hypnotizing game
You play for fun
When you hug me, I feel like I am at the center of everything, like the sun in a solar system. Your eyes are so captivating that they seem to be playing a hypnotic game just for fun.
I'm caught in your spell
Just like the spider an' the fly,
An' I can't break away from you
No matter how I try
You have me under your enchantment, similar to how a spider catches a fly, and I cannot escape from you, no matter how much effort I put into it.
Love an' affection
A little love an' affection
Baby, baby, love an' affection
Sure 'nuff goes a long, long way
Love and affection are what I crave from you, and even the smallest amount can be substantial in strengthening our relationship.
Love, love, love
Love, love, love
I need love an' affection,
Sure 'nuff goes a long, long way...
I require love and affection to be happy and fulfilled in life, and I believe that it can go a long way towards achieving that happiness.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID COVERDALE, MICK MOODY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
vince
on Slide It In
You talk too much
Never saying what's on your mind
It's written on your face
And in the words you hide behind
I know what you want
I can see what you're looking for
I know what you want from me
And I'm gonna give you more
I'm gonna slide it in, right to the top
Slide it in, I ain't never gonna stop
Slide it in, right to the top
I'm gonna slide it in, slide it in, slide it in, in baby
Sometimes you seem
Just like a stranger to me
But all the games you play
Make it so easy to see
You're looking for love
Though you try to deny
The things you put me through
Tell me what I've got to do to you
I'm gonna slide it in right to the top
Slide it in, I ain't never gonna stop
Slide it in, right to the top
I'm gonna slide it in, slide it in
You talk too much
Always treating me so unkind
I know what I've got to do
To get me some peace of mind
I'm gonna slide it in, right to the top
Slide it in, I ain't never gonna stop
Slide it in, right to the top
I'm gonna slide it in, slide it in
Slide it in, right to the top
Slide it in, I ain't never gonna stop
Slide it in, right to the top
I'm gonna slide it in, slide it in, slide it
Slide it in, slide it in
Right to the top, baby