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/
Stay With Me
Whitesnake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When things went wrong, baby,
And who did you run to,
To find a shoulder
To lay your head upon.
Baby, wasn't I there,
Didn't I take good care of you.
Stay with me, baby,
Stay with me, baby
Won't you stay with me, baby,
I can't go on
Who did you touch
When you need tenderness.
I gave so much
And in return I found happiness.
Baby, what did I do
Maybe I was too good, too good for you.
No, no, I can't believe you leaving me.
Stay with me, baby,
Stay with me, baby.
Won't you stay with me, baby,
I can't go on.
Remember,
You said you're always gonna need me,
Remember,
You said you'd never, ever leave me,
Remember, remember, I'm asking you, begging you.
Stay with me, baby,
Stay with me, baby
Won't you stay with me, baby,
I can't go on, can't go on
Stay with me, baby,
Stay with me, stay with me, baby.
Won't you stay with me, baby,
I can't go on
These lyrics capture the pain and confusion of a person who has been betrayed by their significant other. The singer is questioning where their partner has gone to when things went wrong and who they turned to for comfort. It seems the singer had always been there for their partner, taking good care of them and giving them tenderness and happiness when they needed it. However, their partner has left them, and the singer cannot believe they have been abandoned like this. The singer pleads with their partner to stay with them, reminding them of the promises they made to always need each other and never leave. The repetition of the line, "Stay with me, baby," emphasizes the desperation and urgency of the singer's request.
The song's lyrics are relatable to anyone who has experienced the pain of a failed relationship. The feelings of betrayal, confusion, and loss are universal, and the chorus's repetition of "Stay with me, baby" is a powerful plea for the partner's return. The song is also notable for its bluesy rock sound, typical of Whitesnake's style. The emotive guitar riffs and harmonica solo add to the mournful tone of the lyrics, capturing the anguish of the singer's broken heart.
Line by Line Meaning
Where did you go
When everything fell apart, where did you turn to?
When things went wrong, baby
When life was tough, when things didn't go your way
And who did you run to
Who did you go to for help and support?
To find a shoulder
Who was there to provide a listening ear, a source of care and comfort?
To lay your head upon
Who could you trust to be your safe haven, your place of respite?
Baby, wasn't I there
I was there, wasn't I?
Didn't I take good care of you.
Didn't I do everything I could to make sure you were okay?
Oh no, I can't believe you leaving me
I'm in disbelief that you would leave me after everything we've been through.
Stay with me, baby
Please don't go.
Who did you touch
Who did you go to for a touch of kindness, a caress of comfort?
When you need tenderness
When you needed someone to be gentle with you, to care for you.
I gave so much
I put everything into this relationship.
And in return I found happiness
And in taking care of you, I found great joy and contentment.
Baby, what did I do
What could I have done differently?
Maybe I was too good, too good for you.
Maybe I gave too much, loved too deeply for you to reciprocate.
Remember
Don't forget.
You said you're always gonna need me
You promised me that you would always need me.
You said you'd never, ever leave me
You swore that you would never leave me.
Remember, remember, I'm asking you, begging you.
Please don't forget your promise to me.
Stay with me, baby
I need you to stay.
I can't go on
I cannot bear the thought of living without you.
Stay with me, stay with me, baby.
Please don't go, stay by my side.
Won't you stay with me, baby,
Please, I need you.
I can't go on
I cannot bear the thought of living without you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PEGGY LEE, QUINCY D JONES
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