Jul 31, 2025
Incense burning on Odetta's guitar as she performs at the Mariposa Folk Festival in 1970. Photos by Doug Griffin.
seen from Malaysia
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seen from France
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Incense burning on Odetta's guitar as she performs at the Mariposa Folk Festival in 1970. Photos by Doug Griffin.
illustrations for my women of folk risograph zine :)
Odetta, Photo by Otto Hagel, 1958
Who Sang it Better?
Leadbelly - House of the Rising Sun
Nina Simone - The House of The Rising Sun
Odetta Live in concert 2005, "House of the Rising Sun"
The Animals - House Of The Rising Sun
Full Disclosure: I put the Animals last, because that's usually the only version people know.
I picked the others because of their differences. I grew up with both the Leadbelly and the Animals version playing in my house. The Leadbelly's a good representation of some of the oldest versions and shows what it sounded like before the Animals did their radical rearrangement. The Nina Simone is iconic and really different. The Odetta is a good representation of what some of the later versions that reclaimed the women's perspective lyrics do and is frankly beautiful in itself.
I love all of these. Each one makes the song their own. This is no shade on the versions I didn't pick. If we played every recorded version this would take forever.
There are way more versions than are presented here. No one really knows exactly how old this song is and there is some debate even about whether it's about a brothel, gambling den, etc. since by the time people started recording it there were versions with different ruins including male and female versions.
Who Sang it Better?
Leadbelly - House of the Rising Sun
Nina Simone - The House of The Rising Sun
Odetta Live in concert 2005, "House of the Rising Sun"
The Animals - House Of The Rising Sun
There’s a battle raging somewhere
And its thunder shakes the ground
A terrible silence when it’s over
Only Death makes such a sound
And I see
Yes I see
On the last day of July
Yes I see
Oh I see
It’s the last day of July
Something’s moving in the shadows
What is this that’s drawing nigh?
It’s the Reaper moving silent
Could it be someone’s time to die?
But I see
Yes I see
On the last day of July
Yes I see
Oh I see
On the last day of July
Clouds are gathered, storm is coming
There’s a tempest drawing near
When the darkness has passed over
Then a new day will appear
Oh I see
Yes I see
On the last day of July
Yes I see
Yes I see
On the last day of July
There’s a battle raging somewhere
And its thunder shakes the ground
A terrible silence when it’s over
Only Death makes such a sound
And I see
Yes I see
On the last day of July
Yes I see
Oh I see
On the last day of July
It’s the last day of July
Black female guitarists of the 1950s and 1960s
sister rosette tharpe (aka the godmother of rock & roll) sylvia robinson (aka the mother of hip hop) jeanette thornton (aka the ditchdigger's daughter) odetta (aka the queen of american folk music) norma jean wofford (aka the duchess) barbara lynn (aka the lefty queen of r&b)
CUNTY VINTAGE DIVA TOURNEY - ROUND ONE
Mick Karn
Odetta
Vote for the artist you think is the cuntiest of all (or of the two.)
Mick Karn (1958-2011) Japan - bass Songs: "Suburban Love," "Automatic Gun" Propaganda: "one of the greatest bassists in pop music history + one of the few to pull off the 'no-eyebrow' look. new romantic icon despite hating the label (and glam rock before that)"
Odetta (1930-2008) solo Songs: "Take This Hammer," "Rock Island Line" Propaganda: "Her nickname is the 'voice of the American civil Rights movement.' I'm 99% certain that qualifies you to be a bad bitch."
