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Devin Jimenez

Professor Morean

English Composition II

February 15, 2020

House of the Rising Sun

The “House of the Rising Sun” by The Animals and Five Finger Death Punch both

provide the same message, addiction can ruin lives. By looking at the pathos appeal that each

band uses in their videos, the addiction claim is present in both versions. The Animals' version

focuses on the band singing the lyrics, while Five Finger Death Punch’s version focuses on a

visually appealing music video to get the message across. The original version was produced in

1964 and has a traditional folk song melody. The other was produced in 2013 and uses a heavy

rock n’ roll genre. The different tune that is used in these songs can be appealing to different

audiences as well.

In the Animals version, it starts off with a nice electric guitar melody, then zooms in on

the lead singer as he starts to sing. The lyrics, “They call the Rising Sun, and it’s been the ruin of

many poor boys,” is describing a place that has a reputation of ruining peoples lives. The next

lyrics are, “My father was a gamblin’ man, and the only time he is satisfied is when he’s all

drunk.” The listener can assume that the father has addiction problems. The singer then suggests

that he has followed in his father’s footsteps when he says, “Oh mother tell your children not to

do what I have done” and finishes the song with, “And god I know I’m one.” It can be

interpreted that if your family members have addictions, then there is a good chance that you will

develop an addiction as well.

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The Five Finger Death Punch version of this song provides a much faster paced rock n’

roll tune. The lyrics are almost identical except they changed the setting from New Orleans to

Las Vegas. The listener can assume that it was changed to Las Vegas because many people go

there to gamble their lives away. This version begins with a fast-paced preview of a different

song to immediately grab the listeners attention, then switches to a slowed down melody. It

shows a post-apocalyptic world with a bunch of cars, guns, motorcycles, and a large group of

survivors. There is a group of people playing cards, and you can see an argument start because

one of the players is cheating. This leads to an all-out war with many casualties. The listener can

assume that everyone was killed over this gambling card game.

Both versions have similar lyrics and use the pathos appeal so listeners can relate to the

messages. In the Animals video, it mainly focuses on the lead singer the whole time as he sings.

The lead singer, Eric Burdon, has a soulful voice that will grab the listeners attention. You can

“feel” his lyrics because the camera seems to zoom in on him as he sings long, deep notes. Five

Finger Death Punch’s video provides a completely different approach. They use the pathos

appeal by having a fast-paced video that looks like it came from a video game or action movie.

The listener can suggest that there is a lot of visuals happening that take you away from the

actual lyrics.

As you listen to both songs, there is an obvious difference in the audiences that these

were intended for. The Animals version is a song that can appeal to any audience because of its

soft, folk, and blues melody. Since it was made in 1964, it would be more appealing to the

people who grew up in that era because it uses the singers actual voice and shows the band

performing instead of all the new technology that is used today. It had hit number one on the

U.S. music charts in the same year it was produced. Five Finger Death Punch’s 2013 rock
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version appeals to a younger generation because it uses up to date sounds,visuals, and effects.

The added guitars and drums give this version a more exciting tune than the original. One can

suggest that this gave the original more popularity because listeners wanted to see where this

rock version came from. The original has appeared in numerous movies and has had many other

remakes and covers by multiple artists.

Even though these are two different genres of music, the message that addiction can

cause problems is displayed in both versions. The original ends with the lyrics, “It’s been the

ruin of many a poor boy, and God I know I’m one.” Meaning that the artist eventually develops

the same addiction he sings about. The Five Finger Death Punch video ends with everyone

dying. This supports the band’s claim because it is implied that you can eventually lose your life

if you suffer from addiction. The message is something that many people can relate to because

this topic is at an all-time high throughout the world.

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Works Cited

The Animals. “House of the Rising Sun.” The Animals, Columbia Graphophone, 1964.

YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Fy7opKu46c. Accessed 8 Feb. 2020

Five Finger Death Punch. “House of the Rising Sun.” Five Finger Death Punch, 2013.

YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXYIxJScSik. Accessed 8 Feb. 2020