Thursday marks 62 years since one of the greatest hits in rock history debuted as the No. 1 song in the United Kingdom.
In the mid-60s, the rock and roll scene was defined by the “British Invasion”. Major musical groups such as The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Dave Clark Five and Peter & Gordon burst onto the music map with scores of hit songs that defined the decade.
Another of these famous bands, The Animals, was formed in England in 1962. Two years later, the group scored a No. 1 song with a cover of the classic American folk song, “The House of the Rising Sun”.
The Animals recorded their version of the song on May 18, 1964. The future hit was released on 19 June, and “The House of the Rising Sun” took less than three weeks to reach number one in the UK.
62 years ago today, “The House of the Rising Sun” reached No. 1. uk singles chartIt overtook Roy Orbison’s “It’s Over” after spending two weeks at the top spot. The Animals’ signature song topped the chart for one week, before being dethroned by the Rolling Stones’ first No. 1 hit, “It’s All Over Now”.
In their 2024 ranking of the 500 greatest songs of all time, rolling stone The Animals’ version of “The House of the Rising Sun” ranked at number 471.
‘The House of the Rising Sun’ spends three weeks at the top of the ‘Billboard’ Hot 100
(Photo by Val Wilmer/Redferns/Getty Images)&newline;&newline;
After less than two months topping the UK Singles Chart, “The House of the Rising Sun” reached number 1. board Hot 100 in the United States.
It remained at the top spot for three consecutive weeks before Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman” emerged as the new number 1 for the week of September 26. “Oh, Pretty Woman” also reached the top spot. board Hot 100 for three consecutive weeks.
