Saints & Sinners

This is Week 47 of Glyn’s Mixed Music Bag and we are
being asked to choose a song by a group or solo artist whose
name begins with the letters U, V or W. This is my choice.

Formed in London in 1968, the hard rock band Whitesnake was originally created as a backing band for singer David Coverdale who had recently left Deep Purple; the group quickly developed into its own entity.

Whitesnake enjoyed great success in the UK, Europe and Japan through the band’s early years. Their albums Ready an’ Willing, Come an’ Get It and Saints & Sinners all reached the top ten on the UK Albums Chart. By the mid-1980s, however, Coverdale had set his sights on breaking through in North America, where Whitesnake remained largely unknown. With the backing of American label Geffen Records, Whitesnake released its eponymous album in 1987 which became the group’s biggest success to date, selling over eight million copies in the US and spawning the hit singles “Here I Go Again” and “Is This Love“. Whitesnake also adopted a more contemporary look, similar to the Los Angeles glam metal scene.

The group’s early sound has been characterized by critics as blues rock, but by the mid-1980s Whitesnake slowly began moving toward a more commercially accessible hard rock style. Topics such as love and sex were common in their lyrics, which have been criticized for excessive use of sexual innuendo and double entendres. It all became a bit much for David Coverdale. After releasing Slip of the Tongue in 1989, the frontman decided to put Whitesnake on hold and take a break from the music industry, admitting to having gotten “too caught up in it”.

That was the second time in seven years that Coverdale dropped out of the business; his first exit was during 1982 when he devoted his time off to seeking treatment and care for his little daughter who was diagnosed with Kawasaki Disease …. a rare heart condition that causes a high fever and inflammation of the blood vessels. When the time was right for him to return, he reformed the band, which then recorded the album Saints & Sinners.

Aside from a few short-lived reunions in the 1990s, Whitesnake remained mostly inactive until 2003 when Coverdale put together a new line-up to celebrate the band’s 25th anniversary. Since then Whitesnake has released more studio albums and toured extensively around the world.

Whitesnake has been nominated for several awards during their career, including Best British Group at the 1988 Brit Awards. They have also been featured on listings of the greatest hard rock bands of all time by several media outlets, while their songs and albums have appeared on many “best of” charts such as VH1 and Rolling Stone magazine.

“Here I Go Again” was originally released on Whitesnake’s 1982 album, Saints & Sinners. Written by David Coverdale and Whitesnake guitarist Bernie Marsden, the song is about Coverdale’s troubled first marriage. Notably made as a power ballad, the song propelled Whitesnake to the top of the US Billboard chart for several months, marking the band breaking the song into national anthem status. “Here I Go Again” is certified platinum by BPI (British Phonograph Industry). In 2018 at the BMI London Awards it received the “5 Million Performances Award“, while in 2022 it garnered the “8 Million-Air Award”.

From 1982’s Saints & Sinners, this is “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake. The woman in the video is the late American actress Tawny Kitaen, David Coverdale’s second wife.

Lyrics

I don’t know where I’m going
But I sure know where I’ve been
Hanging on the promises in songs of yesterday
And I’ve made up my mind
I ain’t wasting no more time
Here I go again, here I go again
Though I keep searching for an answer
I never seem to find what I’m looking for
Oh, Lord, I pray you give me strength to carry on

‘Cause I know what it means
To walk along the lonely street of dreams

Here I go again on my own
Going down the only road I’ve ever known
Like a drifter, I was born to walk alone
And I’ve made up my mind
I ain’t wasting no more time
I’m just another heart in need of rescue
Waiting on love’s sweet charity
And I’m gonna hold on for the rest of my days

‘Cause I know what it means
To walk along the lonely street of dreams

And here I go again on my own
Going down the only road I’ve ever known
Like a drifter, I was born to walk alone
And I’ve made up my mind
I ain’t wasting no more time
But here I go again

Here I go again
Here I go again
Here I go

‘Cause I know what it means
To walk along the lonely street of dreams

And here I go again on my own
Going down the only road I’ve ever known
Like a drifter, I was born to walk alone
And I’ve made up my mind
I ain’t wasting no more time

And here I go again on my own
Going down the only road I’ve ever known
Like a drifter I was born to walk alone

‘Cause I know what it means
To walk along the lonely street of dreams

And here I go again on my own
Going down the only road I’ve ever known
Like a drifter, I was born to walk alone

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Bernie Marsden/David Coverdale
Here I Go Again lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc

Mixed Music Bag 2024 – week 47 – New Romantic classic

Big thanks to Glyn Wilton for hosting Mixed Music Bag every week. Please be sure to follow the link and check out Glyn’s site.

Thanks for joining me today and spinning another great tune.

See you on the flip side. 😎

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