Here I Go Again

"Here I Go Again"
Single by Whitesnake
from the album Saints & Sinners
B-side "Bloody Luxury"
Released 15 November 1982
Format 7" single
Recorded 1982
Length 5:09
Label Geffen
Songwriter(s) David Coverdale
Bernie Marsden
Producer(s) Martin Birch
Whitesnake singles chronology
"Would I Lie to You"
(1981)		 "Here I Go Again"
(1982)		 "Victim of Love"
(1982)

"Would I Lie to You"
(1981)		 "Here I Go Again"
(1982)		 "Victim of Love"
(1982)
"Here I Go Again"
Single by Whitesnake
from the album Whitesnake
B-side "Guilty of Love"
Released 1987
Format 7", 10", 12"
Recorded 1985–1986
Genre Glam metal
Length 4:36 (Album Version)
3:54 (Radio Edit Mix)
Label Geffen
Songwriter(s) David Coverdale, Bernie Marsden
Producer(s) Mike Stone, Keith Olsen
Whitesnake singles chronology
"Crying in the Rain"
(1987)		 "Here I Go Again"
(1987)		 "Is This Love"
(1987)

"Crying in the Rain"
(1987)		 "Here I Go Again"
(1987)		 "Is This Love"
(1987)

"Here I Go Again" is a song by British rock band Whitesnake. Originally released on their 1982 album, Saints & Sinners, the power ballad[1] was re-recorded for their 1987 self-titled album. The song was re-recorded again the same year in a new "radio-mix" version, which was released as a single and hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on 10 October 1987, and number nine on the UK Singles Chart on 28 November 1987. The 1987 version also hit number one on the Canadian Singles Chart on 24 October 1987. In 2006, the 1987 version was ranked number 17 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s.[2]

Background and writing

The song was written by the lead singer, David Coverdale, and former Whitesnake guitarist, Bernie Marsden. The most notable difference between the original and re-recorded versions are a slight change in the lyrics and a different pace. The chorus of the original version features the lines:

And here I go again on my own
Goin' down the only road I've ever known
Like a hobo I was born to walk alone

In an interview, Coverdale explained that "hobo" was changed to "drifter" in the re-recorded version to ensure that it would not be misheard as "homo".[3]

Composition

The song is composed in the key of G major and a tempo of 91 BPM.[4]

Music video

The first music video was made for the original 1982 version. It starts with Coverdale sitting in a concert hall seat and singing the first verses. The video continues as a lip synced "live" video showing the 1982 line-up (Ian Paice who was drumming for the recording is replaced by Cozy Powell) of Whitesnake performing the song. This music video for this song presents David Coverdale with black hair.

The music video for the re-recorded version was directed by Marty Callner,[5] who directed most of Whitesnake's videos in the 1980s. In the video, actress Tawny Kitaen is seen posing on the hoods of two Jaguar XJs and seducing Coverdale while he is driving. Kitaen and Coverdale would later marry. This video presents David Coverdale with blonde hair.

Due to Coverdale firing the other members of the band before the album was released, he is the only Whitesnake member present on both the recording and in the music video (Along Adrian Vandenberg, who played the guitar solo on the recording); this was the case for all music videos released for songs from the 1987 album.

Single versions

There are several different versions of the song, all recorded officially by Whitesnake. They are:

In 1987, EMI released a limited Collectors Poster Edition 'USA Single Remix' 7" vinyl [EMP 35], the B-side of which consists of an engraved signature version, and the sleeve of which unfolds into a poster of the band.[7]

While the 1987 album version and the radio mix version are fairly similar, there are several significant differences. The album version, which was used for the music video, has a long and slow keyboard and vocal intro, whereas the radio version kicks straight in with the band. They also contain two very different guitar solos, with Adrian Vandenberg playing the album and video solo, while Dann Huff plays on the radio edit version. The album version has a different rhythm in the chorus, with a syncopated kick drum beat that is not in the single version. Of the two versions, the one most widely referred to is the remastered version released in the self-titled 1987 album, although both receive significant airplay today.

Personnel

Original 1982 version from Saints & Sinners:

1987 version from Whitesnake:

1987 radio-mix version:

Chart performance

Cover versions

  • A dance cover version by Frash was a minor hit in the UK in 1995, reaching number 69.[21]
  • In 2004, a dance/pop version of "Here I Go Again" was recorded by Polish dancer and singer Mandaryna.[22] Released as the debut single from her debut album Mandaryna.com, the song became a hit in Poland. It was later remixed by Axel Konrad of Groove Coverage for the single release in German speaking countries.
  • The song was also frequently performed by Bernie Marsden and Micky Moody in their post-Whitesnake collaborations, appearing on the Moody Marsden Band albums Never Turn Our Back on the Blues and Live in Hell (Unplugged), The Snakes's Live in Europe, The Company of Snakes's live album Here They Go Again, and M3 Classic Whitesnake's Classic Snake Live and Rough and Ready albums. It also appears on Marsden's solo live album Big Boy Blue... Live (also known as Live at the Granary). The version usually played was the 1987 radio-mix arrangement, in spite of neither Moody nor Marsden actually playing on that release, although 1987 keyboard player Don Airey appears on several of the releases.
  • The song is featured as the act one finale to the musical Rock of Ages.
  • The song is featured in Uncle Kracker's song "Livin' the Dream" from the album Happy Hour in 2009.

References

  1. ↑ "The 21 best power ballads".
  2. ↑ "VH1: 100 Greatest Songs of the 80's". Rock on the Net. Retrieved 2014-01-31.
  3. ↑ "David Coverdale's bio". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
  4. ↑ "Key and BPM of Whitesnake - Here I Go Again - AudioKeychain". AudioKeychain.
  5. ↑ "Whitesnake - "Here I go again"". Mvdbase.com. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
  6. ↑ "Whitesnake - Here I Go Again / Bloody Luxury (Vinyl)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
  7. ↑ "Whitesnake - Here I Go Again (USA Remix) (Vinyl) at Discogs". www.discogs.com. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
  8. 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  9. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Whitesnake – Here I Go Again (1987)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  10. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2012-10-17.
  11. ↑ "Musicline.de – Whitesnake Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  12. ↑ "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". Irishcharts.ie. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  13. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Whitesnake" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  14. ↑ "Charts.nz – Whitesnake – Here I Go Again". Top 40 Singles.
  15. ↑ "Whitesnake - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
  16. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Whitesnake – Here I Go Again". VG-lista.
  17. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2012-10-17.
  18. ↑ "SINGLE TOP 1OO OVER 1987" (PDF). Top40.nl. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
  19. ↑ "UK Top 100 Singles & Albums of 1987". Moopy.org.uk. Retrieved 2012-10-17.
  20. ↑ "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1987". Cashboxcountdowns.com. 1987-12-26. Retrieved 2012-10-17.
  21. ↑ "FRASH | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
  22. ↑ "Mandaryna Here I go again - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
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