Here I Go Again
Whitesnake's big hit
I’ve always loved this song. David Coverdale has a great rock voice and I just love the chorus:
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
But I've made up my mind
I ain't wastin' no more time
This song has actually been recorded and released 3 separate times:
1982 - UK only release off of the Saints and Sinners album
1987 - World-wide release off of their self-titled album, with a separate cut as a single release. This is the one that went huge.
2018 - Remastered for the re-release of the self-titled album. Unlike most remasters, this distinctly sounds different.
Coverdale and bandmate Bernie Marsden wrote this piece about the breakdown of Coverdale’s first marriage, which was happening as they were writing. Their longtime producer, metal legend Martin Birch1, was at the helm. The original version has more of a blues feel and used the word “hobo” instead of “drifter” because Coverdale had heard the latter in a bunch of songs.
The single version came about because of a negotiation with the label execs for Coverdale to re-record another song, Crying in the Rain2, for that album. Coverdale returned to the word “drifter” so it wouldn’t be misheard. It was also given a more rock feel and that was enough to make it a hit. This version was produced by Keith Olsen3.
This is the video for that release, featuring Coverdale’s then wife actress Tawny Kittan. It’s directed by Marty Callner4 and the two Jaguars Kittan dances on the hood of belonged to him and Coverdale.
This is the original 1982 video. It’s a straight up live video and has the “hobo” lyric.
The band created a new video for the song when they remastered it in 2017. Gone is the girl. Instead it’s the band playing and hanging out with each other. The song is now more keyboard heavy.
No matter which version you prefer, enjoy your song of the day!
Although he also worked on Fleetwood Mac’s first 5 albums, first as engineer before becoming producer.
Which is also about his first marriage breaking down.
Best known for his work on Fleetwood Mac’s self-titled 1975 album.
More Fleetwood Mac connections - he shot their Mirage Tour for a video special and worked on Stevie Nicks’ solo song vids. He also shot possibly the greatest comedy special ever, Robin Williams: Live on Broadway. By this point, he’d been shooting concerts for 15 years, starting with Aerosmith in 1973.
Fascinating! I never knew of these other versions. The 1987 version was the one I knew. Knowing how much my wife loves the song, I played her the 1982 version. As soon as she got to that part of the song she looked at me and said, “hobo?!?” I had a good laugh!!
Deighton, Ohio 1988 (I think), general admission near the stage. I pass out from dehydration and, IMO, from gagging on the armpit stank of men pumping their fists in the air around me. Those stinky men kindly body passed me to the back of the arena and into the arms of a medic. Apparently that was the fastest way to get help. (Clearly, my male friend didn’t want to miss the show by taking me to the back.) After recovering, I braved the crowd to get back to my friend with “excuse me, pardon me, sorry, my friend is up front.” One guy looked at me and yelled, “Hey, you’re the chick who looked like Jesus Christ!” as he spread his arms wide and tilted his head backward. Yes, that was me. He helped clear the way to the front. That’s my White Snake story.
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