Friday Song: “Here I Go Again”

One of the joys of music is that you don’t always have to take it seriously to enjoy it. Sometimes, it’s just fluff — and good fluff is to be prized.

Sporting an amazing but underrated voice, David Coverdale was the lead singer of Deep Purple from 1973-1976. In 1977-8, he started a band called Whitesnake. While initially successful in the UK, it wasn’t until 1987 that the band cracked the US market with this song, “Here I Go Again.”

The original 1982 version of this song was decidedly less radio-friendly, with a long lead-in centered around Deep Purple’s Jon Lord’s eponymous organ tones. It was a slow build to the song really kicking in, and a less-polished production, including one clunker of a lyric that was later fixed.

David Geffen heard the original recording, and insisted on a polished version for the radio. This is the one many of us know — the song kicks in after only 12 seconds, the production is immaculate, and the energy is much higher.

As for the clunky lyric, compare:

• 1982 version — “Like a hobo, I was born to walk alone.”
• 1987 version — “Like a drifter, I was born to walk alone.”

Much better.

“Here I Go Again” was a popular song title in the 1960s and ’70s. The Raeletts, the Miracles, Country Joe & the Fish, Archie Bell & the Drells, and the Hollies all released different songs with that title that charted in the US.

The famous video features very quick shots of the actress Tawny Kitaen dancing seductively on the hoods of two Jaguars. One belonged to Coverdale, the other to Marty Callner, who directed the video. It was a huge hit on MTV, and started an era of “tease videos” among so-called hair bands. Kitaen and Coverdale were married in 1989 and divorced in 1991.

• Trivia — Kitaen later married a baseball player for Cleveland. She was arrested for spousal abuse after kicking him with her high-heeled shoe while he was driving. The player filed for divorce. Later, the announcer for the Chicago White Sox was fired when he played this song when the recently-divorced Cleveland player was warming up.

The song has appeared in many movies, television shows, and commercials.

In a month featuring brain worms in the news, here’s a more harmless earworm for you.

Enjoy!