"Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake

#1 Alert!

Song#:  3184

Date:  07/04/1987
Debut:  80
Peak:  1 (1 week)
Weeks:  28
Genre:  Hard Rock, Glam Rock



Pop Bits:  Whitesnake's self-titled seventh album quickly found its way to #2 thanks to a lot of MTV exposure via the video for the LP's first single "Still of the Night" (#18 Rock/#79 Pop). The epic track may not have been the best fit for pop radio, but the more mainstream appeal of this next single ended up being just right. Once again boosted by a popular MTV video that featured actress/model Tawny Kitaen, the song steadily climbed the chart and finally reached the #1 spot in its fifteenth week. Typically, once a song has peaked it doesn't take long for it to descend the chart and end its run. However, this song took a leisurely exit spending an additional thirteen weeks on the chart. By the time the song was off the chart at the end of the year, the album had been certified for sales of over 4 million copies.

ReduxReview:  Lead singer and band founder David Coverdale wrote this song with Bernie Marsden, who had been a member of Whitesnake back in '82. Coverdale must have really believed in this song and its potential. It was an unusual move to completely redo a song a few years later for a new studio album (see below). But with the band's profile raised in the US and a chance to perhaps break through in a bigger way, my guess is that Coverdale thought it was time to give the song another chance. While I prefer the album version with its quiet opening and bigger sound, the new single version was well done. It had a more radio-friendly Survivor/Journey feel and it did help in making the song a hit. Either way, it was a strong song that finally got its day on the charts.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  This was kind of a "third time's the charm" type of song. It was originally recorded by the band for their 1982 album Saints & Sinners. It was released as the LP's lead single in several countries and even charted in the UK at #34. While the album saw release in the US, it seems that the single was not released. With little to promote it, the album didn't chart in the US. After personnel changes in 1986, lead singer David Coverdale decided to re-record a couple of tracks from Saints & Sinners for the band's upcoming self-titled effort. New versions of "Here I Go Again" and "Crying in the Rain" were done for the album. When it was thought that "Here I Go Again" would be the second single, it was decided that yet a third version of the tune was in order to help its pop radio prospects in the US. Although listed as a remix, it was basically a new recording in a shorter, altered arrangement featuring different personnel. It would later be known as the USA Single Remix. Not only was this third version of the song a #1 hit in the US, but it would also get to #9 in the UK besting the original version's #34 peak. While the '87 version of the song was a radio hit, it would be the album track that would be used for the highly popular associated MTV video.

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