Ian Anderson spent his youth listening to a song he never dared cover. Then Eric Burdon made his dream come true

Ian Anderson said he had long admired The Animals’ “The House of the Rising Sun” but never covered it, believing he could not match Eric Burdon’s emotionally charged singing. Years later, he finally performed the song alongside Burdon, fulfilling a musical ambition that had stayed with him since his youth.

Anderson recalled repeatedly playing the song in Blackpool coffee bars and admiring Burdon’s expressive, rough-edged vocal style. Their performance took place on a German television programme, where Anderson accompanied Burdon with flute and a string quartet. The traditional ballad has been recorded by many artists, but The Animals’ version became its best-known rendition.