Here I Go Again

This article is about the song by Whitesnake. For other uses, see Here I Go Again (disambiguation).

"Here I Go Again"
Single by Whitesnake
from the album Saints & Sinners
B-side"Bloody Luxury"
ReleasedOctober 1982[1]
Recorded1981–1982
Studio
Genre
Length5:09
LabelLiberty
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Martin Birch
Whitesnake singles chronology
"Would I Lie to You"
(1981) 		"Here I Go Again"
(1982) 		"Victim of Love"
(1982)
Music video
"Here I Go Again" on YouTube
"Here I Go Again"
Single by Whitesnake
from the album Whitesnake
B-side"Children of the Night" (US)
"Guilty of Love" (UK)
ReleasedJune 1987 (US)
19 October 1987 (UK)[3]
RecordedSeptember 1985 – November 1986[4]
Studio
GenreGlam metal[5][6][7][8][9][10]
Length
  • 4:36 (album version)
  • 3:54 (radio edit mix)
LabelGeffen
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Whitesnake singles chronology
"Still of the Night"
(1987) 		"Here I Go Again"
(1987) 		"Is This Love"
(1987)
Music video
"Here I Go Again '87" on YouTube

"Here I Go Again" is a song by the British rock band Whitesnake. It was originally released on their 1982 album, Saints & Sinners through Liberty in October 1982. The song was written by David Coverdale and Bernie Marsden, and produced by Martin Birch. The song was written for Coverdale's troubling marriage with his first wife, Julia.

Notably made as a power ballad, the song was re-recorded for their 1987 self-titled album. Around that same time, the song was re-recorded again for a single "radio-mix" version released in June 1987 in the United States and 19 October in their native UK. The success of the song propelled Whitesnake (1987) to nearly hover at the top of the US Billboard chart for several months, marking the band breaking the song into a national anthem.

"Here I Go Again" received positive reviews, with some critics referring to the song as the "signature tune for Coverdale and Whitesnake". The original recording only hit number 34 on the UK Singles Chart, and remained on the chart for five weeks, while charting in Australia and Germany, peaking at 53 and 51, respectively. In the United States, both the original song and the original Saints & Sinners album had failed to chart due to it not being released there, but the re-recording eventually reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart as a sleeper hit and remained there for one week, being the band's only number-one single of that chart in their discography to date. It also peaked at number four on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. The re-recording also peaked at number nine in the UK. "Here I Go Again" is certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). It also reached number one in Canada, and the top ten in the Netherlands and Ireland, while it charted in several other countries.

In 2018 at the BMI London Awards, it received the "5 Million Performances Award",[11] while in 2022 it garnered the "8 Million-Air Award".[12]

  1. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 894. ISBN 9780862415419.
  2. ^ Breihan, Tom (17 March 2021). "The Number Ones: Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again". Stereogum. Retrieved 7 November 2023. In its first incarnation, "Here I Go Again" was more of a blues-rock yarler...
  3. ^ "Whitesnake "Here I Go Again" press promo release". EMI. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  4. ^ Popoff, Martin (2018). The Deep Purple Family. Vol. 2 (2nd ed.). Wymer Publishing. p. 117. ISBN 978-1-908724-87-8.
  5. ^ Smith, Troy L. (13 May 2021). "Every No. 1 song of the 1980s ranked from worst to best". Cleveland.com. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference RS12 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Best of 80's Metal, Vol. 2 - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  8. ^ Wake, Matt (13 June 2016). "A&R Legend John Kalodner Talks Aerosmith and Why Rock Won't Reach the Masses Again". LA Weekly. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  9. ^ Sleazegrinder (4 December 2015). "The 20 Best Hair Metal Anthems Of All Time Ever". Louder Sound. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  10. ^ Case, George (2007). Jimmy Page: Magus, Musician, Man. Backbeat Books. p. 199. ISBN 978-0-87930-947-3.
  11. ^ "Harry Gregson-Williams and Other Top Songwriters Honored At 2018 BMI London Awards". Broadcast Music, Inc. 1 October 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  12. ^ "2022 London Awards". Broadcast Music, Inc. 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2023.