Dokken was initially composed of founder Don Dokken on vocals, George Lynch on lead guitar, Juan Croucier on bass, and Mick Brown on drums. The southern California group pursued a heavy yet melodic sound reminiscent of prior bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, finding success in the 80s hard rock and metal boom. The band recorded and released 'Breaking the Chains', their first studio album, in 1983. Though their fortunes struggled somewhat in the United States, they picked up a big popular response in Europe.
In 1984, Croucier left Dokken in order to join Ratt. He was replaced by multi-instrumentalist Jeff Pilson, who soon became a rock idol alongside Don Dokken and George Lynch. Their next several albums and singles showed them to be a powerful commercial force, particularly winning fans with their music videos (their one for "Dream Warriors" even featured the band facing off against Freddy Krueger himself). Their 1988 live album 'Beast from the East' earned them a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance as well. However, Don Dokken's and George Lynch's creative differences, as well as their growing personal conflicts, brought about tension and even caused the group to break-up in 1988, though they had released multi-platinum work appealing to numerous hard rockers and metalheads.
The band has faced many changes over the years since. It wasn't until 1995 that the group resurfaced and released new material, facing a rather tepid response. As time went on, only Dokken and Brown remained from the original line-up. After several personnel alterations on guitar, Dokken's former attorney Jon Levin even stepped in to fill the role in 2004. In 2009, Sean McNabb (formerly of Great White and Quiet Riot fame) took the bass guitar slot. Mark Boals (formely of Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force) then took McNabb's position in 2014.
A series of successful web commercials for Norton Internet Security 2010 put the group back in the spotlight, the comedic spots depicting the band as a malicious computer virus. Dokken's tenth studio album, titled 'Lightning Strikes Again', was released on May 13, 2008 via Rhino Records. Several critics recommended the work as a comeback to their 'classic' sound. Their 11th album was released in 2012, 'Broken Bones'.
In 2023, Dokken, now consisting of frontman and founder Don Dokken, guitarist Jon Levin, bassist Chris McGarvill and drummer BJ Zampa, unveiled 12th album, 'Heaven Comes Down', which will be released via Silver Lining Music on October 27, 2023.
Cracks In the Ground
Dokken Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The walls behind the sky
Revolution finds
The road to ease our minds
Can we walk outside and
Leave our fragile pride
Within the holes forever
Deeper we must hide
Shattered pictures of
A moment lost in time
Between the cracks in the ground
Between the cracks in the ground
I see a painted face
Through a colored haze
An enchanted place
Its time to sail away
In my eyes I've lived a life
That's so surreal
My imagination questions what is real
Shadows spinning in my mind
Just like a wheel
Between the cracks in the ground
Between the cracks in the ground
Passing through the doors
I stop to close them one by one
Looking through the keyholes far behind
"Cracks In the Ground" by Dokken is a song about finding solace within and escaping reality. The lyrics paint a picture of a person who is seeking an escape from the troubles of the world and seeking refuge beyond the walls of the sky. The singer is looking for a way to ease their mind by walking outside and leaving behind their fragile pride. However, they are aware that hiding deeper within the holes of the ground might be the only option.
The song evokes a sense of surrealism and escapism, as the singer finds themselves lost in their imagination, questioning what is real and what is not. The lyrics refer to "shattered pictures of a moment lost in time," which could be a metaphor for a past that cannot be recovered. The chorus further adds to this idea by mentioning the cracks in the ground, which could represent a metaphor for the cracks in reality that allow one to escape.
Interestingly, the song's melody is upbeat and energetic, providing a contrast to the lyrics' somber tone. This juxtaposition adds to the song's overall theme of escapism as the singer tries to find happiness in a world that won't allow it.
Line by Line Meaning
Wait for me behind
The singer is requesting someone to wait for him behind some kind of barrier or wall
The walls behind the sky
The singer is referring to some kind of unreachable barrier or limit in the sky
Revolution finds
The singer is implying that a big change is underway
The road to ease our minds
The singer believes that this big change will be helpful in relieving people's troubles
Can we walk outside and
The singer is asking a rhetorical question about whether we can overcome our personal weaknesses
Leave our fragile pride
The singer is suggesting that our pride is a significant hindrance to our growth
Within the holes forever
The singer wants us to learn from past mistakes and not become trapped by them
Deeper we must hide
The singer thinks that facing our inner problems can be a daunting task and may require considerable effort
Shattered pictures of
The singer refers to a lost or broken moment of the past
A moment lost in time
The singer is mourning the passing of a moment that can never be retrieved
Between the cracks in the ground
The singer is referring to a metaphorical place that exists like an invisible void, a subconscious limbo
I see a painted face
The singer is describing an unclear vision of something resembling a face
Through a colored haze
The singer likens the perception to a confusing array of colors
An enchanted place
The singer feels that this mysterious space is magical in some indescribable way
Its time to sail away
The singer is ready to move on to new experiences and leave old conflicts behind
In my eyes I've lived a life
The singer is reflecting on his past experiences and how they've influenced him
That's so surreal
The singer feels that his life has been filled with things that are strange or dreamlike
My imagination questions what is real
The singer is questioning whether his perceptions and ideas have any basis in reality
Shadows spinning in my mind
The singer is experiencing a great deal of psychological turmoil
Just like a wheel
The singer likens this emotional chaos to a spinning wheel that's hard to stop
Passing through the doors
The singer seems to be in the process of leaving a particular space or situation
I stop to close them one by one
The singer is tying up loose ends or trying to symbolically ‘close the door’ on past experiences
Looking through the keyholes far behind
The singer is being reflective and nostalgic, trying to get closure by looking back and trying to understand certain past experiences
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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