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.
Disease
Dokken Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With your naive eyes
You're the right kind of spirit
With the right kind of time
Now you don't pay attention
We get off with a bang
Your reckless obsession
Washed away all your shine
I'm you disease
You embrace my infection
When I cross your lips
You pretend not to notice
When I tighten my grip
I'm your brand-new monkey
On your back if you please
Gonna show you no mercy
When I feed your disease
I'm your disease
I could never ignore you
Any time that we meet
No sign of it slowin'
When you're dead on your feet
I'm your brand-new monkey
On your back if you please
Gonna show you no mercy
When I feed your disease
I'm your disease
The lyrics of "Disease" by Dokken describe a toxic relationship where the singer is the "disease" that is infecting the other person. The song suggests that the other person was initially attracted to the singer's "reckless obsession" and "right kind of spirit," but now that obsession has consumed them and the singer exerts a tight grip over them, acting as a brand-new monkey on their back. The singer takes pleasure in feeding the other person's addiction or disease, and even though they may feel dead on their feet, they keep coming back for more. The song portrays the singer as a predator, and the other person as a weak-willed victim who can't resist their charms.
Line by Line Meaning
You never saw me comin'
You were completely unaware of my presence.
With your naive eyes
You were too innocent to recognize the danger I pose.
You're the right kind of spirit
You have the right attitude for me to exploit.
With the right kind of time
You have enough free time to devote to me.
Now you don't pay attention
You've stopped caring about anything other than me.
We get off with a bang
Our interactions are always exciting and potentially dangerous.
Your reckless obsession
Your extreme fixation is causing you to lose your sense of judgement.
Washed away all your shine
Your previous good qualities have been overshadowed and lost.
You embrace my infection
You willingly accept my negative influence on you.
When I cross your lips
When I enter your life or thoughts.
You pretend not to notice
You ignore your better judgement and refuse to acknowledge the damage I'm doing.
When I tighten my grip
When I have more and more control over you.
I'm your brand-new monkey
I'm the new addiction or dependency in your life.
On your back if you please
You are willing to carry me around and continue our unhealthy relationship.
Gonna show you no mercy
I will continue to harm you without any regard for your wellbeing.
When I feed your disease
When I perpetuate your toxic behavior and enable your harmful addiction.
I could never ignore you
I am always present in your life and thoughts.
Any time that we meet
Every instance of interaction is negative for you.
No sign of it slowin'
Your addiction is not getting better or improving.
When you're dead on your feet
Even when you're exhausted and at your lowest point, I won't let up.
I'm your brand-new monkey
I'm the new addiction or dependency in your life.
On your back if you please
You are willing to carry me around and continue our unhealthy relationship.
Gonna show you no mercy
I will continue to harm you without any regard for your wellbeing.
When I feed your disease
When I perpetuate your toxic behavior and enable your harmful addiction.
I'm your disease
I am the negative influence and addiction in your life that you can't shake off.
Contributed by Victoria V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.