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.
I Remember
Dokken Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When our hearts were one
Almost lost you
Somewhere in the storm
Wings of passion
Cold and hard to bare
I remember you were standing there
Standing there
as we look to the sky
Watching love pass us by
One more time
We try to catch a ride
In our hopes there is a dream
Sometimes lost so it seems
Don't let love pass us by
This time
I remember
The tears of joy we shared
In the darkness
When I held you oh so near
Like a dream
I have lost you with the dawn
In the fields standing there alone
Searching for home
as we look to the sky
Watching love pass us by
One more time
We try to catch a ride
In our hearts there is a dream
Sometimes lost so it seems
Don't let love pass us by
This time
(guitar solo)
searching for love
Sometimes so hard to see
Searching for love
Sometimes lost in our dreams
as we look to the sky
Watching love passing by
One more time
We try to catch a ride
In our hearts there is a dream
Sometimes lost so it seems
Don't let love pass us by
This time
The lyrics to Dokken's song "I Remember" are about a past love that nearly slipped away during a stormy period in their relationship. The singer reminisces about the time when their hearts were "one" and how they almost lost their significant other during a tumultuous time. Despite the difficulties, they were able to hold onto each other through tears of joy and while holding each other close in the darkness. However, with the dawn, like a dream, it seems as though they've lost their significant other and are left searching for home alone in the fields.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the importance of not letting love pass them by as they watch it pass them by in the sky. They try to catch a ride on hope, which holds their dream of being together, but sometimes it seems lost. The final verse takes a turn towards the struggle of searching for love, which can be hard to see and lost in dreams. The song ends with another plea to not let love pass them by, this time with the added urgency of "this time."
Line by Line Meaning
There was a time
There existed a time in the past
When our hearts were one
When we were in love and emotionally connected
Almost lost you
I nearly lost you
Somewhere in the storm
During a difficult period or experience
Wings of passion
Feelings of intense love and desire
Cold and hard to bare
Difficult to cope with and face
I remember you were standing there
I can recall you being present in that moment
as we look to the sky
As we reflect on our situation
Watching love pass us by
Watching opportunities for love go by without taking action
One more time
Once again
We try to catch a ride
We try to seize the opportunity
In our hopes there is a dream
We have aspirations and visions for our future
Sometimes lost so it seems
At times it may seem like our dreams won't come to fruition
Don't let love pass us by
Don't let opportunities for love go to waste
This time
We should take action now
I remember
I recall a particular moment or situation
The tears of joy we shared
We cried tears of happiness together
In the darkness
During a period of emotional or physical darkness
When I held you oh so near
When we were intimately close
Like a dream
Almost like a fantasy
I have lost you with the dawn
I lost you in the morning
In the fields standing there alone
Standing by oneself in an open area
Searching for home
Looking for a place to belong
searching for love
Looking for a meaningful romantic connection
Sometimes so hard to see
At times it may be difficult to recognize or find it
Sometimes lost in our dreams
At times we may not know how to turn our hopes and aspirations into realities
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Eddie Cardenas
I grew up listening and watching the original band Dokken. They're probably my favorite band. Great voice, Don Dokken.🤞
Furry Animal
I also heard this on Radio ROKS Rock Ballad from Ukraine.Great track and they play amazing stuff.
Ken Bo
Been a fan of Dokken since 1983. Seen them many times with different lineups. Never disappointed. Blessed to have seen the Dokken, Lynch, Pilson and Brown lineup in concert four times. In 1987 and 1988 Dokken was THE BAND to see in concert. Impressive.
Anthony S
The vibrato from the guitar at 3:08 is still one of the best I've ever heard.
Leandro Santos
Found this song by chance in a Ukrainian rock radio. Noice
DejavuDmitry🇺🇦
Wow
Leandro Santos
P.S.: I'm from Brazil haha never heard of Dokken before till i found this song. \../
Jan Strapina
Great Melody Hardrock Ballad!!!!!!!!!!!!!❤❤❤
Ralph Richardson
what a great song,
Flying V Martin Official
This song gives vibe of Scorpions' Acoustica with some Metallica's slow songs stuff