Dokken is an American hard rock / heavy metal band that was formed in 1978.… Read Full Bio ↴Dokken is an American hard rock / heavy metal band that was formed in 1978. Having big success in the 80s with tracks such as "Dream Warriors", "It's Not Love", "In My Dreams", and others, they sold over ten million albums worldwide yet faced internal battles over their direction. The group split up in 1989, having accumulated numerous charting singles and earned a Grammy nomination, and they've had sporadic reunions since then.

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.

Sleepless Nights
Dokken Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh yeah..

I stay up on the high until the morning
Stay in bed until day becomes light
I've been so refused
Even more confused
I wish i could make it right

Looks like a sleepless night coming my way
Yeah, i knew that i'd be feeling this way

On a sleepless night
Got a restless mind
On a sleepless night
I've been waiting for you
On a sleepless night
Gonna tell you one more time
You're all i need on a sleepless night

You got tired of the way you were feeling
Threw away your ball and chain
Your shot in the dark
Put a hole in my heart
Still i'm the one that's taking the blame

Looks like a sleepless night coming my way
Yeah, i knew that i'd be feeling this way

On a sleepless night
I got a restless mind
On a sleepless night
I've been waiting for you
On a sleepless night
Gonna tell you one more time
You're all i need on a sleepless night

On a sleepless night
Listen to the music
On a sleepless night
Try to leave your troubles all behind
On a sleepless night
Wide awake
Lying on the bed
Can't find no peace at mind
Because it's so hard to unwind

Looks like a sleepless nights coming my way
Yeah, i knew that i'd be feeling this way

On a sleepless night

Got a restless mind
On a sleepless night
I've been praying for you
On a sleepless night
Gonna tell you one more time
You're all i need on a sleepless night

On a sleepless night
On a sleepless night

Overall Meaning

The song "Sleepless Nights" by Dokken depicts a sleepless night of someone who's been left hanging by their lover or partner. From the lyrics, the person is unable to sleep, they stay awake till morning and spend the daylight hours still in bed, reminiscing about their lover. The lyrics also talk about feelings of regret and confusion that comes with the lost love. The singer is hoping to make things right, but they're plagued with restless thoughts that are keeping them up at night.

The chorus of the song repeats itself three times, and it sounds like the singer is pleading with their lost love to come back to them. The lyrics are emotive and demonstrate the pain that comes with unreturned love. The lyricist uses metaphors such as "shot in the dark, put a hole in my heart" to represent how the singer's unrequited love has taken a toll on their emotional wellbeing.

Line by Line Meaning

I stay up on the high until the morning
I stay awake all night until the morning comes

Stay in bed until day becomes light
I stay in bed until the sun rises

I've been so refused
I've been rejected and denied

Even more confused
I'm even more uncertain and perplexed

I wish i could make it right
I wish I could fix things

Looks like a sleepless night coming my way
It seems like I won't be able to sleep tonight

Yeah, i knew that i'd be feeling this way
I already expected to feel like this

Got a restless mind
I have an agitated and unsettled mind

I've been waiting for you
I've been patiently anticipating your arrival

Gonna tell you one more time
I'm going to say it again

You're all i need on a sleepless night
You're the only thing I need to help me sleep