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.
Young Girls
Dokken Lyrics
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You can't keep them at home, no
She'll tease and smile
She'll play for a while
She's got it under control, yeah
I hope it's me tonight
She's looking for
I love them all
Young girls
Driving me crazy
Young girls
I love them all
The doctor says I must slow down
I gotta leave them alone, yeah
All I know if I'm gonna die
What way to go
I hope it's me tonight
She's looking for
Oh, sweet young girls
I love them all
Young girls
You're driving me crazy
Young girls
I love them all
Young girls
Beautiful ladies
Young girls
I want them all
I hope it's me tonight
She's looking for
Oh, sweet young girls
I love them all
Young girls
You're driving me crazy
Young girls
I love them all, yeah
Young girls
Beautiful ladies
Young girls
I want them all, yeah
Young girls
Those beautiful ladies
Young girls
I love them all
Young girls
Oh yeah
Young girls
How old you anyway?
I hope it's me tonight
She's looking for
Oh, sweet young girls
I love them all
The lyrics to Dokken's "Young Girls" are essentially a rock ode to young women. The song begins with the singer admitting that young girls can't be kept at home, suggesting a sense of freedom and rebellion in the female characters. The singer then goes on to describe young girls as playing coy and teasing, but ultimately having control over their situation. The chorus declares an unconditional love for all young girls, despite the fact that the singer is warned by his doctor to slow down on pursuing them. The song ends with the singer asking how old the young girls he's after are, before reiterating his love for them all.
While the song's lyrics could be easily criticized for their superficial and potentially exploitative nature, it's worth noting that the music video features only women who are clearly over the age of 18. Nevertheless, the lyrics certainly play into a long-standing rock trope of glorifying young women for their beauty and rebellious nature.
Line by Line Meaning
Staying out all night dancing
The young girls are out all night dancing and not staying at home
You can't keep them at home, no
The young girls cannot be kept at home, they want to be out all the time
She'll tease and smile
The young girl will tease and smile to lure in men
She'll play for a while
The young girl will play with a man's emotions for a short while before moving on to someone else
She's got it under control, yeah
The young girl knows what she's doing and has control over the situation
I hope it's me tonight
The singer hopes that he is the one that the young girl chooses tonight
She's looking for
The young girl is actively seeking male attention
Oh, sweet young girls
The singer is attracted to young girls and finds them sweet
I love them all
The singer loves all the young girls he meets
Young girls
The singer is repeating his attraction to young girls and his desire for them
Driving me crazy
The young girls are making the singer go crazy with desire
The doctor says I must slow down
The singer's doctor has advised him to stop his behavior with young girls
I gotta leave them alone, yeah
The singer must stop seeing young girls
All I know if I'm gonna die
If the singer is going to die, he might as well enjoy himself with young girls
What way to go
He would like to go out having enjoyed the company of young girls
Beautiful ladies
The singer finds the young girls beautiful
I want them all
The singer wants all the young girls for himself
How old you anyway?
The singer is asking how old the young girl is, implying that he doesn't care about age
Lyrics © NEXT DECADE ENTERTAINMENT,INC.
Written by: DON DOKKEN, GEORGE LYNCH, MICK BROWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind