Don reformed Dokken in the early 1990s and has been continuing on with the band ever since. He released his second solo album titled Solitary in 2008, which was a stylistic departure from his Dokken material. He continues to tour with Dokken today and is known for his unique stage persona.
In the late 1980s, however, personal tension between Dokken and Lynch took its toll on the band. In 1988, after the Monsters of Rock Tour and two further platinum albums, Don Dokken decided to break up the band and they went on their separate ways. Don Dokken originally wanted to continue on with the Dokken name, but since Lynch maintained partial ownership, he was forced to put out his next album under the Don Dokken name, and it became known as his first solo album. The album, titled Up from the Ashes, was released in 1990, and was very similar to the Dokken catalog. This project was a supergroup of sorts, made up of guitarists John Norum (of Europe fame) and Billy White, bassist Peter Baltes (of Accept fame) and drummer Mikkey Dee (of King Diamond fame and then Motörhead).
Both Dee and Baltes had previously been members of Dokken during the late 1970s for brief periods. Two music videos were made for the singles "Mirror Mirror" and "Stay". Also, during the late 1980s and early 1990s, Don spent time as a producer for the metal band XYZ.
He also made a guest appearance on the German progressive metal band Vanden Plas's Spirit of Live album as the vocalist for their live performance of Dokken's "Kiss of Death", the studio version of which can be found on Vanden Plas's Far Off Grace album.
Dokken reunion
Around late 1993, Don started to talk with Mick Brown, who had recently left George Lynch's new group, Lynch Mob. They joined up with Jeff Pilson, and started to write new songs. In 1994, they sent what they had written to George Lynch, who was impressed with the material. Together, they decided to reunite and tour again. This reunion lasted for three years and resulted in two new Dokken albums, an acoustic live disc, and a full live concert recorded in Japan in 1995.
In the late 90s, Dokken once again parted ways with George Lynch, gained guitarist Reb Beach, and later kicked off a new era with guitarist John Norum after the departure of Reb Beach. That union didn't last long, as Norum soon departed to re-unite with Europe. Norum was briefly replaced by Italian guitarist Alex De Rosso for the live tour until 2003 when Don managed to find a permanent replacement in guitarist/lawyer Jon Levin.
Since 1994, Dokken has released six studio albums, two live albums, a Greatest Hits album, as well as their first two DVDs. Don Dokken released a new solo album titled Solitary in 2008, and Dokken released a new album titled Lightning Strikes Again during the same year. On March 1, 2010, the band Dokken's second greatest hits album, aptly titled Greatest Hits, was digitally released to iTunes and Amazon.com. The physical album with additional tracks was released in US by Cleopatra Records May 4, 2010, and in Japan May 11, 2010, by King Records (Japan).
On September 22, 2010, in an interview with BraveWords.com, Don Dokken revealed that he would be undergoing vocal surgery, to correct problems with nodes and tears in his vocal cords. February 4, 2011, Anchorage, Alaska was Dokken's first show since surgery. In addition to the vocal cord surgery, Dokken underwent treatment for cancer around the same time. He has since recovered and his voice has seen great improvement over the past few years.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Dokken
Living A Lie
Don Dokken Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can it be that love has passed us by the way
Can't sy that we played the game so well
Are we to a point where time stands still
Nothing can save us now
If you only want to believe in fairy tales and dreams
If i'm not what you're looking for set me free
Chorus:
Living a lie, now that your love has run
Living a lie, now that you've come and gone
It's sad to think what we have wasted
Over and over trying to make you see
Feelings are not something you can play with
Maybe once, but never twice
Better listen to my advice
If your gonna belive in someone who still cares for you
If your wanna believe in fantasies say we're through
In my darkness i will find the light
Lone survivor, someone to save me
When i look back i think of all the years
Wasted on your love...it's over now
So if you wanna beleive in someone who still cares for you
If your wanna believe in fantasies say we're through
Chorus
Living a lie
Living a lie
Living a lie
The lyrics of Don Dokken's "Living A Lie" is about a failed relationship that leads to heartbreak and disappointment. The first verse suggests that the singer thinks the relationship is stagnant and going nowhere. He wonders if love has passed them by, and whether they've played the game of love poorly. This is a sentiment that is relatable to anyone who has ever had a relationship that has been stuck in a negative cycle. The singer notes that they are at a point where time stands still and nothing can save them from what seems like an inevitable end.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "living a lie". This lyric could be interpreted in several ways. It could refer to a falsehood that one or both of the partners believed in the relationship, or it could be a reference to the idea that they were being dishonest with themselves about their love. The song's narrator concludes that it is sad to think about the time they have wasted trying to make the relationship work. He notes that feelings are not something that can be played with.
The second verse highlights the importance of believing in someone who cares for you, rather than indulging in fantasies or fairy tales. The song ends on a note of reflection and determination, with the singer stating that in his darkness, he will find the light. The message of the song is that it is better to move on from a relationship that is not healthy or fulfilling, rather than continuing to live a lie.
Line by Line Meaning
Does it seem that we're going nowhere again
Are we stuck in a stagnant, unproductive relationship?
Can it be that love has passed us by the way
Has it even been love in the first place?
Can't say that we played the game so well
We didn't handle this relationship properly
Are we to a point where time stands still
Are we trapped in a hopeless situation?
Nothing can save us now
It's too late to fix what's broken between us
If you only want to believe in fairy tales and dreams
If you'd rather live in a world of make-believe
If i'm not what you're looking for set me free
If I'm not what you need, don't keep holding on to me
Chorus: Living a lie, now that your love has run, Living a lie, now that you've come and gone
We're lying to ourselves, pretending there's still love here even after you're gone
It's sad to think what we have wasted
It's heartbreaking to realize all that we've squandered
Over and over trying to make you see, Feelings are not something you can play with
Repeatedly trying to make you understand that emotions aren't a game
Maybe once, but never twice, Better listen to my advice
You can't fool me twice, and you should heed my warning
If your gonna believe in someone who still cares for you, If your wanna believe in fantasies say we're through
If you're holding on to someone who still cares, then fine, but if you can't handle reality, we're breaking up
In my darkness, I will find the light, Lone survivor, someone to save me
Even in despair, I'll find hope and be the one to save myself
When I look back, I think of all the years, Wasted on your love...it's over now
Reflecting on all the time and energy spent on a relationship that's no more
Chorus: Living a lie, Living a lie, Living a lie
This is a charade we're putting on, pretending that love is still here when it's not
Contributed by Chase C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.