Formed in 1961, the band was active for 60 years, almost non-stop. They had 56 years of studio output, starting in 1965, which made them the world's longest surviving rock band, formed a year before The Rolling Stones, until their tragic end on 5 February 2021, when guitarist founding member George Kooymans revealed that he had been diagnosed with the neuro-muscular disease, ALS.
The band's core line-up of four was unchanged from 1970 to 2021, although extra musicians had short stints in the band in the 1970s. Golden Earring was always touring, except in 2000 (their only sabbatical year) and the final year of their existence, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 1961 George Kooymans (age 13) and his neighbour Rinus Gerritsen (age 15) formed The Tornado's in the Zuiderpark district of their home town of The Hague, The Netherlands. The band's first line-up mainly played The Shadows and The Ventures covers, as well as other instrumental tunes, and played its first gigs at school parties.
In 1963, as the band found out that there already was a British band called The Tornados, they decided to change their name into The Golden Ear-rings (after a Peggy Lee song). The band now performed around The Hague, soon had a devoted local following and landed a record deal with Polydor. Their début single, 1965's Please Go, immediately landed in the Dutch Top 10.
Under the Golden Earrings moniker the band eventually recorded four albums and had twelve hit singles in the Netherlands between 1965 and 1969, ten of which reached the Dutch Top 10. Several of their records were released internationally in Europe and even North America, although they failed to make an impact there.
One of the band's sixties singles became their first Dutch #1 hit: 1968's somewhat carnavalesque Dong-Dong-Diki-Digi-Dong, although that tune is now frowned upon by the band and generally regarded as inferior to other sixties Earrings gems, such as That Day (1966, the first Dutch pop single to have been recorded in the U.K., at London's Pye Studios), Sound Of The Screaming Day (1966) and the epic Just A Little Bit Of Peace In My Heart (1969).
The band's lead singer during the early Golden Earrings years was Frans Krassenburg. He was replaced by Barry Hay (ex-The Haigs) in 1967. The band's drummer for much of the 1960s was Jaap Eggermont. His successors were Sieb Warner (1969) and, in 1970, Cesar Zuiderwijk (ex-Livin' Blues), Golden Earring's definitive drummer.
The band's international career modestly started to take off in 1969, the year of their psychedelic Eight Miles High album, their first haphazard tour of the United States and also the year in which the band name was slightly changed into The Golden Earring and finally (dropping the article within a year), Golden Earring. On their early U.S. tours, their long, wild cover version of The Byrds' classic Eight Miles High impressed audiences and press alike. Golden Earring's 19-minute album version, as well as the stand-alone 1969 single, Another 45 Miles, were the first Golden Earring recordings to get some North American airplay.
The arrival of drummer, Cesar Zuiderwijk, in 1970, completed what would turn out to be the group's definitive line-up: Barry Hay (lead vocals/guitar/flute), George Kooymans (guitar/vocals), Cesar Zuiderwijk (drums) and Rinus Gerritsen (bass/harmonica/keyboards).
1970 saw a dramatic shift in Golden Earring's musical style. After the melodic, often Beatle-esque sixties beat of The Golden Earrings and a brief phase of psychedelia and hippie rock in 1968 and 1969, the single Back Home marked the birth of Golden Earring's trademark heavy, riff-based brand of hard rock with catchy hooks. Back Home hit #1 in the Dutch charts and 'broke' Golden Earring in most of Europe, notably countries such as Germany, Switzerland, Austria and France.
This marked the start of a decade of domestic and international glory. Between 1966 and 1976 seventeen consecutive Earring singles rocketed into the Dutch Top 10, while their international popularity increased, especially after their lengthy 1972 tour of Europe, supporting The Who. Buddy Joe (1972) achieved considerable chart success in the German-speaking countries of Europe, but 1973's Radar Love was their breakthrough smash hit worldwide: #13 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #1 in the U.S. Cashbox chart, #5 in Britain, #8 in Australia, #10 in Canada, #5 in Germany, #6 in Belgium, #1 in Spain and also #1 in (last but not least) Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), to name but a few.
Radar Love remains an enduring 'car classic' and radio anthem of global fame to this day. Between 1969 and 1985 Golden Earring completed ten major tours of North America, building a considerable North American fanbase, as well as five headlining tours of Great Britain in 1973 and 1974 alone. Golden Earring toured as 'special guests' of The Who, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, .38 Special, Rush and many more, whereas bands like Aerosmith, KISS, ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd opened for Golden Earring. The album that spawned Radar Love, 1973's Moontan, was certified 'Gold' by North America's RIAA in 1974 and sold millions of copies worldwide.
The band failed to achieve similar chart success in the years after Radar Love: the progressive Switch (1975) and To The Hilt (1976) charted in Billboard's album charts, but yielded no major U.S. hits. The singles were clearly not what North American audiences wanted from the 'Radar Love guys'.
Golden Earring was forgotten by many outside of The Netherland and by 1980 even Dutch audiences started to lose interest: albums such as No Promises, No Debts (1979) and Prisoner Of The Night (1980) were commercial flops, leading to the band's decision (in 1981) to record a 'final LP and then call it quits.
The lead single from 1982's 'farewell album', Cut, a Kooymans-penned tune called Twilight Zone, surprisingly became an even bigger hit in the U.S. than Radar Love: #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks, thanks to heavy MTV rotation of the Dick Maas-directed video. The song (#1 in The Netherlands) revived Golden Earring's stateside career overnight. The Cut LP was certified 'gold' in Canada, with Twilight Zone hitting #3 in the Canadian charts.
In their native Netherlands the band did manage to extend their creative and commercial peak this time: the single When The Lady Smiles and the album N.E.W.S. ('NorthEastWestSouth'), both released in 1984, repeated the success of Twilight Zone and Cut. 'Lady' peaked at #3 in Canada, but fared disappointingly in the U.S. as MTV and even radio stations banned the track because of its controversial video, once again directed by Dick Maas, in which the rape of a nun was suggested.
After 1985 things rapidly went downhill for Golden Earring internationally (they would not tour the U.S. again), but - after a creative and financial crisis that lasted throughout the second half of the 1980s - the band wrote one of their most enduring Dutch hits in 1991 (the power-ballad, Going To The Run, which fared partially well in Russia) and discovered a new gold mine in their home country a year later: acoustic concerts in theatres, the concept of MTV Unplugged.
To everybody's surprise, the band's acoustic live album, The Naked Truth, slowly became their all-time biggest selling album in The Netherlands. Its sequels, Naked II (1997) and Naked III (2005) also went platinum at least once in The Netherlands.
Golden Earring's by far most succesful album internationally remains 1973's Moontan, which sold well over 3.5 million copies outside of The Netherlands and was certified 'gold' in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom (and platinum in the U.S. in later years).
Golden Earring released 25 studio albums, 9 live albums and countless succesful compilations. Almost all of these records were certified gold, often platinum, in The Netherlands. More than anything else, though, the band remained a live force of legendary status in their home country and beyond. They toured throughout each year until the very end, almost exclusively in the Netherlands, although there are still occasional live appearances in Belgium and Germany. 2009 saw Golden Earring's long overdue return to the United Kingdom: their sold out shows in Ipswich and London's Shepherd's Bush Empire were their first live appearances in England since 1978.
In 2011 the band recorded their first album of new material since 2003's Millbrook U.S.A.: Tits 'n Ass - studio album #25 for the Dutch legends - was released on 11 May 2012 on Universal Music and hit #1 in the Dutch album charts one week after its release to become Golden Earring's 8th #1 album in their home country. Certified 'gold' in The Netherlands, the album was generally believed to be Golden Earring's final studio outing, but December 2015 saw the release of a five-track mini album entitled The Hague, released more than fifty years after their début single and just before the band's sold out 'Five Zero' anniversary concert at Amsterdam's Ziggo Dome in front of a 17,000-strong crowd. 2019 saw the release of a stand-alone single, Say When: Golden Earring's final studio recording.
Nobody was aware of it at the time, but the band's 16 November 2019 performance at the Rotterdam Ahoy would turn out to be their final concert. After a year of Covid-19 lockdowns, guitarist George Kooymans announced his ALS diagnosis on 5 February 2021, the disease rendering him unfit to perform. Within hours, the band admitted that carrying on without Kooymans was unthinkable. In the words of lead singer, Barry Hay: "This is the end of the line for the band. It's a death blow. We always said: we'll keep going until the first one of us goes down. I never expected it to be George."
The band's final performance was released as a live CD and DVD in April 2022, named after Barry Hay's final words at the end of countless Golden Earring shows: You Know We Love You!.
Studio albums (released as Golden Earring, unless noted otherwise)
Just Ear-rings (1965, as The Golden Earrings or The Golden Ear-rings)
Winter-Harvest (1967, as Golden Earrings, sometimes spelled as Winter Harvest)
Miracle Mirror (1968, as Golden Earrings)
On The Double (1969, as Golden Earrings)
Eight Miles High (1969, as The Golden Earring)
Golden Earring (1970, colloquially known as 'Wall Of Dolls')
Seven Tears (1971)
Together (1972)
Moontan (1973)
Switch (1975)
To The Hilt (1976)
Contraband (1976, U.S. title: Mad Love)
Grab It For A Second (1978)
No Promises... No Debts (1979, spelled as No Promises, No Debts on most online platforms)
Prisoner Of The Night (1980)
Cut (1982)
N.E.W.S. (1984)
The Hole (1986)
Keeper Of The Flame (1989)
Bloody Buccaneers (1991)
Face It (1994)
Love Sweat (1995, covers album)
Paradise In Distress (1999)
Millbrook U.S.A. (2003)
Tits 'n Ass (2012)
The Hague (EP, 2015)
Live albums
Live (1977)
2nd Live (1981)
Something Heavy Going Down (1984, includes one new studio track)
The Naked Truth (1992, acoustic)
Naked II (1997, acoustic)
Last Blast Of The Century (2000)
Naked III (2005, acoustic, incorrectly listed as Naked Truth III on some streaming platforms)
Live In Ahoy 2006 (2006, live DVD + CD set)
You Know We Love You! (2022, live DVD + CD set)
Additional information:
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Earring
Official website: https://www.golden-earring.nl
I Can's Sleep Without You
Golden Earring Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Silver like a fish slappin' on my tongue
Speak to me the way you do
Hide me all summer in your arms
Hold me the way I like you to
You fill my cup 'till it's crackin' up
The button that says alarm
Says me I'm not supposed to
Fighting to get close to you
Everybody gets up, excited by love
The sight of the ring, the sight of the blood
I can't sleep without you [4x]
Referee's in black and he's in shock
The judge is hammering for some solid proof
My heart keeps racing like a clock, yeah
I can't sleep without you
It's like a time bomb, ready to go off
In my head and in my heart
The lights keep fading in the dark
Just like a nightmare that's comin' true
I can't sleep without you
I'm crazy in the city, it just ain't fair
You send me to my corner, and you're never there
I can't sleep without you
I can't ...............
The lyrics to Golden Earring's song "I Can't Sleep Without You" highlight the deep emotional connection between two lovers. The opening lines use a simile to describe the feeling of the lover's words on the singer's tongue, suggesting the pleasure they derive from hearing their lover's voice. The singer then expresses a desire to have their lover hold them all summer and fill their cup until it's "crackin' up", symbolizing how their lover nourishes their emotional well-being. However, despite this intense love, the singer is fighting to get close to their lover, perhaps suggesting that their relationship is not without difficulty.
The theme of fighting is continued throughout the song, with references to a boxing match or wrestling match. The singer describes feeling like a champ going down, further emphasizing the struggles they face in their relationship. The chorus, "I can't sleep without you", reiterates the idea that the singer is so tied to their lover that they cannot function without their presence. The bridge of the song depicts the singer's racing heart and the feeling of impending doom without their lover. The final lines of the song express the singer's desperation, declaring, "I can't sleep without you. I can't..."
Overall, "I Can't Sleep Without You" is a poignant and deeply emotional love song, exploring the intense emotional connection between two lovers, while also acknowledging the difficulties inherent in any relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Silver like a fish slappin' on my tongue
Your words are like precious metals in my mouth, a sensation that I can't get enough of.
Speak to me the way you do
I am enamored by the way you communicate with me and want to experience it more.
Hide me all summer in your arms
I long for your embrace to shelter me from the harshness of the world for months on end.
Hold me the way I like you to
I have a specific way in which I want to be held and comforted, and you know it better than anyone else.
You fill my cup 'till it's crackin' up
You give me so much of what I desire that I am almost overwhelmed and unable to handle it.
The button that says alarm, says me I'm not supposed to
Despite the signs that I should be cautious and careful, I am unable to resist my desire for you.
Be like a champ that's going down, fighting to get close to you
I am determined like a fighter in a boxing ring, struggling to be near you despite the challenges and obstacles in my way.
Everybody gets up, excited by love, the sight of the ring, the sight of the blood
Love is a powerful force that drives people to emotions and actions akin to those of boxing, with the excitement and intensity that comes from the sport.
I can't sleep without you [4x]
The thought of being separated from you, even in sleep, fills me with anxiety and dread.
Referee's in black and he's in shock
Just like a boxer's official, I am taken aback and perhaps even stunned by the effect you have on me.
The judge is hammering for some solid proof
My mind is trying to find evidence or a reason for why I feel the way I do about you, as if it is something that needs to be proven in a courtroom.
My heart keeps racing like a clock, yeah
My heartbeat is like the ticking of a clock, a constant reminder of my incessant need for you.
It's like a time bomb, ready to go off, in my head and in my heart
My feelings for you are so intense that they feel like a ticking time bomb, just waiting to burst forth and overtake me completely.
The lights keep fading in the dark, just like a nightmare that's comin' true
My world is slipping into darkness, as if a nightmare is becoming a reality before my eyes.
I'm crazy in the city, it just ain't fair
The world around me seems unfair and cruel, driving me to madness in my desire for you.
You send me to my corner, and you're never there
Despite my need for you, you seem to be always out of reach, leaving me alone and defeated in my corner of the world.
I can't sleep without you
The refrain repeats the urgent plea that fills the entire song, conveying the desperation and depth of the artist's need for the other person.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BARRY HAY, GEORGE KOOYMANS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alex Rijper
Geweldig nummer
Random Rob
Deze als 1 van de vrije keuzes opgegeven bij de Top2000, mooi nummer !
PlaygroundsWillLaugh
I've never heard this song before. Love it!
Mattie K
2021 en nog steeds geweldig.... 24 jaar geleden mijn eerste live band toen nog 12 jaar oud en herrinner mij nog goed....golden earring..wow
Scoth
Geweldig :D een van me favoriete nummers van Golden earring
Sjoerd Ploeg
dit is echt een mega super nummer :D ;)
enisijzer
Het was echt geweldig!! Ik was gelukkig al vrij vroeg naar binnen gegaan en stond nog redelijk vooraan.
Ahra_C4 Ahra_C4
Geweldig :-)... Super muziek...
Bobbie Bodt
Super vet! Respect voor deze oude garde!
POISONOUSHAIRSPRAY
Oh so brilliant song. And I'm seeing them the 1st of February :D Can't wait.