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
Sueleen
Golden Earring Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You shouldn't be hidin' things away from me
Don't you know I'm king jealousy
And I can't forget the snapshots I've seen
Well the next time 'round, I'm gonna chain you down
I've had enough weekends of vacant double-beds
You better tell that mother, don't push the kid no further
With your beau in the Gulf of Mexico
I'll come ridin' in on the surf
And I think I'm gonna teach that pervert
Sue me, sue me, Sueleen on me
Baby I love you like no other
Sue me, sue me, Sueleen on me
You always did it better
Sue me, sue me, Sueleen on me
Don't want to talk to no lawyer
Sue me, sue me, Sueleen on me
Whatever they say, please don't bother
Don't scream d.i.v.o.r.c.e. Sueleen
I must have been momentarily insane
The night I raised my cane Sueleen
Little darlin' born to be driftin'
You're my livin' proof
But you're on the move
Don't you understand
That I had my revenge
The night I got that rocker
I knew I'd risk the locker
And pay for your swimmin'
In the moonlight, with a beau
In the Gulf of Mexico
I'm here on the floor
Wondrin' who the hell I did it for
Sue me, sue me, Sueleen on me
Baby I love you like no other
Sue me, sue me, Sueleen on me
You always did it better
Sue me, sue me, Sueleen on me
Don't want to talk to no doctor
Sue me, sue me, Sueleen on me
How about gluing it back together
How about gluing it back together Sueleen
The lyrics of Golden Earring's song "Sueleen" talks about a possessive and jealous lover seeking answers and secrets from his partner. He expresses his concerns about the secrets that she might be hiding from him and says that he can’t forget the snapshots he has seen. He is also unhappy with the idea of his partner being with someone else, and he hints that he would go to any extent to avenge her if she dared to do that. The lyrics use an alternate spelling of suing (“Sueleen”) to create a wordplay, which signifies both the legal action and the singer's name.
As the song progresses, the lover seems to realize that his actions will not lead to a happy ending, and he regrets the fights and misunderstandings that caused their relationship to crumble. He says that he may have been "momentarily insane" and raises the possibility of putting their relationship back together again. The song's final lines conclude with the same wordplay used in the chorus, creating a hopeful ending to the narrative.
The song has a bluesy rock sound and was first released in 1972 as part of the album "Together." The song showcases the band's signature style, with heavy guitar riffs and powerful vocals. The lyrics, however, are less known and less frequently referenced in popular culture.
Line by Line Meaning
Sueleen, tell me a secret Sueleen
The singer is asking Sueleen to reveal a secret to him.
You shouldn't be hidin' things away from me
The singer is suggesting that Sueleen should not keep any secrets from him.
Don't you know I'm king jealousy
The singer is suggesting that he is a very jealous person.
And I can't forget the snapshots I've seen
The artist has seen some pictures and he can't forget them.
Well the next time 'round, I'm gonna chain you down
The artist is saying that the next time they meet, he will not let her go away.
I've had enough weekends of vacant double-beds
The singer has spent enough weekend nights sleeping alone in his bed.
You better tell that mother, don't push the kid no further
Sueleen should not let her mother force her to do anything.
One day, when you're swimmin' in the moonlight
The artist is imagining Sueleen swimming in the moonlight someday.
With your beau in the Gulf of Mexico
Sueleen will be swimming with her significant other in the Gulf of Mexico.
I'll come ridin' in on the surf
The artist imagines himself riding on the waves and coming to Sueleen.
And I think I'm gonna teach that pervert
The singer wants to confront and teach a lesson to Sueleen's beau.
Sue me, sue me, Sueleen on me
The artist is saying that he loves Sueleen and she can sue him if she wants.
Baby I love you like no other
The singer loves Sueleen more than anything else.
Don't want to talk to no lawyer
The singer doesn't want to get into any legal trouble.
Whatever they say, please don't bother
The singer doesn't care what other people say.
Don't scream d.i.v.o.r.c.e. Sueleen
The artist is asking Sueleen not to ask for a divorce.
I must have been momentarily insane
The artist thinks he was crazy for doing something.
The night I raised my cane Sueleen
The singer did something violent or threatening with his cane one night.
Little darlin' born to be driftin'
The singer thinks Sueleen is meant to wander.
You're my livin' proof
Sueleen is proof that the artist is alive.
But you're on the move
Sueleen is always traveling.
Don't you understand That I had my revenge
The artist feels like he has taken revenge on Sueleen for something.
The night I got that rocker
The singer seems to have gotten a piece of furniture (a rocker) as revenge.
I knew I'd risk the locker
The artist knew that getting revenge would have consequences.
And pay for your swimmin' In the moonlight, with a beau In the Gulf of Mexico
The singer feels like he is paying for Sueleen's happiness.
I'm here on the floor Wondrin' who the hell I did it for
The singer is questioning why he did something.
Don't want to talk to no doctor
The singer doesn't want to talk to a doctor.
How about gluing it back together
The artist is asking Sueleen if they can fix something.
How about gluing it back together Sueleen
The artist is asking Sueleen if they can fix their relationship.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HAY, KOOYMANS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Fausto T
Sueleen, tell me a secret Sueleen
You shouldn't be hidin' things away from me
Don't you know I'm king jealousy
And I can't forget the snapshots I've seen
Well the next time 'round, I'm gonna chain you down
I've had enough weekends of vacant double-beds
You better tell that mother, don't push the kid no further
One day, when you're swimmin' in the moonlight
With your beau in the Gulf of Mexico
I'll come ridin' in on the surf
And I think I'm gonna teach that pervert
Sue me, sue me, Sueleen on me
Baby I love you like no other
Sue me, sue me, Sueleen on me
You always did it better
Sue me, sue me, Sueleen on me
Don't want to talk to no lawyer
Sue me, sue me, Sueleen on me
Whatever they say, please don't bother
Don't scream d.i.v.o.r.c.e. Sueleen
I must have been momentarily insane
The night I raised my cane Sueleen
Little darlin' born to be driftin'
You're my livin' proof
But you're on the move
Don't you understand
That I had my revenge
The night I got that rocker
I knew I'd risk the locker
And pay for your swimmin'
In the moonlight, with a beau
In the Gulf of Mexico
I'm here on the floor
Wondrin' who the hell I did it for
Sue me, sue me, Sueleen on me
Baby I love you like no other
Sue me, sue me, Sueleen on me
You always did it better
Sue me, sue me, Sueleen on me
Don't want to talk to no doctor
Sue me, sue me, Sueleen on me
How about gluing it back together
How about gluing it back together Sueleen
Jeffrey Latawiec
I asked for this last nt. Wow...I can't believe you already put it up. This is hands down one of my 4 favorite Golden Earring tunes, w/ Mad Love, Cell 29 and Vanilla Queen. Of course then there's Candy's Goin Bad, and...you get the picture. They are are a great band. Thank you so much for this.
Scott Sargent
Jeffrey, are you still listening? 11 years ago....the songs you've indicated, love them too, rock on Man
David Chris
I continually push my classic rock listening friends to explore Golden Earring’s catalog. This song is one of those gems I wish more people were aware of.
ssvoogel
Thanks David. Growing up in The Hague, and knowing some of the band members personally through interactions over the years, it warms my heart to know their music reaches new people every time.
Ron Olivier
The American release of this album (Mad Love) was VERY underrated, This song is one the real gems. The whole album had a more laid-back feel, but still managed to rock. I wish Eeelco would have been with the band a little longer, though.
Scott Chambers
Ron Olivier side 1 is great
Fausto T
Sueleen, tell me a secret Sueleen
You shouldn't be hidin' things away from me
Don't you know I'm king jealousy
And I can't forget the snapshots I've seen
Well the next time 'round, I'm gonna chain you down
I've had enough weekends of vacant double-beds
You better tell that mother, don't push the kid no further
One day, when you're swimmin' in the moonlight
With your beau in the Gulf of Mexico
I'll come ridin' in on the surf
And I think I'm gonna teach that pervert
Sue me, sue me, Sueleen on me
Baby I love you like no other
Sue me, sue me, Sueleen on me
You always did it better
Sue me, sue me, Sueleen on me
Don't want to talk to no lawyer
Sue me, sue me, Sueleen on me
Whatever they say, please don't bother
Don't scream d.i.v.o.r.c.e. Sueleen
I must have been momentarily insane
The night I raised my cane Sueleen
Little darlin' born to be driftin'
You're my livin' proof
But you're on the move
Don't you understand
That I had my revenge
The night I got that rocker
I knew I'd risk the locker
And pay for your swimmin'
In the moonlight, with a beau
In the Gulf of Mexico
I'm here on the floor
Wondrin' who the hell I did it for
Sue me, sue me, Sueleen on me
Baby I love you like no other
Sue me, sue me, Sueleen on me
You always did it better
Sue me, sue me, Sueleen on me
Don't want to talk to no doctor
Sue me, sue me, Sueleen on me
How about gluing it back together
How about gluing it back together Sueleen
TheEDZEPPELINBAND
love this song!!!
josephine jones
The best band going....
Mika Heinonen
superb..band of course and this ..