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 dΓ©but 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 dΓ©but 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
The Devil Made Me Do It
Golden Earring Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This judge, got no compassion
Witness, show me your right hand
I swear, nothing but the truth now
I was alright 'til she came along
I was alright, then it all went wrong
Yeah, the devil made me do it (oh, oh, oh, oh)
It was the act of a man possessed now (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Yeah, the devil made me do it (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Your honor, I plead innocent
D.A.'s, got a mighty strong case
Lawman, saw the whole thing
Confess, yeah, I stole that fur coat
Confess, I stole a BMW
Confess, I was only trying, to keep my baby satisfied
Bullshit, that's the truth now
Bullshit, so help me God
I was alright 'til she came along
I was alright, then it all went wrong
Yeah, the devil made me do it (oh, oh, oh, oh)
It was the act of a man possessed now (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Yeah, the devil made me do it (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Your honor, I am innocent (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Innocent (oh, oh, oh, oh)
See her slide out of her negligee
Her skin was hot, touch intoxicating
And if you were me, you would have done the same
So spare me the gutter, save me from the ball and chain
The devil made me do it (oh, oh, oh, oh)
It was the act of a man possessed now (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Yeah, the devil made me do it (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Your honor, I am innocent (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Innocent
Yeah, the devil made me do it (oh, oh, oh, oh)
It was an act of self defense now (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Yeah, the devil made me do it (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Your honor, it was an accident (oh, oh, oh, oh)
The devil made me do it (oh, oh, oh, oh)
The first verse sets the scene for the song, as the court is in session, and the judge seems to have no compassion. The witness is asked to swear on the bible that they are telling the truth. The second verse is where the singer begins the justification for their actions. They claim they were alright until a woman came into their life and things started to go wrong. The chorus repeats the phrase, "the devil made me do it" as the singer claims they didn't have control over their actions.
In the third verse, the singer claims the district attorney has a strong case against them, and even confesses to stealing a fur coat and a BMW. However, they also claim that they were only doing it to keep their significant other satisfied. The singer then declares their innocence and swears to tell the truth. The fourth verse is where the singer attempts to justify their actions further, claiming that if someone was in their position, they would have done the same thing. They then beg for mercy and a lesser punishment.
The lyrics of the song could be interpreted as a metaphor for the way people try to justify their actions to avoid punishment. It could also be seen as an expression of the idea that people are not always in control of their actions, and external forces can make them do things they wouldn't normally.
Line by Line Meaning
All set, the court's in session
The court is ready to start with the proceedings.
This judge, got no compassion
The judge is unsympathetic and harsh.
Witness, show me your right hand
The witness is asked to swear on the Bible and show their right hand to confirm they will speak nothing but the truth.
I swear, nothing but the truth now
The witness promises to tell only the truth from now on.
I was alright 'til she came along
The artist was fine until a woman came into their life.
I was alright, then it all went wrong
The singer's life took a turn for the worse after the woman entered their life.
Yeah, the devil made me do it (oh, oh, oh, oh)
The singer is blaming their actions on the devil.
It was the act of a man possessed now (oh, oh, oh, oh)
The artist believes their actions were caused by being possessed by an evil entity.
Your honor, I plead innocent
The artist is claiming they are innocent.
D.A.'s, got a mighty strong case
The DA has a very strong argument against the defendant.
Lawman, saw the whole thing
The authorities have witnessed the entire event.
Confess, yeah, I stole that fur coat
The artist admits to stealing a fur coat.
Confess, I stole a BMW
The singer admits to stealing a BMW too.
Confess, I was only trying, to keep my baby satisfied
The singer admits they committed the crime for their partner's happiness.
Bullshit, that's the truth now
The singer denies confessing to anything and says they are telling the truth.
Bullshit, so help me God
The artist swears to tell the truth on God's name.
See her slide out of her negligee
The artist is describing a woman slipping out of her negligee (a sexy nightgown).
Her skin was hot, touch intoxicating
The singer is aroused by the woman's touch and appearance.
And if you were me, you would have done the same
The singer thinks that anyone else in their position would have acted the same way.
So spare me the gutter, save me from the ball and chain
The artist is asking not to be judged too harshly and punished severely.
It was an act of self defense now (oh, oh, oh, oh)
The artist claims they acted in self-defense.
Your honor, it was an accident (oh, oh, oh, oh)
The artist is trying to convince the judge that their actions were unintentional.
Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Barry Hay, George Kooymans
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@damianmackinnon5742
βI didnβt want to fight...β
βAll I wanted was a beer.... Shit happens..β
@christopherwadden-holmes2073
No Walter you can't drive the car. Put your grandmother on..
@stevenbeoethy4049
"Where do you live, Kelly?"
"About a drink away..."
"That's A KNICE neighborhood..."
@ernestorodriguez6392
Travis was somethimg else ππ
@Dman3827
I thought he said those are nice Levi's lol
@TheGoldeneyez2012
The Best of the Best brought me here.
@JosephBSanchez
Same here though I've heard several other songs from them on the radio.
@hectoralpizar9017
Alex YellowEyesΒ
"I really didn't want to fight"
"Hey, all that I wanted was a beer. Shit happens"
@TheGoldeneyez2012
HΓ©ctor Hugo AlpΓzar CeseΓ±a "So tell me...you yella?..."
@hectoralpizar9017
Alex YellowEyesΒ obviously!