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
They Dance
Golden Earring Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Down on dead-end street
Down in the basement brother
That's where I'm bound to be
Trading payday weekly
For a welfare check
My baby's cryin' crazy
Ain't seen nothing yet
With a classic view on Rio
Sellin' cigarettes to the tourists down below
Girl's a sixteen year old carnival queen
Too poor to strike a match
If you know what I mean , If you know what I mean
But they dance to that voodoo rhythm
Oh, they can't do without it
They dance, it's such an old tradition
That your soul belongs
Your soul belongs to music
They dance
Not too far from the ghetto
Life has a different feel
Food has a different flavor
Boot tap a different beat
Doberman's will be watchin'
Your every single move
You know you can't trust a stranger
Baby, oh ain't that the truth
Oh, ain't that the truth now
They dance to that voodoo rhythm
Oh, they can't do without it
They dance, it's such an old tradition
That your soul belongs , your soul belongs to music
They dance to that voodoo rhythm
Oh, they can't do without it
They dance, it's such an old tradition
Their souls belongs , their soul belongs to music
That's why they dance
They dance to that voodoo rhythm
Oh, they can't live without it
But they dance, it's such an old tradition
Your soul belongs , your soul belongs to music
That's why you dance
The song "They Dance" by Golden Earring speaks of a place where people gather together to dance. The first few lines of the song paint a picture of a place that is not very affluent. The Latin quarter, dead-end street, and basement may all be references to a low-income area. The singer mentions trading in his payday for a welfare check and his baby crying. This paints a picture of a man who is struggling financially and emotionally.
Despite the difficult circumstances, the people in this place still dance. The lyrics describe a "voodoo rhythm" that they can't do without. The music seems to be the one constant in their lives. The singer notes that it's an old tradition and that the people's souls belong to the music. He also mentions that life feels different in this place. The food has a different flavor and the beat taps differently on one's boots. But the people still dance.
The final part of the song includes the line, "That's why you dance." The singer seems to be acknowledging that despite the hardships, the people in this place still find joy in dancing to the music. It's as if he's saying that the music is their escape from harsh reality.
Overall, this song tells a story of a community that experiences hardships but still finds joy in the voodoo rhythm of the music they dance to.
Line by Line Meaning
Down in the Latin quarter
In a neighborhood known for its cultural and artistic expression
Down on dead-end street
In a location with limited opportunities for progress or advancement
Down in the basement brother
In a subterranean area, possibly indicating a lack of resources
That's where I'm bound to be
That's where I will inevitably end up
Trading payday weekly
Exchanging one weekly payment for another
For a welfare check
In exchange for government-provided financial assistance
My baby's cryin' crazy
My partner is very upset
Ain't seen nothing yet
The situation is about to get much worse
Own a cardboard shelter
Live in a makeshift and unstable dwelling
With a classic view on Rio
Despite the lack of material possessions, there is a beautiful view of a famous location
Sellin' cigarettes to the tourists down below
Engaging in a low-paid and unfulfilling job selling products to those more financially privileged
Girl's a sixteen year old carnival queen
A young and attractive woman who represents the excitement and celebration of carnival season
Too poor to strike a match
Unable to afford even the most basic necessities
If you know what I mean, If you know what I mean
Implying a darker and deeper implication that is not explicitly stated
But they dance to that voodoo rhythm
Despite the difficult circumstances, they find joy in music
Oh, they can't do without it
Music is an essential part of their lives and brings them comfort
They dance, it's such an old tradition
This act of dancing to music has been passed down through generations
That your soul belongs
They are spiritually connected to the music they dance to
Your soul belongs to music
Music is an integral part of their identity and existence
Not too far from the ghetto
In close proximity to an area characterized by poverty and crime
Life has a different feel
The atmosphere and overall quality of life are noticeably different in this location
Food has a different flavor
The local cuisine has unique and distinct flavors and spices
Boot tap a different beat
The rhythm of everyday life is different
Doberman's will be watchin'
The presence of guard dogs implies a danger and lack of safety in the area
Your every single move
One must be cautious and aware of their surroundings at all times
You know you can't trust a stranger
The prevalence of crime and distrust in the area make it difficult to form new relationships
Baby, oh ain't that the truth
Confirming the harsh reality of the area and its associated challenges
Their souls belongs to music
The people in this community find solace and belonging through music
That's why they dance
Their love of music and its ability to connect them to something greater than themselves is the reason they continue to dance
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HAY, KOOYMANS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
George Mathie
This band is so rich in talent Barry hay is just an supremely underrated vocalist and so is George kooymans what a spectacular guitarist and this band just keeps getting better
Steve Evans
The bass is particularly fantastic.
Troy Ennis
Very good band just can't figure out why there not very popular in the united states