From 1974 until 1985, Van Halen consisted of Eddie Van Halen; Eddie's brother, drummer Alex Van Halen; vocalist David Lee Roth; and bassist/vocalist Michael Anthony. Upon its release in 1978, the band's self-titled debut album reached No. 19 on the Billboard pop music charts and would sell over 10 million copies in the U.S. By 1982, the band released four more albums (Van Halen II, Women and Children First, Fair Warning, and Diver Down), all of which have since been certified multi-platinum. By the early 1980s, Van Halen was one of the most successful rock acts of the day. The album 1984 was a commercial success with U.S. sales of 10 million copies and four hit singles; its lead single, "Jump", was the band's only U.S. number one single.
In 1985, Roth left the band to embark on a solo career and was replaced by former Montrose lead vocalist Sammy Hagar. With Hagar, the group released four U.S. number-one, multi-platinum albums over the course of 11 years (5150 in 1986, OU812 in 1988, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge in 1991, and Balance in 1995). Hagar left the band in 1996 shortly before the release of the band's first greatest hits collection, Best of Volume 1. Former Extreme frontman Gary Cherone replaced Hagar and recorded the commercially unsuccessful album Van Halen III with the band in 1998, before parting ways in 1999. Van Halen then went on hiatus until reuniting with Hagar in 2003 for a worldwide tour in 2004 and the double-disc greatest hits collection The Best of Both Worlds. Hagar again left Van Halen in 2005. In 2006 Roth returned, but Anthony was replaced on bass guitar by Eddie's son, Wolfgang Van Halen. In 2012, the band released their final studio album A Different Kind of Truth, which was commercially and critically successful; it was also Van Halen's first album with Roth in 28 years and the only one to feature Wolfgang.
As of March 2019, Van Halen is 20th on the RIAA list of best-selling artists in the United States; the band has sold 56 million albums in the States and more than 80 million worldwide, making them one of the best-selling groups of all time. As of 2007, Van Halen is one of only five rock bands with two studio albums to sell more than 10 million copies in the United States and is tied for the most multi-platinum albums by an American band. Additionally, Van Halen has charted 13 number-one hits on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart. VH1 ranked the band seventh on a list of the top 100 Hard Rock artists of all time.
Eddie was diagnosed with cancer in 2001, and died of the disease on October 6, 2020. A month after his father's death, Wolfgang confirmed that Van Halen had disbanded.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Halen
Studio albums
Van Halen (1978)
Van Halen II (1979)
Women and Children First (1980)
Fair Warning (1981)
Diver Down (1982)
1984 (1984)
5150 (1986)
OU812 (1988)
For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (1991)
Balance (1995)
Van Halen III (1998)
A Different Kind of Truth (2012)
Pretty Woman
Van Halen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pretty woman, walking down the street
Pretty woman, the kind I'd like to meet
Pretty woman, I don't believe you, you must be true
No one can look as good as you
Mercy
Pretty woman, won't you pardon me?
Pretty woman, I couldn't help but see
Pretty woman, oh you look lovely as you can be
Are you lonely just like me?
Ah (rrr)
Pretty woman, stop awhile
Pretty woman, talk awhile
Pretty woman, give your smile to me
Pretty woman, yeah, yeah, yeah
Pretty woman, look my way
Pretty woman, say you'll stay with me
'Cause I need you, need you tonight
Ah
Pretty woman, don't walk on by
Pretty woman, don't make me cry
Pretty woman, don't walk away, okay
If that's the way it must be, okay
I guess I'll go on home, it's late
There'll be tomorrow night, but wait, what do I see?
She's walking back to me
Whoa, whoa, pretty woman
The lyrics of Van Halen's Pretty Woman tell the story of a man who sees a gorgeous woman walking down the street and becomes instantly infatuated with her. He can't believe how beautiful she looks and feels compelled to talk to her. Throughout the song, the man tries to get the woman's attention and convince her to stay with him, telling her that he needs her and doesn't want her to walk away.
The lyrics can be interpreted as a classic example of a man admiring a woman purely for her looks and feeling a strong desire to be with her. However, there is a hint of loneliness in the lyrics as if the man is looking for someone to connect with on a deeper level. The repetition of "pretty woman" throughout the song suggests that the woman's appearance is the most important thing to the man, but at the same time, he acknowledges that he doesn't know her and can't be sure whether she is "true" or not.
In summary, the lyrics of Pretty Woman describe a man's initial attraction to a beautiful woman and his attempts to win her over. The song could be seen as a lighthearted take on romance, but it also touches on themes of loneliness, desire, and uncertainty.
Line by Line Meaning
Pretty woman, walking down the street
The singer has spotted an attractive woman walking down the street.
Pretty woman, the kind I'd like to meet
The singer is expressing their interest in meeting the attractive woman they have seen.
Pretty woman, I don't believe you, you must be true
The singer is in disbelief over how attractive the woman is and believes she must be genuine in her beauty.
No one can look as good as you
The artist believes that the woman's beauty is unmatched and no one else can compare.
Pretty woman, won't you pardon me?
The artist is politely asking for the woman's attention.
Pretty woman, I couldn't help but see
The singer is acknowledging that they have noticed the woman's beauty.
Pretty woman, oh you look lovely as you can be
The singer is complimenting the woman's appearance once again.
Are you lonely just like me?
The artist is wondering if the woman, like themselves, is also feeling lonely.
Pretty woman, stop awhile
The artist is asking the woman to stop so they can talk.
Pretty woman, talk awhile
The artist is politely asking the woman to engage in conversation with them.
Pretty woman, give your smile to me
The singer is asking the woman to smile at them.
Pretty woman, yeah, yeah, yeah
The artist is displaying their attraction to the woman once again.
Pretty woman, look my way
The singer is asking the woman to look in their direction.
Pretty woman, say you'll stay with me
The singer is asking the woman to spend time with them.
'Cause I need you, need you tonight
The singer is expressing their desire to spend time with the woman.
Pretty woman, don't walk on by
The artist is expressing their fear of losing the woman's attention.
Pretty woman, don't make me cry
The artist is expressing their fear of being rejected by the woman.
Pretty woman, don't walk away, okay
The singer is begging the woman to not leave them.
If that's the way it must be, okay
The singer is reluctantly accepting that the woman may not be interested in them.
I guess I'll go on home, it's late
The artist is suggesting that they will leave and go home.
There'll be tomorrow night, but wait, what do I see?
The artist is questioning if they may have a chance with the woman after all.
She's walking back to me
The artist is realizing that the woman is returning to them and expressing excitement and happiness.
Whoa, whoa, pretty woman
The singer is using an exclamation of excitement and admiration towards the woman.
Lyrics © Orbi-Lee Music, Barbara Orbison Music Company, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, R-Key Darkus
Written by: Bill Dees, Roy Orbison
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John O'Shea
Hard to believe that MTV would not show this video at the time. Now, it seems that MTV will show just about anything. Except music.
bbutters2
It never ceases to amaze me about how cool Van Halen intro's were, this is no exception. Killer intro!
rocker4u123
it saddens me how they rarely play the full version of this : (. this intro is so badass
Nightcat
I love this! MTV really sucks nowadays. Bring back the music!
Doobie1975
Great song, to me this song isn't complete without the intro
IzzysAppentite
Eddie + Alex + Michael + David = Kings of rock n roll!!
rjarvis51
I was the hunchback... it took about 23 hours to shoot. Lots of fun. We all shot another video for the US Festival. David took Taz (one of the little people) and another 'shorty' on tour as his personal bodyguards that year. Look up the Life magazine spread on the Diver Down tour... it's great.
KENIZU 24
It´s not Van Halen without David!!! David Lee Roth rocks!!!
88mpny
THE best band of all time!!!!!
pierre jergeay
Great song ! Great Van Halen