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)
06. Best Of Both Worlds
Van Halen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But it's not enough to fill me up
I need more than just words can say
I need everything this life can give me
'Cause sometimes it's not enough, ow
Come on baby close your eyes let go
This can be everything we've dreamed
It's not work, that makes it work on
'Cause something reached out and touched me
Now I know all I want
I want the best of both worlds
And honey I know what it's worth
If we could have the best of both worlds
We'd have heaven right here on earth, ow
Well, there's a picture in a gallery
Of a fallen angel looked a lot like you
We forget where we come from sometimes
I had a dream it was really you
Something reached out and touched me
Now I know all I want
I want the best of both worlds
An' honey I know what it's worth
If we could have the best of both worlds
A little bit o' heaven right here on earth, oh
Whoa, you don't have to die an' go to heaven
Or hang around to be born again
Just tune in to what this place has got to offer
'Cause we may never be here again, ow
I want the best of both worlds
An' honey I know what it's worth
If we could have the best of both worlds
A little heaven right here on earth, come on
I want the best of both worlds
An' honey I know what it's worth
We can have the best of both worlds
A little heaven right here on earth, yeah
Tell me, is it enough?
Now will it ever be enough?
The lyrics to Van Halen's song Best of Both Worlds express a longing for a more fulfilling life. The singer is dissatisfied with their current existence and desires more than words can express. They want everything that life can offer and believe that letting go and allowing magic to take over is the key to achieving this. The phrase "best of both worlds" serves as a metaphor for a perfect existence with everything one could want. The singer recognizes that life is not perfect and that we can forget where we come from, but we can tune in to what this world has to offer and find the happiness we seek.
The lyrics suggest that the singer has had a transformative experience that has changed their perspective on life. They have been touched by something that has given them clarity on what they truly want. The lyrics also allude to a fallen angel that resembles someone close to the singer, indicating that this experience has also changed their view of the people in their life. The chorus repeats the desire for the best of both worlds and acknowledges that it is worth having. The song ends with the question, "Tell me, is it enough? Now will it ever be enough?" suggesting that even when we have what we desire, we may still feel like something is missing.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't know what I been livin' on
I am unsure about what I have been doing with my life
But it's not enough to fill me up
But whatever it is, it isn't fulfilling me completely
I need more than just words can say
I need something tangible and meaningful
I need everything this life can give me
I want to experience everything that life has to offer
'Cause sometimes it's not enough, ow
Because sometimes my current situation is not satisfying
Come on baby close your eyes let go
Relax and let your guard down
This can be everything we've dreamed
This moment can fulfill all of our dreams
It's not work, that makes it work on
We don't need to put in a lot of effort, it will come naturally
Let the magic do the work for you
Let the serendipitous and magical things happen on its own
'Cause something reached out and touched me
Because I experienced something that had a profound impact on me
Now I know all I want
Now I am certain about what I desire
I want the best of both worlds
I want it all
And honey I know what it's worth
I understand the value of what I want
If we could have the best of both worlds
If we could have everything we desire
We'd have heaven right here on earth, ow
We would experience pure joy in our current situation
Well, there's a picture in a gallery
There is an artwork in a museum
Of a fallen angel looked a lot like you
It resembles you, a graceful yet troubled individual
We forget where we come from sometimes
We tend to lose sight of our roots and origins
I had a dream it was really you
I had a dream about you
Whoa, you don't have to die an' go to heaven
You don't have to wait until after you die to experience something great
Or hang around to be born again
Or wait until you are reincarnated
Just tune in to what this place has got to offer
Just pay attention to what is currently available to us
'Cause we may never be here again, ow
Because we might not have this opportunity again
Tell me, is it enough?
Asking if what we currently have is sufficient
Now will it ever be enough?
Questioning if we will ever be completely satisfied
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Edward Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
James
I don't care what anyone says Hagar was and still is a BEAST! Loved seeing Sammy and Eddie together!
Carlotta Viganó
Love this ❤😍
David Pearl
Great combo
Chad Charles
I agree...Sammy seems time and time again proven to be a genuine good person on top of a good singer.
Sgt. Pepe’s
+1 🙋🏻♂️
Pop Warner
@Chad CharlesI know you're Right 👍
klint edwards
One of the best and most fun tours ever. The concerts just hit different back then. I miss that world ❤
Ydnar Mandrake
F’n ditto 🤘😢
Van Halen Rulz
This slays the studio version on 5150.
Mike Roki
Right? It kills it. The guitar tone, everything.