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)
Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
Van Halen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All about your disease
Yeah, you may have all you want baby
But I got somethin' you need, oh yeah
Ain't talkin' 'bout love
My love is rotten to the core
Ain't talkin' 'bout love
You know you're semi-good lookin'
And on the streets again
Oh yeah, you think you're really cookin' baby
You better find yourself a friend, my friend
Ain't talkin' 'bout love
My love is rotten to the core
Ain't gonna talk about love
Just like I told you before, before
Before, before, before
Ain't talkin' 'bout love
Babe, it's rotten to the core
Ain't talkin' bout love
Just like I told you before, before
I been to the edge
And there I stood and looked down
You know I lost a lot of friends there baby
I got no time to mess around, mmm
So if you want it, got to bleed for it baby
Yeah, got to, got to bleed, baby
Mmm you got to, got to bleed, baby
Hey, got to, got to bleed baby
Ain't talkin' 'bout love
My love is rotten to the core
Ain't talkin' 'bout love
Just like I told you before, before, before
Ain't talkin' 'bout love
Don't wanna talk about love
Don't need to talk about love
Ain't gonna talk about love
No more, no more
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
The lyrics of Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love by Van Halen talk about love in a different way than what is traditionally expressed in rock and roll love songs. The first verse addresses someone with a disease, and although they may have all they want, the singer claims to have something they need. This leads to the chorus where the singer states that his love is "rotten to the core" and he isn't talking about love in the way the listener might expect. The second verse is directed towards someone who believes they are attractive and successful ("semi-good lookin'") but the singer advises them to find themselves a friend.
The bridge of the song then takes a dark turn as the singer talks about going to the edge and losing friends there, but not having time to "mess around". The final chorus emphasizes the point that the singer is not going to talk about love anymore. The overall interpretation of the song is that love is a dangerous game and not something to be taken lightly. It is a critical reflection on the superficial nature of relationships and also warns against the dangers of being too self-centered.
Line by Line Meaning
I heard the news baby
I am aware of what's going on with you
All about your disease
I know all about your problems and troubled state
Yeah, you may have all you want baby
You may have everything you fancy
But I got somethin' you need, oh yeah
But there's something you lack that I can provide
Ain't talkin' 'bout love
I'm not talking about romantic love
My love is rotten to the core
My affection is tainted and degraded
Just like I told you before, yeah before
As I already mentioned to you before, it's not love that I'm after
You know you're semi-good lookin'
You consider yourself only somewhat attractive
And on the streets again
You're back on the road again
Oh yeah, you think you're really cookin' baby
You're under the impression that you're doing great
You better find yourself a friend, my friend
You should seek companionship, my dear
Babe, it's rotten to the core
My love is corrupted and decayed, darling
I been to the edge
I faced a serious challenge
And there I stood and looked down
There I was, standing and contemplating
You know I lost a lot of friends there baby
I lost many allies in that situation, dear
I got no time to mess around, mmm
I can't waste any time playing around
So if you want it, got to bleed for it baby
If you want what I have to offer, you have to endure some pain and suffering
Mmm you got to, got to bleed, baby
You really have to go through some ordeal, darling
Ain't talkin' 'bout love
I'm not referring to romantic love
Don't wanna talk about love
I don't want to discuss affection
Don't need to talk about love
There's no need to touch on the topic of love
Ain't gonna talk about love
I won't speak of love
No more, no more
Never again
Hey, hey, hey
Interjection
Hey, hey, hey
Interjection
Hey, hey, hey
Interjection
Hey, hey, hey
Interjection
Hey, hey, hey
Interjection
Hey, hey, hey
Interjection
Hey, hey, hey
Interjection
Hey, hey, hey
Interjection
Hey, hey, hey
Interjection
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alex Van Halen, Edward Van Halen, David Roth, Michael Anthony
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mary
One of the sickest opening riffs in Hard Rock history. RIP Eddie.
Emile Barry
I tied it together with Eruption. I'm a genius.
Perry John Ehses
Agreed, a few more but Unchained is up there as well
reese
@Perry John Ehses I love Unchained thr best🤘🎸
Perry John Ehses
@reese you are very cool my friend!
reese
@Perry John Ehses Thanks! I'm 14
Tharos
The intro riff is just mind blowing!!
YouTube has too many adverts
Totally agree, learning this song on the guitar and the intro riff and solo just forces the song forwards
Emile Barry
That's why I tied it together with Eruption.
lenton crerar
Yup