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)
Alex's Drum Solo
Van Halen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It all just kinda happened
I got more than I wanted
But how is still a mystery
Obsessed with this feeling
I trusted it, so I followed it
I'm stripping and stumbling across the land
Into a world so far from home
Miles and miles from nowhere
Rooms without doors open for me, oh, no
Taking me miles and miles from nowhere
Oh, miles and miles, oh, yeah
Lost in this pleasure dome
Lost in my own pleasure dome
Oh man, I ain't got a clue
How you get out, or how to find this place
I want my control back
But I'm afraid, I'll lose that feeling
Lost in a world so far from home
I'm miles and miles from nowhere
Falling inside my own pleasure dome
I'm miles and miles from nowhere
Oh, miles and miles, oh, yeah
Lost in this pleasure dome
Lost inside my pleasure dome
Lost in a world, can't find my way home
Miles and miles from nowhere
Falling inside my own pleasure dome
Miles and miles from nowhere
Millions of miles, oh no, miles and miles
And miles from nowhere
Miles and miles and miles and miles, oh
Lost in this pleasure dome
Lost inside my pleasure dome, yeah
Lost, lost
Lost, lost
The lyrics in Van Halen's "Pleasure Dome/Drum Solo" are open to interpretation, but there are a few different directions one could take in understanding them. At their core, the lyrics appear to describe a feeling of being lost and overwhelmed by sensory pleasure. The singer of the song speaks of stumbling through a land full of miracles, feeling obsessed with a feeling that he trusted enough to follow into a world far from home. The metaphor of a "pleasure dome" suggests a self-contained world of uninhibited pleasure, where one can indulge without any consequences.
However, as the song progresses, the singer begins to express a desire to regain control. He realizes that he has lost his way and is miles from nowhere, and that the pleasure dome he is lost in may not be worth the price he will ultimately pay. He wants to find his way out but is also afraid of losing the feeling that has taken control of him. The song leaves it up to the listener to decide if the singer will be able to regain his control and escape the pleasure dome, or if he will remain lost in his own indulgences.
Overall, the lyrics in "Pleasure Dome/Drum Solo" are open-ended enough to allow for multiple interpretations. They could be read as a cautionary tale about the dangers of indulging too much in sensory pleasure, or as a celebration of the excitement and adventure that can come from losing oneself to an overwhelming feeling. Whatever the interpretation, the song's hazy, dreamlike quality makes it clear that the pleasure dome is a place of both wonder and danger.
Line by Line Meaning
Now I know none of this was planned
I didn't intend to be in this situation.
It all just kinda happened
Events unfolded naturally, without any orchestration or design.
I got more than I wanted
I ended up with more than I was seeking or expecting.
But how is still a mystery
I'm not sure how everything came to be this way.
Obsessed with this feeling
I'm consumed by a powerful emotion that I can't shake.
I trusted it, so I followed it
I had faith in this instinct, so I pursued it.
I'm stripping and stumbling across the land
I'm disrobing and clumsily making my way through unfamiliar terrain.
Full of miracles
The landscape is brimming with inexplicable wonders and marvels.
Into a world so far from home
I've entered a realm that's vastly different from my usual surroundings.
Miles and miles from nowhere
I'm incredibly isolated and far removed from civilization.
Rooms without doors open for me, oh, no
I encounter chambers that have no apparent means of ingress or egress.
Taking me miles and miles from nowhere
I'm being led even further away from what I know and understand.
Oh, miles and miles, oh, yeah
This distance seems interminable, and I'm feeling overwhelmed.
Lost in this pleasure dome
I'm hopelessly trapped within a realm of hedonism and indulgence.
Lost in my own pleasure dome
The temptation and pleasure is so strong that I can't escape its grip.
Oh man, I ain't got a clue
I'm hopelessly lost and bewildered.
How you get out, or how to find this place
I don't know how to leave, or if it's even possible to return to normalcy.
I want my control back
I yearn to be in command of my own senses and impulses again.
But I'm afraid, I'll lose that feeling
I'm concerned that relinquishing this immersion in pleasure will cause me to miss out on something incredible.
Lost in a world so far from home
I'm overwhelmed by the strangeness and foreignness of my surroundings.
Falling inside my own pleasure dome
I'm sinking deeper into a world of sheer pleasure and hedonism.
Miles and miles from nowhere
I'm further adrift and cut off than ever before.
Oh, miles and miles, oh, yeah
The sense of isolation and dislocation is unbearable and all-consuming.
Millions of miles, oh no, miles and miles
The enormity of the distance is indescribable and crushing.
And miles from nowhere
I'm without bearings or any sense of direction or purpose.
Miles and miles and miles and miles, oh
The endlessness of this experience is overwhelming and feels infinite.
Lost inside my pleasure dome
I'm ensconced in a world of hedonism and leaving it isn't easy.
Lost, lost
I'm completely adrift and lacking any sense of orientation or grounding.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALEX VAN HALEN, EDWARD VAN HALEN, SAMMY HAGAR, MICHAEL ANTHONY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rodrigo
Alex Van Halen stands for drums the same way Eddie Van Halen stands for the guitar.
Elite Warrior007
I would argue Neil Peart is the Eddie Van Halen of drumming but Alex is certainly an outstanding drummer
Vanguard
@Elite Warrior007 no way man. Alex brought that jazz swing and shuffle to rock n roll. he took all the standard meters and put that jazz touch to it to give it a feel that nobody in rock had or has today. and im as big a peart fan as anyone.
Ben Lees
@Vanguard i think youll find mitch mitchell did that 12 years prior
Joseph Nichols
@Vanguard Alex is great, and for sure fit the Van Halen style, but he's no Neil Peart.
Dustin Daniels
As Vinnie was to dime
Danny Stewart
I've seen Van Halen live and I'm a drummer myself. Believe me when I tell you, Alex Van Halen is a MONSTER...
JOHN BAXTER
His live solos dwarf anything you ever hear him do on record. Mind boggling
Sullivandidnithingwrong
In Van Halen Rising, the author talked to someone who was friends with the brothers when they were younger and said whenever she saw Alex play she could swear she saw crystals appear in the air, she was in awe
MADJID HAMDINI
I'm electrician at work ; electronic music dj , electronician , and musician when i have time , build amplifier and other drum boxes /sound machine , i love to play in drum this one 4:00 need to be fast and very clean ! yeah Alex is a Master Monster !