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)
Amsterdam
Van Halen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Uh
Oh yeah
Yeah
Lookin' good through the window
Shinin' red and blue light, yeah
But still lookin' alright, yeah
I got a pocket fulla money
Got me a long night ahead
Quick stop by the bulldog
Score me some panama red, yeah
Oh, wham, bam, oh Amsterdam
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Stone you like nothin' else can
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Hot damn, roll an Amsterdam
Yeah, yeah, yeah
If she can't, then nothin' else can
Uh, caught a plane outta Moscow
Spent one cold night in Berlin, yeah
It's a long hard way
But I'm a comin' back again, yeah
Oh, wham, bam, oh Amsterdam
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Stone you like nothin' else can
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Come on now, roll an Amsterdam
Yeah, yeah, yeah
If she can't, then no one else can
Yeah, yeah
Oh
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh hoo
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh hoo
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh hoo
Yeah
Oh, wham, bam, oh Amsterdam
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Will stone you like nothin' else can
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Hot damn, roll an Amsterdam
Yeah, yeah, yeah
If she can't, then no one else can
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Woo wham, bam, oh Amsterdam
Yeah, yeah, yeah
You don't have to worry about the man
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Woo, hot damn, burn an Amsterdam yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Stone me like nothin' else can
Yeah, yeah, yeah
The lyrics of Van Halen's song Amsterdam revolve around the experience of visiting the city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The song narrates the story of a guy who is looking for a good time in Amsterdam. The opening lines of the song describe the city from the perspective of a visitor, 'Lookin' good through the window, Shinin' red and blue light, yeah,' portraying a city that is all lit up and exciting. The song has an upbeat tempo with the lyrics exuding joy and pleasure. The singer of the song is excited about his visit to Amsterdam as he has 'Got a pocket fulla money,' and he plans to make the most of the night by scoring some 'panama red' from the Bulldog Café in Amsterdam. The lyrics 'Stone you like nothin' else can' refers to the pleasures of smoking weed which is legally available in Amsterdam. In the second half of the song, the singer shares his experience of going to Moscow, Berlin before finally reaching Amsterdam which displays his anticipation of reaching Amsterdam's promised pleasures. The central element in the song is the stoning effect of Amsterdam which makes it unlike any other place in the world.
Overall, "Amsterdam" is a song about the experience of catching a good time in Amsterdam. It presents the impressions of a visitor who is excited about his visit to the city and is looking forward to making the most of his night in Amsterdam. The song is fundamentally about the pleasures of smoking weed and the unique experience that Amsterdam offers to visitors.
Line by Line Meaning
Light em up
Start the engines
Uh
Expression of excitement
Oh yeah
Another expression of excitement
Lookin' good through the window
Observing the surroundings
Shinin' red and blue light, yeah
Seeing the police lights
A little thick in the bottom
Traffic congestion on the street
But still lookin' alright, yeah
Despite the traffic, the situation is manageable
I got a pocket fulla money
Having cash in hand
Got me a long night ahead
Prepared for an extended time period
Quick stop by the bulldog
Visiting a coffee shop named 'the bulldog'
Score me some panama red, yeah
Looking to buy some Panamanian marijuana
Oh, wham, bam, oh Amsterdam
Experiencing the nightlife in Amsterdam
Stone you like nothin' else can
Feeling an intense high from the marijuana
Hot damn, roll an Amsterdam
Rolling a joint of Amsterdam's finest marijuana
If she can't, then nothin' else can
Implying that no other marijuana is as good as Amsterdam's
Uh, caught a plane outta Moscow
Leaving Moscow
Spent one cold night in Berlin, yeah
Making a short stopover in Berlin
It's a long hard way
Traveling is exhausting
But I'm a comin' back again, yeah
Planning to come back to Amsterdam despite the long journey
Yeah, yeah
Expressing agreement and affirmation
Oh hoo
Exclamation of excitement or joy
Will stone you like nothin' else can
Reiterating the intense high from Amsterdam's marijuana
You don't have to worry about the man
Not having to worry about the authorities
Woo, hot damn, burn an Amsterdam yeah
Lighting another joint and enjoying Amsterdam
Stone me like nothin' else can
Suggesting that the marijuana high is unparalleled
Lyrics © Unison Rights S.L., Fintage House Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alex Van Halen, Edward Van Halen, Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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