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)
And the Cradle Will Rock
Van Halen Lyrics
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You know, it's more than just some new sensation.
Well, the kid is into losin' sleep and he don't come home for half the week.
You know, it's more than just an aggravation.
And the cradle will rock.
Yes, the cradle will rock.
And I say, rock on!
And when some local kid gets down, they try and drum him out of town.
They say, "You coulda least faked it, boy."
At an early age he hits the street and winds up tied with who he meets,
and he's unemployed.
And the cradle will rock.
Yeah, the cradle will rock.
And I say, rock on!
Rock on!
Have you seen Junior's grades?
And when some local kid gets down, they try and drum him out of town.
They say, "You coulda least faked it, boy."
At an early age he hits the street and winds up tied with who he meets,
and he's unemployed. His folks are overjoyed.
And the cradle will rock.
Yeah, the cradle will rock.
And I say, rock on!
Rock on!
Rock on!
Rock on!
The opening lines of Van Halen's "And the Cradle Will Rock" express an anxiety about the younger generation's new way of living that takes them away from the values of the past. The song speaks to the dissonance between the values of the older generation and the new lifestyle adopted by young people, which includes staying out late and not coming home for days. The song suggests that it is more than just the natural order of things for the younger generation to swing in a new direction - it is alarming, and threatens to upset the established order of things.
The song is critical of the local community's reaction to young people who go astray, particularly when they end up unemployed. They are kicked out of town, and their families struggle to cope with the fallout. There is a suggestion that this new lifestyle is somehow related to academic underachievement, but the song is not explicit in this respect. Despite the sense of warning and cautionary message of the song, the chorus is an encouragement to the younger generation to keep going, to keep believing in their way of life and to keep rocking on, continually looking forward rather than turning back.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, they say it's kinda fright'nin' how this younger generation swings.
They say that the younger generation's behavior is scary and unpredictable.
You know, it's more than just some new sensation.
It is not just a passing trend or a fad.
Well, the kid is into losin' sleep and he don't come home for half the week.
The kid is engaged in activities that deprive him of sleep, and he only comes home half the week.
You know, it's more than just an aggravation.
It is more than just a source of annoyance or frustration.
And the cradle will rock.
The future is uncertain and unpredictable.
Yes, the cradle will rock.
The future is certain to be unpredictable and unstable.
And I say, rock on!
Despite uncertainty, keep going and remain strong.
And when some local kid gets down, they try and drum him out of town.
When a local kid falls on hard times, people may try to force him out of the community.
They say, "You coulda least faked it, boy."
They suggest that the kid could have pretended everything was okay, even if it was not.
At an early age he hits the street and winds up tied with who he meets, and he's unemployed.
At a young age, he ends up on the streets and falls into the wrong crowd, which leads to unemployment.
And the cradle will rock.
The future is uncertain and unpredictable.
Yeah, the cradle will rock.
The future is certain to be unpredictable and unstable.
And I say, rock on!
Despite uncertainty, keep going and remain strong.
Have you seen Junior's grades?
Are you aware of Junior's academic performance?
And when some local kid gets down, they try and drum him out of town.
When a local kid falls on hard times, people may try to force him out of the community.
They say, "You coulda least faked it, boy."
They suggest that the kid could have pretended everything was okay, even if it was not.
At an early age he hits the street and winds up tied with who he meets, and he's unemployed. His folks are overjoyed.
At a young age, he ends up on the streets and falls into the wrong crowd, which leads to unemployment. His parents are happy to see him leave home.
And the cradle will rock.
The future is uncertain and unpredictable.
Yeah, the cradle will rock.
The future is certain to be unpredictable and unstable.
And I say, rock on!
Despite uncertainty, keep going and remain strong.
Rock on!
Stay true to yourself and hold on to your values.
Rock on!
Remain strong and perseverant in the face of challenges.
Rock on!
Continue to move forward and overcome obstacles.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALEX VAN HALEN, EDWARD VAN HALEN, DAVID ROTH, MICHAEL ANTHONY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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