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)
Bottoms Up!
Van Halen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've been sitting here 'bout half the night
Oh, mama, fill my cup up
Said I came to waste some time
I think I'm gonna jump up
I'm singin', I'm dancin' most every night
And I want to do that with you babe
Let's do this bottle right
Oh, oh, oh, baby
Ow, bottoms up, ow, woo
Pretty maids, all in a row, go on, set 'em up, up
Come um um um um um, baby, bottoms up
I'm singin', I'm dancin' most every night
And I want to do that with you, babe
Let's do this bottle right
Ha ha woo
Alright, ow
Hey we'll sing a little bit, yeah
Come um um um um um, baby, bottoms up
Come um um um um um, baby, bottoms up
Come um um um um um, baby, bottoms up
Bum, bum, ba
Come um um um um um, baby, bottoms up
Ow
Ooh yeah
The song "Bottoms Up!" by Van Halen is a celebration of hedonism and partying. In the very first line, we hear the singer announcing that he has been sitting there for about half the night and asking his mother to fill his cup up, indicating that he is probably at a bar or a party. The singer declares that he has come to waste some time and that he thinks he is going to jump up. This line suggests that the singer is not interested in doing anything serious or meaningful but is rather focused on having a good time.
Throughout the song, the singer talks about how he wants to sing and dance every night and do it with his partner. The chorus of the song, "Bottoms Up!" further reinforces the message of the song, which is about indulging in alcohol and partying. The repetition of the line "Come um um um um um, baby, bottoms up" highlights the carefree nature of the song.
Overall, "Bottoms Up!" is a song that encourages listeners to put aside their worries and concerns and embrace the joys of life, with the help of alcohol and good company.
Line by Line Meaning
Ow
Expressing excitement or a cry of pain
I've been sitting here 'bout half the night
I have been sitting here for a long time
Oh, mama, fill my cup up
Please fill my cup with more drink
Said I came to waste some time
I came here to have fun and not worry about time
I think I'm gonna jump up
I feel like getting up and dancing
I'm singin', I'm dancin' most every night
I enjoy singing and dancing every night
And I want to do that with you babe
I would like to enjoy these activities with my partner
Let's do this bottle right
Let's drink this bottle properly
Pretty maids, all in a row, go on, set 'em up, up
Referring to shots lined up, asking the bartender or server to set them on the counter
Come um um um um um, baby, bottoms up
Encouraging someone to drink up their drink
Ha ha woo
Expressing amusement or excitement
Alright, ow
Expressing agreement or confirmation
Hey we'll sing a little bit, yeah
Proposing to sing along for fun
Bum, bum, ba
Sounds accompanying the music
Come um um um um um, baby, bottoms up
Encouraging someone to drink up their drink
Ow
Expressing excitement or a cry of pain
Ooh yeah
Expressing happiness or agreement
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alex Van Halen, Edward Van Halen, David Roth, Michael Anthony
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
musicmamma
RIP, Eddie. One of the greatest guitarists ever!
MrCalidan69
Van Halen was such a unique band, and in their prime here!!!!!
ringr net
RAISE YOUR GLASSES PEOPLE. Mr. Eddie Van Fookin Halen! RIP Buddy.
Todd Drummer
rhythm guitar in the right ear, lead guitar in the left. Eddie rules.
scotservs
Hell yeah!!!
marty mendoza
Genius...
Fun times
Most under rated album all time
Dumb Luck
hearing early van halen is the only true way to learn appretiation for Eddie's excellence
Clif Haley
I love how you can hear them cracking up in that little vocal break. Now days that would have been scrubbed...redone 40 times and then pieced together with autotune. Heaven forbid your rockstars sound like real people having a good time.
Sarah Wilson
And the giggles around the third "bottoms up". Then Dave scats around to pickup.
Then the high voltage guitar only Eddie could do. Rest in power.